With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Maureen O'Hara, Star Of 'Miracle On 34th Street', Dies At 95
Actress Maureen O'Hara in 1947 (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
()
Maureen O'Hara, the Hollywood star of the Golden Age best known for her role in the Christmas classic Miracle On 34th Street, has died. She was 95.O'Hara was known for her fiery, tough-as-nails characters, particularly alongside her friend John Wayne and in the films of John Ford. "I was the only leading lady big enough and tough enough for John Wayne," she wrote in her 2004 memoir, 'Tis Herself. Though in 1947's Miracle On 34th Street, where she plays the mother of a young Natalie Wood, her character makes a transformation into a far more sentimental person.
The 1952 film The Quiet Man, directed by John Ford, starring O'Hara and Wayne, and set in her native Ireland, was her personal favorite. In a statement released by her family, O'Hara is said to have passed away in her sleep at her home in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday while the music of The Quiet Man played.
O'Hara was born Maureen FitzSimons on August 17, 1920 in the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh. Her film career began in Britain, and her first major role was at the age of 18 in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn. She followed that up with the RKO production of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, her first Hollywood film.
Director John Ford would cast O'Hara in her first big-budget film—1941's How Green Was My Valley. It would go on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, famously beating Citizen Kane. She would make four more films with Ford: Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, Long Gray Line, and The Wings Of Eagles.
Support for LAist comes from
The Irish actress would also be known for her bold, beautiful look. According to Variety, the production of 1945's The Spanish Main was switched to Technicolor from black and white because of O'Hara's green eyes and red hair.
Although never nominated for an Oscar during her entire career, O'Hara received an Honorary Award in 2014.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.
Best of LAist