Maureen O'Hara

 Maureen O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons; 17 August 1920 24 October 2015 -) was an Irish actress and singer, who was a star in Hollywood throughout the 1940s to '60s. Naturally redheaded, she was famous for her work as the likable and passionate heroines. She was often seen in Westerns or in adventure films. Charles Laughton, an actor who was the first to see her potential as a star, introduced her to Hollywood. On numerous occasions, she also worked with John Ford, longtime friend John Wayne and John Ford. O'Hara was raised in Dublin, Ireland by a Catholic family. She aspired to become an actor at a young age. She began her education in the Abbey Theatre as well as the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was just 10 years old. After having passed a screen test she was not accepted. But Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered to have her perform in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. RKO Pictures offered her a contract. She was also transferred to Hollywood that year to perform with Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. From her first film, she went on to enjoy a lengthy and extremely successful career and earned the name "the Queen of Technicolor". Her movies include How Green Was My Valley (1941) which was her first film with John Ford, The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (47), the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947), and Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara was first seen in Rio Grande (1950), together with John Wayne (the actor with whom she's most closely associated). The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles(57), McLintock were the subsequent films. (1963), and Big Jake (2001). A lot of people believed that Wayne and O'Hara were in the same relationship or were married due to their intense rapport. O'Hara was more motherly as she aged, appearing in films like The Deadly Companions (1961) as well as The Parent Trap(61) and The Rare Breed (1966). O'Hara left the industry in the year 1971. The actress returned to the industry twenty years later and appeared in John Candy (1991).