The Irish-American icon Maureen O’Hara carved a place for herself among the greatest actresses Hollywood had ever seen and starred in countless classic movies. Born and raised in Dublin, O’Hara started to pursue acting from a very young age and, before long, became a major star in comedies, romances, and Western movies. With acclaimed collaborations with the likes of John Wayne and James Stewart, throughout her career, she worked with some of the biggest names in show business.
As the star of some of legendary director John Ford’s best movies, O’Hara was a movie star in the truest sense of the word, as she gave her all to every role she played. With an ethereal, timeless beauty, O’Hara portrayed some of the most effective and iconic love interests the big screen has ever seen. Although O’Hara took a 20-year break from acting, it was a testament to her incredible appeal that she had not lost any of her innate charm when she returned to moviemaking in the 1990s.
10 McLintock! (1963)
Maureen O’Hara as Kate McLintock
Of the five Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne movies, McLintock! was certainly the funniest as it showed off the two frequent collaborators’ comedic talents. Partly inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this Western comedy featured shootouts, hijinks, and even an infamous spanking scene in an over-the-top lighthearted adventure. As a depiction of daily life and those living in the rural American Old West, what McLintock! lacked in adventure, it made up for with strong characterization and a unique sense of humor.
While Wayne gave an enjoyable performance as a wealthy farmer using his influence to maintain peace in the community, it was O’Hara as Kate McLintock who was responsible for the film’s funniest scenes, as she showed off her expert talent for physical comedy. As a lighthearted box office hit, McLintock! may not have the prestige credentials of O’Hara’s most acclaimed work, but it more than proved her skills for pure entertainment. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s carefree, and it’s always a treat to watch O’Hara and Wayne share the screen.
9 Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation (1962)
Maureen O’Hara as Peggy Hobbs
The lighthearted comedy Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation saw Maureen O’Hara teaming up with screen legend James Stewart for an off-the-wall story the whole family can enjoy. Although Stewart’s Roger Hobbs was looking forward to a trip abroad with his wife Peggy, this fell apart when the trip was replanned as a seaside getaway with the entire family. What was supposed to be a chance to get some relaxing alone time together turned completely chaotic as they were joined by two grown-up daughters, a teenage brother and sister, the family cook, two son-in-laws, and three young grandchildren.
As a wacky, crowd-pleasing comedy that brought to mind the outrageous, bloated family humor of Cheaper by the Dozen, Stewart and O’Hara were in top comedic form here. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation poked fun at the frustrations of family togetherness when, although a family may love each other, getting some time apart from the kids wouldn’t always be such a bad thing. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation was a lighthearted look at a nightmare holiday that, while being slightly dated today, still packs plenty of laughs.
8 Only The Lonely (1991)
Maureen O’Hara as Rose Muldoon
After a 20-year retirement from the film industry, O’Hara returned in 1991 to star opposite John Candy in the romantic comedy-drama Only the Lonely. This exciting comeback proved that O’Hara had not lost any of her innate comedic talents as she co-starred as Candy’s controlling Irish mother in this underrated classic from writer and director Chris Columbus and producer John Hughes. With impeccable timing and truly funny characterization, O’Hara proved she could hold her own in the 1990s comedy scene, whose humor was vastly different from her heyday during the 1950s and 1960s.
While Candy and his love interest, played by Ally Sheedy, gave hilarious performances, O’Hara was truly the star of the show as the mother they couldn’t get a moment away from. As a performer of such iconic stature, having O’Hara return to the screen for his film made Only the Lonely a defining moment in her career. O’Hara then continued to act throughout the decade and appeared in several made-for-TV movies.
7 The Parent Trap (1961)
Maureen O’Hara as Maggie McKendrick
Although many viewers will picture Lindsay Lohan’s breakout role when thinking of The Parent Trap, this was actually a remake of the 1961 rom-com featuring Maureen O’Hara. As the story of two teenage twins trying to reunite their divorcing parents by swapping places, this classic story was based on the German children’s novel Das doppelte Lottchen by Erich Kästner. O’Hara played Maggie McKendrick, the mother of the mischievous twins Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick (Hayley Mills in a dual role), who were determined to reignite her love for her soon-to-be ex Mitch (Brian Keith.)
The Parent Trap was a box office hit that appealed to adults and kids alike and was made all the better by Mills’ spectacular performance. While its narrative may be predictable, the lighthearted fun at the center of this story made for truly engaging viewing, and it’s no surprise that Disney chose to remake it in 1998. The Parent Trap also had several direct made-for-TV sequels throughout the 1980s.
6 Rio Grande (1950)
Maureen O’Hara as Kathleen Yorke
As the first Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne film, Rio Grande was a Western movie featuring some serious star potential under the expert direction of John Ford. Rio Grande brought out themes of conflict, love, and military life and was the third in Ford’s “Cavalry Trilogy,” which also included Ford Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. As the story of Wayne confronted by murderous raiding Apaches as well as his estranged wife, played by O’Hara, Rio Grande was a romantic Western that’s still beloved by fans of the genre to this day.
With O’Hara as the long-lost wife Kathleen Yorke, who arrived to take her underage son home after he enlisted in the army, this story of family and war explores personal and professional problems in the decades after the Civil War. The more serious themes of Rio Grande were balanced with music from the Western singing group the Sons of the Pioneers. The excellent chemistry between O’Hara and Wayne led to Ford casting them in two more of his films, including The Quiet Man and The Wings of Eagles.
5 The Black Swan (1942)
Maureen O’Hara as Lady Margaret
Long before Darren Aronofsky’s ballet-based psychological thriller of almost the same name, there was The Black Swan, a swashbuckling adventure featuring Maureen O’Hara. With Tyrone Power as Captain Waring, the leader of the ship Revenge, this TechniColor nautical story saw him facing off against The Black Swan, a ship belonging to his enemy, Captain Leech. Caught in the middle of all this was O’Hara as Lady Margaret, a beautiful maiden engaged to an English nobleman who catches the eyes of Waring.
As one of the most enjoyable adventure movies of the 1940s, The Black Swan was a pure cinema spectacle where O’Hara exuded beauty and charisma with her portrayal of Margaret. While the characterization of Lady Margaret was not as deep as some of O’Hara’s other most acclaimed roles, the part of a pirate’s love interest didn’t require complexity. Overall, The Black Swan was a visually spectacular showcase of cinema’s power to engage and enthrall.
4 Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker
As if Maureen O’Hara hadn’t already carved out an iconic place in Hollywood history, she then added a Christmas classic to her impressive filmography with the release of Miracle on 34th Street. This holiday favorite told the story of a department store Santa Claus who claimed to be the real deal and the subsequent effects of this claim. As a story that shone a light on the real magic of Christmas, this timeless classic was even nominated for a Best Picture Oscar but lost out to Gentleman’s Agreement.
O’Hara played Doris Walker, the divorced New York mother who hired Kris Kringle to play Santa and soon found herself embroiled in a legal case that questioned the potentially magical man’s sanity. With a clever and original concept, Miracle on 34th Street captured the wonder of the very best Christmas movies and was a heartfelt reminder of its enchanting effects on young children. While it’s impossible to beat the original, Miracle on 34th Street was remade in 1994 with Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson.
3 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939)
Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was Maureen O’Hara’s American movie debut and was truly a star-making role as she played Esmeralda to perfection. Based on the acclaimed novel by Victor Hugo, although the Disney animated version may be more widely known, this darker retelling was the greatest onscreen depiction of this heartbreaking story. As Esmeralda, it was incredible to witness O’Hara and Charles Laughton play off one another, who gave an equally impressive performance as the mysterious and maligned bellringer Quasimodo.
As a horribly deformed hunchback, Quasimodo was cast aside and hidden from the world at large, only friendship with the kind and emphatic Esmeralda. This timeless tearjerker was one of the most expensive films ever made by RKO Radio Pictures, which can be seen in the beautiful way it captured the streets and buildings of Paris in the Middle Ages. As one of O’Hara’s most nuanced and complex roles, her performance in The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a true tour de force.
2 The Quiet Man (1952)
Maureen O’Hara as Mary Kate Danaher
The greatest of Maureen O’Hara’s movies with John Wayne has to be the eternal classic The Quiet Man. As an extraordinary romantic comedy, a beautiful homage to the wonder of the Irish countryside, and an enjoyable example of the pair’s incredible onscreen chemistry, this John Ford movie was a smash success. The influence of The Quiet Man was so great that more than 70 years after its release, hordes of tourists still flock to Cong, County Mayo, to witness the green hills and idyllic small-town life of its fictional setting of Inisfree.
The fictional community’s name, Inisfree, was inspired by the W.B. Years poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” which describes a small uninhabited island within Lough Gill on the Sligo-Leitrim border in Ireland.
O’Hara played the beautiful Irish redhead Mary Kate Danaher, with whom Wayne’s Sean Thornton was intensely smitten. As a beautiful depiction of rural 1920s Ireland, The Quiet Man was a heartfelt and memorable romance that represented the best of O’Hara, Wayne, and Ford’s work together. With awe-inspiring visuals that still hold up to this day, The Quiet Man’s triumph was anything but silent.
1 How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Maureen O’Hara as Angharad Morgan
How Green Was My Valley was truly the pinnacle of Maureen O’Hara’s incredible career. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, this John Ford classic won the Academy Award for Best Picture due to its stunning portrayal of the hard-working Welsh mining family, the Morgans. As a bleak family drama set during the Victorian era, O’Hara’s portrayal of Angharad’s love for the local minister, Mr. Gruffydd, and loveless marriage to Evans proved much of the sentimental story.
As a powerfully moving film that has not lost any of its innate power, How Green Was My Valley holds up as a timeless classic about a tight-knit community. While it controversially earned its Oscar ahead of Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, this was a testament to just how well-received this film was when it was first released. In a career full of extraordinary performances, How Green Was My Valley brought together everything extraordinary about the enormous talent that was Maureen O’Hara.
