Maureen O’Hara on the life of a Hollywood legend

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Maureen O’Hara was born in Dublin on August 17, 1920. In a 2014 interview with Nick Thomas, she discusses her glamorous life, The Last Airbender, John Wayne, Alfred Hitchcock and more.

Despite starring in more than 50 feature films spanning five decades, including big-screen classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and the original Love and Destiny (1961), the Irish screen legend Maureen O’Hara Never been nominated for an Oscar.

However, in November 2014, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the fiery red-haired Irish actress an Honorary Oscar at its sixth annual Board of Governors Awards ceremony in recognition of her lifetime achievement in film.

“This is very exciting news and I’m proud to be recognized by my peers,” said O’Hara, who lives in Boise, Idaho, with her family.

“When the dean of the academy called, I could hardly believe it because I thought the awards ceremony was over for this year.”

O’Hara is one of those beloved classic film actresses, known for playing shrewish women and often co-starring with John Wayne in five films, such as McClintock! (1963), John Ford’s Rio Grande (1950) and, of course, The Door Is Open to You (1952).

O’Hara, who was stunningly beautiful throughout her acting career, said she managed to avoid becoming emotionally entangled with her leading men.

“They were just close friends,” she said, especially of Wayne, with whom she appeared in five films. “He was a kind, wonderful person.”

On screen, however, Wayne could be abrasive. He dragged her through the Irish countryside in “The Door Opens for You” and, a decade later, gave her the harsh screen treatment again when he chased her through the dusty streets of Arizona in “McClintock!”

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara (Getty Images)

Both experiences left her scarred, but O’Hara didn’t object. In fact, she performed most of her own stunts throughout her career, including a dangerous fall backwards from a ladder into a horse trough in McClintock!

“During filming, John Wayne got really worried when I climbed up the ladder and he yelled ‘Get down here, you bloody fool, you’re going to kill yourself!’ But I did the stunt anyway. It’s pretty stupid to risk permanent injury or death for the sake of a movie, but there’s a thrill in it. I’ve done some dangerous things in my career and usually pray that nothing happens to me.”

Although O’Hara was deeply religious, he remained down to earth.

In one scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, after Charles Laughton saves O’Hara from the gallows, his body double holds O’Hara high above his head atop the church tower.

“I was terrified,” she recalled. “Without the net, I would have died if I had fallen. But I’m strong enough to crack the concrete!”

Maureen O’Hara in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” (Getty Images)

This strong, strong-willed, fearless character was evident even in her first leading role, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1939 Jamaica Inn, a film that laid the foundation for the strong female characters she would play throughout her career.

“It’s hard for me to play other roles because my personality is so similar to the women I play,” O’Hara said. “As much as I like to be sentimental, I’m also a stubborn woman!”

Jamaica Inn was O’Hara’s last film before leaving England for Hollywood. Although critics panned the film, audiences flocked to it.

“The film was a huge success in Canada, England and the U.S.,” O’Hara said. “It was a pleasure to work with Hitchcock. But he had no choice. He had a God-given genius and gave the world wonderful stories and films.”

Laughton, who also starred in Jamaica Inn, discovered O’Hara at an audition and was mesmerized by her beauty, especially her expressive green eyes.

“I hope he can also see that I’m a talented actor with the potential for a long career, even though I’m a really smart Irish woman!” she said.

Actress Stefanie Powers realized her talent when she joined the cast of “McLintock!,” playing O’Hara’s daughter, at age 20.

“I was just starting my acting career,” recalls Powers, who starred in the ’80s TV series Hart to Hart. Maureen’s instinctive sense of timing made her the perfect leading lady for John Ford’s film. The chemistry between her and John Wayne was special and made acting look effortless. Class performances like this are often overlooked at the Oscars.

“She’s been playing her usual roles and hasn’t played a dramatic role that would attract Oscar attention. If she had done the opposite, she probably would have won an Oscar a long time ago.”

Other co-stars praised O’Hara’s professionalism on set.

Rick Lenz co-starred with O’Hara and Jackie Gleason in the little-seen 1970 film How Do I Love Thee?

“Halfway through the shoot, Jackie started drinking heavily,” Lentz recalled. “Shelly Winters was also in the film, and I remember her asking Jackie, ‘Do you really want to try this?’ I would not have said that to Jackie Gleason! But Maureen was kind, patient, and professional to him and would not have treated him any other way.”

In 2005, O’Hara published her autobiography, ‘Tis Herself, with John Nicoletti, after which she said she was enjoying retirement with her family.

“It’s nice to get awards, but they don’t compare to the reward God gives you of a family,” O’Hara said.

“She was always funny, and I was practically raised by her,” said Connor Fitzsimmons, O’Hara’s grandson and caregiver, at the Idaho home he shared with O’Hara.

“She lived in Ireland and the Virgin Islands during my twenties and thirties, and we spent time together. I had my first whiskey with her, and she took me to my first formal event. She has always been my best friend, and having her here is like an old roommate coming home.”

Maureen O’Hara passed away on October 24, 2015 in Boise, Idaho, lovingly cared for by her family.

Below, learn more about Maureen O’Hara on This Is Your Life: