Maureen O'Hara: The Queen Of Technicolor And Classic Hollywood

Maureen O'Hara, a name synonymous with classic Hollywood, graced the silver screen from the late 1930s to the 2000s. Her captivating performances and strong screen presence made her one of the most beloved actresses of her time. Born on August 17, 1920, in Ranelagh, Ireland, O'Hara's journey from a close-knit Irish Catholic family to Hollywood stardom is a remarkable tale of talent and determination.

Who Was Maureen O'Hara?

Maureen O'Hara was a Hollywood actress who was paired with Hollywood's leading men in such swashbucklers as Sinbad the Sailor and The Black Swan. O'Hara went on to further fame starring in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street, Our Man in Havana, and The Parent Trap. Her fierce dedication to her craft and her ability to portray strong female characters earned her a lasting legacy in film history.

Early Life

Born Maureen FitzSimons, on August 17, 1920, in Ranelagh, Ireland, O'Hara was the second oldest of six children in a close-knit Irish Catholic family. Her father, Charles, was a businessman, and her mother, Marguerite, was an accomplished stage actress and opera singer. Maureen displayed a penchant for dramatics at an early age when she staged presentations for her family; in school, she was active in singing and dancing.

While still in her early teens, Maureen enrolled at Dublin's prestigious Abbey Theatre School, where she studied drama and music. Upon her graduation in 1937, she was offered a lead role with the Abbey Players, but instead, she decided to try her hand at film acting. She then moved to London, where she screen-tested for an English feature. Although the film was never produced, her impressive audition caught the attention of Oscar-winning movie star and producer Charles Laughton.

Film Debut

Under the tutelage of Laughton, O'Hara signed a contract with RKO Studios in 1939. She moved to Hollywood in the summer of that year, making her American film debut as the alluring gypsy Esmeralda (opposite Laughton's Quasimodo) in RKO's lavish production The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This marked the beginning of her illustrious career in Hollywood.

In 1941, O'Hara gave a haunting performance as the Welsh daughter of a mining family in the drama How Green Was My Valley, which marked her first collaboration with legendary director John Ford. The film triumphed at the Oscars, winning top honors in five categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. While fulfilling contract commitments with both RKO Studios and 20th Century-Fox, O'Hara was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of swashbuckling features.

Breakthrough Roles

O'Hara was featured in several notable films, such as the 1942's The Black Swan (with Tyrone Power), 1947's Sinbad the Sailor (with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), and 1949's Bagdad (with Vincent Price). Among these films, her role in the 1947 holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street stood out, where she played a single working mother whose strong rational beliefs are challenged by Santa Claus.

During the 1940s and 1950s, O'Hara was repeatedly cast as the heroine in elaborate Technicolor features. Her strong-willed characters, complemented by her fiery red hair, green eyes, and peaches-and-cream complexion, earned her the nickname "Queen of Technicolor." O'Hara gave saucy performances in adventures like Buffalo Bill (1944), The Spanish Main (1945), The Flame of Araby (1951), and The Redhead From Wyoming (1952).

Transition to Comedy and Singing

In the early 1960s, O'Hara shifted her career focus. She showcased her attractive singing voice in a series of television appearances, record albums, and the Broadway musical Christine (1960). Later that year, she was featured opposite Alec Guinness in the offbeat film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel Our Man In Havana. A number of lighter roles in family comedies followed, including the 1961 Hayley Mills vehicle The Parent Trap, 1962's Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (with James Stewart), and 1970's How Do I Love Thee? (with Jackie Gleason).

O'Hara reunited with long-time friend and costar John Wayne in the comedies McLintock! (1963) and Big Jake (1971). Shortly after, O'Hara retired to St. Croix, Virgin Islands with her third husband, aviator Charles F. Blair, whom she married in 1968. Upon Blair's death in 1978, O'Hara briefly assumed her late husband's position as president of Antilles Airboats, a Caribbean commuter airline.

Legacy and Death

Following a 20-year hiatus, O'Hara returned to film acting with a role in the bittersweet comedy Only the Lonely (1991). For the remainder of the 1990s, she landed parts in a string of television movies, including The Christmas Box (1995) and Cab to Canada (1998). Most recently, she starred as a retired high school teacher in the TV movie The Last Dance (2000).

In 2014, O'Hara received an honorary Academy Award for her seven-decade career of onscreen roles that “glowed with passion, warmth, and strength.” On October 24, 2015, O'Hara died in her sleep in her Boise, Idaho home at the age of 95. Her family stated, "Her characters were feisty and fearless, just as she was in real life." They added that she was proudly Irish and spent her entire lifetime sharing her heritage and the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle with the world.

Quick Facts

• Name: Maureen O'Hara
• Birth Year: 1920
• Birth Date: August 17, 1920
• Birth City: Ranelagh
• Birth Country: Ireland
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Maureen O'Hara was an Irish-born actress who was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of features in the 1940s.
• Industries: Music, Drama, Comedy, Action
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• Schools: Abbey Theatre School
• Nationalities: Irish
• Death Year: 2015
• Death Date: October 24, 2015
• Death State: Idaho
• Death City: Boise
• Death Country: United States

Maureen O'Hara's life and career are a testament to her incredible talent and unwavering spirit. She remains an iconic figure in the world of film, inspiring generations of actors and actresses to come.