Maureen O’Hara Passes Away At 95

Legendary Irish actress Maureen O'Hara died of natural causes on Saturday, according to her family. She was 95. The actress is best known for her roles on the movies of John Ford as well as “Miracle on 34th Street.”

A statement from the family indicated that Maureen passed away at her Boise, Idaho home surrounded by her family. The family celebrated her life by listening to music from “The Quiet Man,” her favorite movie. O’Hara, or Maureen FitzSimons in real life, was born in Ranelagh, Ireland. Her father was a businessman, who was also a part owner of a football team, while her mother was a successful contralto. She was the second of six children in the family.

Maureen O’Hara starred in a number of movies opposite leading men like Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks, Sir Alec Guinness and the legendary John Wayne. The actress played opposite Wayne in the 1952 movie “The Quiet Man,” which was directed by John Ford. She was among the favorite actresses of Ford, who cast her in five movies, including the 1941 award-winning movie “How Green Was My Valley.” The movie received five Academy Awards.

The chemistry between O’Hara and Wayne was noticeable on the screen and Ford cast the two in “Rio Grande” in the 1950s and “The Wings of Eagles” in 1957. O’Hara played the role of heroines and was considered to be the “Queen of Technicolor.”

Maureen O'Hara Passes Away At 95

Maureen O'Hara Passes Away At 95 - image credit: flickr.com

She first came to Hollywood in 1939 and was cast as Esmeralda in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with Charles Laughton. She played a straightforward Macy’s department store supervisor on “Miracle on 34th Street.” The 1947 holiday classic also starred a young Natalie Wood.

When she reached her 40s, Maureen O’Hara enhanced her singing voice for a number of appearances on television. The actress also accepted family comedy projects, including the 1961 movie, “The Parent Trap.”

The autobiography of O’Hara, which was written by John Nicoletti, her manager, she indicated that she did not think she was pretty when she was young. She was told that she had a pouty face, but after she entered Hollywood, she disliked not being given dramatic roles since she was beautiful. The autobiography added that the audience peered into her characters through the way she used her eyes.

An honorary Oscar was given to the legendary actress last November for lifetime achievement. The family of the actress said in a statement that her characters were aggressive and bold, which reflects her real life. The actress was a proud Irish and spent her life sharing this heritage and the culture of the Emerald Isle throughout the entire world.

The statement added that they are requesting people who want to honor Maureen O’Hara to visit Ireland and think of the actress during their visit.

 

Posted by on Tuesday October 27 2015, 1:49 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0

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