As a new blogger, I am starting out in familiar territory. I thought it most appropriate to do my first profile on a legend. Born in Ireland in 1920, Maureen O’Hara is one of the few Hollywood stars of the Golden Age still alive to tell about it. (Bacall is still around too, but Maureen is my favorite). In the words of Michaleen Flynn in The Quiet Man “That red hair is no lie.” The brilliant auburn hair Ms. O’Hara was born with has become her trademark. One of the most beautiful women to ever work in Hollywood, O’Hara is a spitfire-befitting of her fire-red locks.
O’Hara was the second of six children born to Charles and Marguerita FitzSimons (yes, with one M). She speaks very fondly of her childhood days in Ranelagh (Dublin, basically). She grew up in a very artistic family–even her mother was a brilliant actress in her own right, appearing on stage in Ireland numerous times. Many of the FitzSimonses were gifted singers. O’Hara’s older sister Peggy could have made it big had she not decided to join the Irish Sisters of Charity. Her brothers, Charlie and James, ended up in Hollywood as well. They appeared in several films, and even appeared together in The Quiet Man as well as in Titanic (1953). Charlie FitzSimons became a very important producer later on, and was president of the Producers Guild for years. Growing up singing songs and play acting with her siblings made Maureen realize very early that she wanted to make acting her career. She eventually trained with the distinguished Abbey Theatre in Dublin before making her first memorable movie, Jamaica Inn, with the legendary Charles Laughton and directed by another legend, Alfred Hitchcock.
O’Hara is perhaps best known for The Parent Trap, Spencer’s Mountain, or The Quiet Man-One of John Ford’s most brilliant masterpieces. The Quiet Man was the first movie ever filmed in Ireland, and showed the average American what they were missing if they hadn’t been to that magical country. It was a particular joy to make this movie for both O’Hara and Ford (an American-born Irishman). The movie also starred John Wayne, O’Hara’s best friend, in a very un-Wayne-like role. It’s refreshing to see them together in something other than a western. It proves that Wayne could really act, not just portray bigshot cowboys.
She basically retired after marrying General Charles Blair-the love of her life-in 1968, appearing only sporadically in movies. She made a brilliant comeback in 1991 when she starred with John Candy and Ally Sheedy in Only The Lonely for Chris Columbus (think Home Alone) as Candy’s overbearing mother Rose Muldoon. Columbus wrote the part with O’Hara in mind, and was delighted when she was tracked down (she was living in St. Croix) and agreed to do the part. She went on to star in a few surprisingly memorable TV movies in the ’90s: The Christmas Box, Cab to Canada, and The Last Dance (in 2000).
Here’s a list of O’Hara’s must-see films (in my humble opinion):
- The Quiet Man
- The Parent Trap
- Spencer’s Mountain
- How Green Was My Valley
- The Long Gray Line
- Sentimental Journey
- The Black Swan
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Jamaica Inn
O’Hara is officially retired from acting now and lives in Ireland full-time. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday, and although she now requires a cane to get around, she is still as feisty as ever. She has been quite active lately, with film festivals, parties, and benefits being given in her honor regularly. She is also in the process of opening the Maureen O’Hara Foundation and Legacy Center in Glengarriff, Co. Cork, Ireland. (Read more about that here: http://www.maureenohara.org/).
There is a reason Ms. O’Hara is still beloved by fans young and old today. Her talent transcends the screen and makes you feel like she’s in the room with you. If you watch her films you feel like you know her. Described as a kind woman with a warm and generous spirit, it is not hard to imagine why she is still a favorite among movie lovers. Ms. O’Hara was the first classic Hollywood actress I ever fell in love with. That was almost 20 years ago, when I was 7 years old and saw that dazzling red-headed woman in Spencer’s Mountain. After that my mother introduced me quite quickly to The Parent Trap, telling me “This woman should be every good Irish girl’s role model,” and she has been just that for me. Here’s to you Ms. O’Hara. And may God bless you with many more wonderful years.
For more information on Maureen O’Hara, visit her official website: http://www.moharamagazine.com/
Source information:
- The Official Maureen O’Hara website: www.moharamagazine.com
- ‘Tis Herself by Maureen O’Hara and John Nicoletti (2004)
theclassiccinema.wordpress.com 