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01
While having lunch with actress Lucille Ball, Maureen O’Hara was present when Lucy first saw Cuban musician Desi Arnaz, whom she later married.
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02
She became an American citizen on January 25, 1946, but retained Irish citizenship; this made her the first Irish citizen recognized as such by the U.S. government, changing the immigration process.
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03
In the early 1940s, she was invited to the White House for a benefit dinner and sat next to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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04
She performed many of her own stunts in films, which was rare for an actress at that time.
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05
John Wayne considered her his favorite actress and a real friend; as he lay dying, he watched on television as she petitioned Congress to award him a Congressional Gold Medal, which they did unanimously.
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06
She lost her husband Charles Blair in a plane crash on September 2, 1978, and her close friend John Wayne on June 11, 1979, just nine months apart.
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07
She was brought to Hollywood by Charles Laughton, who signed her to a personal services contract instead of a studio contract, which was unusual at the time.
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08
In her later years, she resided with her grandson C. Beau Fitzsimons and his family in Boise, Idaho.
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09
She was the second actress after Myrna Loy to receive an honorary Academy Award without a prior competitive nomination.
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10
In her home on St. Croix, she had a wing called the John Wayne Wing, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
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11
In 1997, she made headlines by claiming that Brian Keith’s suicide was an accident, as he was suffering from lung cancer and emphysema and mourning his daughter’s suicide.
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12
She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband Charles Blair, a distinguished military officer.
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13
She was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1993.
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14
After retiring, she became a successful magazine publisher to avoid boredom.
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15
She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.
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16
When signed by Erich Pommer and Charles Laughton, she was given the choice of the stage names O’Hara or O’Mara due to the unusual spelling of FitzSimons.
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17
She was a crack typist who typed some of her own scripts and rewrites.
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18
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7004 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960.
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19
She was the first choice to play Anna in The King and I 1956, but Richard Rodgers did not want a pirate queen in the role.
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20
To promote her memoir ‘Tis Herself, she appeared at Macy’s department store on 34th Street, the setting for her 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street.
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21
She starred with Anthony Quinn in six films: The Black Swan 1942, Buffalo Bill 1944, Sinbad the Sailor 1947, Against All Flags 1952, The Magnificent Matador 1955, and Only the Lonely 1991.
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22
She starred with John Wayne in five films: Rio Grande 1950, The Quiet Man 1952, The Wings of Eagles 1957, McLintock! 1963, and Big Jake 1971; in all five, they played husband and wife, and the first three were directed by John Ford.
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23
She was the last credited cast member of Miracle on 34th Street to pass away, on October 24, 2015.
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24
She was good friends with Ginger Rogers, Anne Baxter, Lucille Ball, Lauren Bacall, Anna Lee, Robert Mitchum, Anthony Quinn, Stuart Whitman, and French actress Irina Demick.
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25
She was one of four actresses nicknamed Queen of Technicolor, the others being Maria Montez, Yvonne De Carlo, and Rhonda Fleming.
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26
She was born in Churchtown, then a suburb of Dublin, Ireland.
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27
She received an honorary doctorate from University College in Galway, Ireland in 1988.
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28
Her acting mentor was Charles Laughton.
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29
Her siblings included Peggy FitzSimons a nun, television/film producer Charles B. Fitzsimons, actress Florrie FitzSimons aka Clare Hamilton, Margot Fitzsimons, and actor James FitzSimons aka James O’Hara.
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30
She was originally cast as Isabel Bradley in The Razor’s Edge 1946 but was pulled by Darryl F. Zanuck and replaced by Gene Tierney; Zanuck later cast her in Miracle on 34th Street.
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31
She appeared in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: How Green Was My Valley 1941, winner, Miracle on 34th Street 1947, and The Quiet Man 1952.
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32
She received a degree from the Guild School of Music in London and joined the Abbey Theater at 14, winning the All-Ireland Cup at 16 for her portrayal of Portia in The Merchant of Venice.
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33
She gave birth to her only child, daughter Bronwyn Brigid Price aka Bronwyn FitzSimons, on June 30, 1944, with her second husband Will Price.
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34
She was raised with her siblings at 32 Upper Beechwood Avenue in Dublin’s Ranelagh district.
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35
She was the grandmother of C. Beau Fitzsimons and great-grandmother of Bailey and Everest.
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36
Four of her films are in the National Film Registry: Dance, Girl, Dance 1940, How Green Was My Valley 1941, Miracle on 34th Street 1947, and The Quiet Man 1952.
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37
Her first screen test was for The Playboy 1938 at Elstree Studios, arranged by American bandleader Harry Richman; despite her dislike of the test, Charles Laughton signed her.
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38
She originally wanted to be an opera soprano.
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39
When Yvonne De Carlo fell ill, O’Hara was loaned to Universal to replace her in Bagdad 1949; they later played on-screen rivals in McLintock! 1963.
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40
She was considered for Rooster Cogburn 1975 with John Wayne, but the part went to Katharine Hepburn.
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41
On her 100th birthday on August 17, 2020, Turner Classic Movies celebrated with a day of her films.
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42
She was a staunch conservative Republican and supported the presidencies of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.
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43
After Charles Blair’s death in 1978, she took over as president of Antilles Air Boats, becoming the first female president of a US-certificated airline.
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44
She was inducted into the Hair Fan’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
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45
She was originally supposed to co-star with John Wayne in The Shootist 1976, but director Don Siegel thought she was wrong for the part and cast Lauren Bacall instead.
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46
Her husband Charles owned Antilles Air Service.
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47
She was the aunt of Charles F. FitzSimons.
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48
Despite her on-screen pairing with John Wayne, Wayne himself named Angie Dickinson as his favorite actress.
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49
In Italy, her films were usually dubbed by Lydia Simoneschi, occasionally by Dhia Cristiani, Rosetta Calavetta, and once by Paola Barbara in How Green Was My Valley.
