O'Hara, Maureen (1920–)

Irish-born actress. Born Maureen FitzSimons, Aug 17, 1920, at Milltown (also seen as Millwall), near Dublin, Ireland; dau. of Charles FitzSimons (clothing manufacturer) and Marguerite (Lilburn) FitzSimons (actress and singer); graduate of Guildhall School of Music, Trinity College; received a degree and associateship from London College of Music; graduate of Abbey Theatre School; m. George Hanley Brown (film director), in 1939 (div. 1941); m. Will Price (film director), Dec 29, 1941 (div. 1953); m. Charles Blair (retired brigadier general), 1968 (died in plane crash, 1978); children: Bronwyn Bridget Price (b. 1944).

Film star, best known for her portrayals of feisty women, played bits in 2 films before starring in British film Jamaica Inn (1939), then going to Hollywood to appear as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); came to the attention of John Ford, who cast her as Angharad in How Green Was My Valley (1941); went on to play leads in several films directed by Ford, including The Quiet Man (1952); also appeared in A Bill of Divorcement (1940), Dance Girl Dance (1940), To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Buffalo Bill (1944), Sentimental Journey (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), The Foxes of Harrow (1947), The Forbidden Street (Britannia Mews, 1949), Tripoli (1950), Rio Grande (1950), Against All Flags (1952), The Redhead from Wyoming (1953), The Long Gray Line (1955), Lady Godiva (1955), Everything but the Truth (1956), Our Man in Havana (1959), The Parent Trap (1961), Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962), Spencer's Mountain (1963), McLintock! (1963), The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965), The Rare Breed (1966), and Big Jake (1971); left Hollywood following marriage to Charles Blair (1968) to live in St. Croix, where she assisted husband in managing Antilles Airboats, an airline which sent seaplanes around the world; after he died in a plane crash (1978), took over his job, becoming the 1st woman president of a commercial airline; came out of retirement (1991) for film Only the Lonely and appeared in CBS special "The Christmas Box" (1995).

See also Women in World History.