Maureen O'Hara

Biography

Maureen O'Hara, an Irish and American actress and singer, found success in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1960s. Raised in Dublin, she trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company and at the Abbey Theatre. After Charles Laughton spotted her potential, he arranged her first major film role, in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939). She then went to Hollywood to appear with him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and signed with RKO Pictures. Known for playing passionate but sensible heroines, she worked often in Westerns and adventure films. Her breakthrough came with John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941). She appeared in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). She made her first film with John Wayne, Rio Grande (1950). She then appeared in The Quiet Man (1952). She retired in 1971 but returned for Only the Lonely (1991). In 2014 she received an Honorary Academy Award, and she died in 2015.

95years old at death

Born August 17, 1920Ranelagh
Died October 24, 2015Boise
Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
Maureen FitzSimons (birth name)Also credited as Maureen FitzSimons Blair

Movie Career

Films: 31
Career span: 52 years1939 to 1991

Genres

Drama61%, 19 films
Comedy32%, 10 films
Adventure23%, 7 films
Romance23%, 7 films
Western23%, 7 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

Big break
Maureen O'Hara's screen test was judged unsatisfactory, yet Charles Laughton believed she had potential and got her cast opposite him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939.
About the name
Laughton wanted O'Hara to take a new surname, and even though she did not want to, she changed it from FitzSimons and became "O'Hara".
First role
O'Hara's first screen appearance came in Walter Forde's Kicking the Moon Around (1938), but she did not count it as part of her filmography.
A first
O'Hara graduated from the Guildhall School of Music in 1936, and at the time she was the youngest pupil ever to do so. The next year she won the Dawn Beauty Competition and its £50 prize.
Own stunts
From the outset O'Hara insisted on doing her own stunts, and no safety nets were used for the scene in which the hangman puts a noose around her neck.

Maureen O'Hara movies on Netflix

Only the Lonely1991IMDb rating 6.4as Rose Muldoon
Big Jake1971IMDb rating 7.1as Martha McCandles
Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7as Self (1992)
The Rare Breed1966IMDb rating 6.4as Martha Price
McLintock!1963IMDb rating 7.1as Katherine Gilhooley McLintock
Spencer's Mountain1963IMDb rating 7.0as Olivia Spencer
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation1962IMDb rating 6.8as Peggy Hobbs
The Deadly Companions1961IMDb rating 6.0as Kit Tilden
The Parent Trap1961IMDb rating 7.2as Margaret 'Maggie' McKendrick
Our Man in Havana1959IMDb rating 7.1as Beatrice Severn
The Wings of Eagles1957IMDb rating 6.6as Min Wead
Lady Godiva of Coventry1955IMDb rating 5.5as Lady Godiva
The Long Gray Line1955IMDb rating 7.2as Mary O'Donnell
War Arrow1953IMDb rating 5.9as Elaine Corwin
Against All Flags1952IMDb rating 6.5as Spitfire Stevens
Kangaroo1952IMDb rating 5.7as Dell McGuire
The Quiet Man1952IMDb rating 7.7as Mary Kate Danaher
Rio Grande1950IMDb rating 7.0as Mrs. Kathleen Yorke
A Woman's Secret1949IMDb rating 6.0as Marian Washburn
Sitting Pretty1948IMDb rating 7.4as Tacey King
Miracle on 34th Street1947IMDb rating 7.9as Doris Walker
Sinbad the Sailor1947IMDb rating 6.1as Shireen
The Spanish Main1945IMDb rating 6.3as Contessa Francesca
Buffalo Bill1944IMDb rating 6.4as Louisa Frederici
The Fallen Sparrow1943IMDb rating 6.6as Toni Donne
This Land Is Mine1943IMDb rating 7.6as Louise Martin
The Black Swan1942IMDb rating 6.7as Lady Margaret Denby
How Green Was My Valley1941IMDb rating 7.7as Angharad
Dance, Girl, Dance1940IMDb rating 6.8as Judy
Jamaica Inn1939IMDb rating 6.3as Mary - Joss Merlyn's Niece
The Hunchback of Notre Dame1939IMDb rating 7.8as Esmeralda

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top

Miracle on 34th Street1947 Comedy, Drama, Familyas Doris Walker
IMDb rating 7.960K votes
The Quiet Man1952 Comedy, Drama, Romanceas Mary Kate Danaher
IMDb rating 7.746K votes
How Green Was My Valley1941as Angharad
IMDb rating 7.730K votes
The Parent Trap1961as Margaret 'Maggie' McKendrick
IMDb rating 7.227K votes
Rio Grande1950as Mrs. Kathleen Yorke
IMDb rating 7.020K votes
McLintock!1963as Katherine Gilhooley McLintock
IMDb rating 7.119K votes
Only the Lonely1991as Rose Muldoon
IMDb rating 6.414K votes
Jamaica Inn1939as Mary - Joss Merlyn's Niece
IMDb rating 6.312K votes

Most often with

John Ford directed five of these films, George Sherman three and Andrew V. McLaglen two. John Wayne appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top

John Wayne

Anthony Quinn

Harry Carey Jr.

Ward Bond

Walter Slezak

Ken Curtis

John FordDirector, 5 films George ShermanDirector, 3 films

Andrew V. McLaglenDirector, 2 films

Films together

John Wayne6 films together, 1950 to 1971
John Wayne's page
- Big Jake1971IMDb rating 7.1O'Hara as Martha McCandlesWayne as Jacob McCandles
- Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Self (1992)Wayne as Self (1969)
- McLintock!1963IMDb rating 7.1O'Hara as Katherine Gilhooley McLintockWayne as George Washington McLintock
- The Wings of Eagles1957IMDb rating 6.6O'Hara as Min WeadWayne as Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
- The Quiet Man1952IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Mary Kate DanaherWayne as Sean Thornton
- Rio Grande1950IMDb rating 7.0O'Hara as Mrs. Kathleen YorkeWayne as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
Anthony Quinn5 films together, 1942 to 1991
Anthony Quinn's page
- Only the Lonely1991IMDb rating 6.4O'Hara as Rose MuldoonQuinn as Nick Acropolis
- Against All Flags1952IMDb rating 6.5O'Hara as Spitfire StevensQuinn as Captain Roc Brasiliano
- Sinbad the Sailor1947IMDb rating 6.1O'Hara as ShireenQuinn as Emir
- Buffalo Bill1944IMDb rating 6.4O'Hara as Louisa FredericiQuinn as Chief Yellow Hand
- The Black Swan1942IMDb rating 6.7O'Hara as Lady Margaret DenbyQuinn as Wogan
Harry Carey Jr.5 films together, 1950 to 1971
Harry Carey Jr.'s page
- Big Jake1971IMDb rating 7.1O'Hara as Martha McCandlesCarey as Pop Dawson
- Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Self (1992)Carey as Himself
- The Rare Breed1966IMDb rating 6.4O'Hara as Martha PriceCarey as Mabry
- The Long Gray Line1955IMDb rating 7.2O'Hara as Mary O'DonnellCarey as Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Rio Grande1950IMDb rating 7.0O'Hara as Mrs. Kathleen YorkeCarey as Trooper Daniel 'Sandy' Boone
Ward Bond4 films together, 1952 to 1971
Ward Bond's page
- Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Self (1992)
- The Wings of Eagles1957IMDb rating 6.6O'Hara as Min WeadBond as John Dodge
- The Long Gray Line1955IMDb rating 7.2O'Hara as Mary O'DonnellBond as Captain Herman Kohler
- The Quiet Man1952IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Mary Kate DanaherBond as Father Peter Lonergan
Walter Slezak4 films together, 1943 to 1947
Walter Slezak's page
- Sinbad the Sailor1947IMDb rating 6.1O'Hara as ShireenSlezak as Melik
- The Spanish Main1945IMDb rating 6.3O'Hara as Contessa FrancescaSlezak as Don Juan Alvarado
- The Fallen Sparrow1943IMDb rating 6.6O'Hara as Toni DonneSlezak as Dr. Christian Skaas
- This Land Is Mine1943IMDb rating 7.6O'Hara as Louise MartinSlezak as Major Erich von Keller
Ken Curtis4 films together, 1950 to 1957
Ken Curtis's page
- The Wings of Eagles1957IMDb rating 6.6O'Hara as Min WeadCurtis as John Dale Price
- The Long Gray Line1955IMDb rating 7.2O'Hara as Mary O'DonnellCurtis as Specialty
- The Quiet Man1952IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Mary Kate DanaherCurtis as Dermot Fahy
- Rio Grande1950IMDb rating 7.0O'Hara as Mrs. Kathleen YorkeCurtis as Donnelly - Regimental Singer
John FordDirector, 5 films, 1941 to 1957
All films by John Ford
- The Wings of Eagles1957IMDb rating 6.6O'Hara as Min Wead
- The Long Gray Line1955IMDb rating 7.2O'Hara as Mary O'Donnell
- The Quiet Man1952IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher
- Rio Grande1950IMDb rating 7.0O'Hara as Mrs. Kathleen Yorke
- How Green Was My Valley1941IMDb rating 7.7O'Hara as Angharad
George ShermanDirector, 3 films, 1952 to 1971
All films by George Sherman
- Big Jake1971IMDb rating 7.1O'Hara as Martha McCandles
- War Arrow1953IMDb rating 5.9O'Hara as Elaine Corwin
- Against All Flags1952IMDb rating 6.5O'Hara as Spitfire Stevens
Andrew V. McLaglenDirector, 2 films, 1963 to 1966
All films by Andrew V. McLaglen
- The Rare Breed1966IMDb rating 6.4O'Hara as Martha Price
- McLintock!1963IMDb rating 7.1O'Hara as Katherine Gilhooley McLintock

Box office

What Maureen O'Hara's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

Top

Combined worldwide box office

$106 million

11 of the 31 films have a worldwide figure.

11Worldwide figure
1US gross only
19Figure not found

Top grosser

The Parent Trap1961Margaret 'Maggie' McKendrick$29.7 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 92% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
The Parent Trap1961as Margaret 'Maggie' McKendrick
$30M27.9% of the total
2
Only the Lonely1991as Rose Muldoon
$25M23.6% of the total
3
McLintock!1963as Katherine Gilhooley McLintock
$15M13.6% of the total
4
Big Jake1971as Martha McCandles
$7.5M7.1% of the total
5
The Hunchback of Notre Dame1939as Esmeralda
$6.9M6.5% of the total
6
The Black Swan1942as Lady Margaret Denby
$5.7M5.4% of the total
7
How Green Was My Valley1941as Angharad
$4.8M4.5% of the total
8
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation1962as Peggy Hobbs
$4.0M3.8% of the total

Miracle on 34th Street (1947), $2.7 million

$8.1 millionfrom the other 3 films with a worldwide figure, 8% of the total

Awards

Five awards and honors from 2009 to 2014, one of them major.

Top

Maureen O'Hara's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Result
Academy Awards
2014	Honorary Award	Honorary
Other honors
2009	Great Immigrants Award	Won
	Bambi Award	Won
	Golden Boot Awards	Won
	Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame	Honored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

Top