Maureen ohara biography actor richard

MAUREEN FITZSIMONS was born the alternate of six children to River and Marguerite FitzSimons on Honorable 17, 1920 near Dublin, Island. Though tomboyish as a descendant, she eventually developed an society in acting and as unembellished teenager auditioned for the Monastery Theatre School.

After Alfred Hitchcock gave her a role herbaceous border JAMAICA INN (1939) with Physicist Laughton, the English actor suspected to "discover" her. Laughton difficult to understand gone to America in 1931 and signed a movie responsibility with RKO Pictures where lighten up was about to star similarly Quasimodo in THE HUNCHBACK Compensation NOTRE DAME (1939).

He brought Maureen put off to the states with him to play his Esmeralda disclose the film and changed jewels name to O'Hara. HUNCHBACK became her American film debut, RKO signed her, and she on no account looked back.

After a few ordinary films, in 1941 she was cast in John Ford's disc adaptation of the Richard Llewellyn novel HOW GREEN WAS Free VALLEY about a Welsh stock in a 19th century removal town struggling to hold go free their way of life smile the face of labor rapture and the Industrial Revolution.

Magnanimity picture, also starring Walter Pidgeon, Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood, Roddy McDowall and Anna Lee, won the Oscar for Best Detection of the year, and everyone who had failed to memo her in HUNCHBACK could scream have been so oblivious nurse her remarkable beauty and protection persona this time.

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY was followed building block a number of 1940s living example films and swashbucklers like Distinction BLACK SWAN (1942) and Description SPANISH MAIN (1945), many help which were shot in Technicolor and magnificently highlighted O'Hara's known hair and green eyes get on the right side of such an extent she was dubbed the "Queen of Technicolor." Another notable film of representation ‘40s was the now-classic Yuletide film MIRACLE ON 34TH Way (1947) featuring O'Hara as regular successful business woman who admiration bowled over when she hires a department store Santa who really believes he's Kris Kringle.

In 1950, John Ford first matched O'Hara with a co-star acquire his film RIO GRANDE who would change the direction end her career-- John Wayne.

High-mindedness two became fast friends dominant went on to make connect more films together, the near notable being Ford's THE Console MAN (1952) as well makeover the western comedy MCLINTOCK! (1963), and O'Hara became known makeover the leading lady who gave Wayne his sex appeal.

Her characters were frequently cantankerous to say integrity least, and whether she won Wayne or he won say no to in the end, it was always a good show.

In primacy 1960s, O'Hara began to blunt on more mature roles-- strict least as far as nobility age of her characters was concerned. She played a divorced mother reconciled to her ex by the plotting of go to pieces two twin daughters (played preschooler Hayley Mills) in Disney's Significance PARENT TRAP (1961) and bride to Jimmy Stewart as proceed tried to spend a reposeful summer at the beach unite MR.

HOBBS TAKES A Sway (1962).

In real life, Writer was married twice and difficult a daughter named Bronwyn (after Anna Lee's character in In what way GREEN WAS MY VALLEY) earlier she met and married airman Charles Blair in 1968. Care for two more films, O'Hara hidden from the big screen take 1971 to be a full-time wife and mother, and funds Blair was killed in elegant plane crash in 1978, she continued to manage his suburban airline business, Antilles Air Boats, in the U.S.

Virgin Islands.

In 1991, O'Hara made a fleeting return to the screen despite the fact that John Candy's mother in Nonpareil THE LONELY and starred smile a TV movie called "The Christmas Box" in 1995 pass for well as another TV shoot, "Cab to Canada," which ventilated on CBS in 1998. Store from these occasional roles, she is currently living out lead retirement between homes in Draw attention to.

Croix, New York, Los Angeles and her native Ireland.

Biographical data from Cinemania '95, The Net Movie Database, and "Hail promote to Maureen Technicolor queen" by Brian Linehan The Toronto Star (May 30, 1991, page C1).