Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara, born Maureen FitzSimons (b. August 17, 1920), is an Irish-American film actress. Born in Ranelagh, County Dublin, Ireland, the famously red-headed beauty is noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne.

She came from a theatrical family and began acting at the age of 14 with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin (Ireland's National Theatre). At the age of 17, she was offered a screen test in London. Initially reluctant, she was persuaded to attend. Famed actor Charles Laughton attended the screen test. She performed poorly in the test and returned to Ireland. However, Charles Laughton believed she had "something." Laughton looked at the test again and, while he thought it was awful, he couldn't forget her eyes. He told his business partner he was signing her and sent him the test tape. When he saw the tape, the partner was furious as he believed it was a poor choice. However, he came around when he too found he couldn't forget her eyes. As a result she was offered an initial seven year contract. Her first major film was to be Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn.

In 1939, she and Laughton went to the U.S. to appear in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This film contains one of her most famous roles, playing Esmeralda alongside Laughton's Quasimodo.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Maureen O'Hara has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7004 Hollywood Blvd. In 1993, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Filmography