Maureen O'Hara, the redheaded Irish lass who was brought to Hollywood to combat the popularity of actress Greer Garson at the time, died earlier today at her home in Idaho. Known as the 'Queen of Technicolor', the actress' biggest claim to fame came when she co-starred opposite John Payne and a very young Natalie Wood in the holiday classic, Miracle on 34th St.
If anyone was ever more suited for the technicolor process, the HD of the 1950s, it was the gorgeous Maureen O'Hara. Sporting natural red hair, green eyes and a willful personality to match, the Irish-born actress made her Hollywood debut in the Charles Laughton directed film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. O'Hara would come to be remembered best by the movies she made with director John Ford and legendary movie icon, John Wayne. The mercurial director would guide O'Hara in five films. How Green Was My Valley and The Quiet Man both would claim several Academy Award nominations and wins.
Wayne didn't much prefer the company of women. He would star opposite O'Hara in five films as well, all balls-out westerns. The rugged actor preferred to pal around with men, but the one exception was O'Hara. The New York Times online had this classic quote from the Duke, "I've had many friends, and I prefer the company of men, except for Maureen O'Hara. She is a great guy."
Born Maureen FitzSimmons on Aug. 17, 1920, in Ranelagh, Ireland, on the outskirts of Dublin, she was the second of six children of Charles FitzSimons, a clothing-business manager and part-owner of a soccer team, and the former Marguerita Lilburn, a singer. In a statement released by her family and brought to us by the BBC online, O'Hara was paid tribute to, "her characters were feisty and fearless, just as she was in real life. She was also proudly Irish and spent her entire lifetime sharing her heritage and the wonderful culture of the Emerald Isle with the world."
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