Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara (known originally as Maureen FitzSimons; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was often cast in westerns and adventure films. She worked with director John Ford and long-time friend John Wayne on numerous projects. O'Hara was born and raised in a Catholic family in Dublin, Ireland and aspired to become an actress from a very young age. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and at the Abbey Theatre from the age of 14. Charles Laughton saw potential in her and arranged for her to co-star with him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. She moved to Hollywood the same year to appear with him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, subsequently establishing a successful film career and acquiring the nickname "the Queen of Technicolor". O'Hara appeared in films such as How Green Was My Valley (1941), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952) and McLintock! (1963). A naturalized U.S. citizen from 1946, O'Hara was married three times and had one daughter, Bronwyn.