Biography of Actress Maureen O’Hara

Think about how many movies you have seen, how many actors you absolutely adore, how all of this generally originates from one magical place: Hollywood. Now, the prime of Hollywood was not even in today’s world. From the year 1915 to the year 1963, Hollywood was in its “Golden Age.” The most incredible actors and movies from Hollywood were produced during this time. Each of the actors had unique and exciting lives. One such person was a woman by the name of Maureen O’Hara.

She was one of the most pronounced actors of the time. Her life proves it. Maureen O’Hara was an stunning actress during the Golden Days of Hollywood. Along with her stunning physical features, such as her red hair and green eyes, she portrayed many resolute characters to perfection. This actress was born into the world through Charles and Marguerite Fitzsimmons on August 17, 1920 in Ranelagh, Ireland. She once said, “Above all else, deep in my soul, I am a tough Irish woman” (Maureen).

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From her birth, she was somewhat immersed into acting, since her mother was an actress and opera singer. Maureen was second to the oldest of six in a Catholic household. She often performed small scenes for her family.

Maureen was a tomboy growing up and was an active dancer, and singer during her school years. Later on in her life, she moved to London in order to screen test for an English film. Unfortunately, the film she screened for was not produced. Perhaps just when she felt her moving was for nothing, she caught the eye of a well accomplished Hollywood Star, Charles Laughton.

He was so accomplished, in fact, that he was Oscar Award winning. He probably did Laugh a ton. With Laughton’s help, Maureen signed a contract with RKO studios in 1939. Due to this event, Maureen picked up and moved to Hollywood that summer. In that year, she made her American Debut. She played Esmeralda in RKO’s The Hunchback. She played the partner of Laughton who was Quasimodo. That same year, Maureen got married to George Brown. Their marriage was brief. In 1941, Maureen performed in the film How Green Was My Valley. The experience was her first one with the famed director John Ford. That film gained Oscars in five categories. One negative of this year, however, was that she married William Price. Nearly as soon as they were wed, Price began drinking heavily. Their relationship turned into an abusive one. Price spent much of Maureen’s money on new houses and a full staff. While Maureen was away, Price would cheat on her in their own home. At first, she was embarrassed to divorce Price because they had so recently married. Price, however, continued to do unspeakable actions toward Maureen, and divorce became inevitable.

During their marriage, they had a child, Bronwyn. In the 1940s and 1950s, Maureen performed in multiple technicolor films as the heroine. Her features went well with the films, both in character and appearance. Because of this, Maureen began to be nicknamed, “The Queen Of Technicolor.” Maureen took a turn in her career in the 1960s when she brought out her striking voice. During this decade, she sang on television, records, and even Broadway. She performed the Broadway musical Christine in 1960. She also acted with her old friend John Wayne in the comedic shows MccLintock and Big Jake. She married Charles Blair in 1968. Blair was an accomplished pilot who was the first to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and the North Pole. Sadly, ten years later, in 1978, Blair was in a plane crash and passed away. Being the amazing woman she was, Maureen overtook her husband´s position as the president for Autilites Airboats. Autilites Airboats was a commuter airline. During this time span, she also wrote multiple general interest articles for a magazine called the Virgin Insider. In 2014, Maureen’s magnificent life received the bow to wrap it all up. Maureen was presented the Academy Award. She acquired this honor because of her seventy year on-screen career that beautifully represented the Golden Age of Hollywood.

One year later, on October 24, 2015, Maureen O’Hara left this world and moved on to the next. She passed away while she was asleep in the town of Boise, Idaho. She was ninety-five years old. Maureen O’Hara once said, “Every star has that certain something that stands out and compels us to notice them. As for me, I have always believed my most compelling quality to be my inner strength, something I am easily able to share with the audience. I’m very comfortable in my own skin” (80). Yes, Maureen had a lot of inner strength. This quality was one that made her so much of a spectacular actress from the Golden Days of Hollywood, a magnificent singer, and an incredible friend and wife. Her unique and exciting life demonstrated the true beauty of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her tough Irish spirit, however, helped her to push through and set an example for any future actors anywhere.