Maureen O'Hara

 Maureen FitzSimons, born 17 August 1920 and died on the 24th of October, 2015) was an Irish actress from Ireland. She became a star in Hollywood in the 1940s and into the 1960s. Her naturally redhead appearance led her to be a sought-after choice to play strong, intelligent heroines in Westerns and adventure films. Charles Laughton was the first to see her potential as a star and brought her to Hollywood. She was also a frequent collaborator with John Ford and John Wayne who was a friend for a long time and director. O'Hara was born in Dublin, Ireland and was raised Catholicly. She was destined from the age of 10 to become an actor. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and at the Abbey Theatre beginning at 14 years old. After the screen test, she was not accepted. But Charles Laughton recognized her potential and offered to have her as a star in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. She relocated to Hollywood that same year to co-star with him in the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame and was offered the opportunity to sign a contract with RKO Pictures. From then, she proceeded to have a long and extremely successful career and was given the title "the Queen of Technicolor". Her films include How Green Was My Valley (1941) which was her first collaboration with John Ford, The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945), Sinbad the Sailor (47) and the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as well as Comanche Territory (1950). O'Hara appeared in Rio Grande (1950) as O'Hara along with John Wayne, her most close friend. The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles(57), McLintock were the next films. (1963), Big Jake (1971). A lot of people believed that Wayne and O'Hara were in the same relationship or were married because of their connection. O'Hara became more maternal 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 retired from the industry in the year 1971. She returned to the business twenty years later, appearing with John Candy (1991).