Maureen O'Hara was an Irish film actress and singer. Her only Disney role was Maggie McKendrick in The Parent Trap. She was considered the role as the title character in Mary Poppins, along with several other actress that were considered, but the role was later given to Julie Andrews. Years earlier, she had pitched the idea to Walt Disney before he purchased the rights, but he rejected it. She was considered for the role of Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but Angela Lansbury got it instead.
Born in 1920, O'Hara grew up in the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh. She trained in performance at the Ena Mary Burke School of Drama and Elocution and joined the Rathmines Theatre Company and began working in amateur theatre in the evenings after her lessons. In 1936, she became the youngest pupil to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music. She was at this point a skilled typist as well as a noted actress before making her first film major film role in 1938 with My Irish Molly.
Spanning a career lasting decades, O'Hara appeared in films, like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jamaica Inn, The Black Swan, The Rare Breed, Miracle on 34th Street, Tripoli, The Spanish Main, Sentimental Journey, Sinbad the Sailor, The Deadly Companions, How Green Was My Valley, Comanche Territory, Lisbon, and Immortal Sergeant. She was also known for her collaborations with actor John Wayne in the films Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, McLintock!, and Big Jake.
She retired from the industry in 1971, but returned 20 years later to appear with John Candy in Only the Lonely. She received an Honorary Academy Award in 2014 for contributions to the film industry. In the following years, she continued to work in made-for-TV films such as The Christmas Box, Cab for Canada, and The Last Dance.
In her later years she suffered from type 2 diabetes and short-term memory loss. O'Hara passed away at her home in Boise, Idaho. Her remains were buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to her late husband Charles Blair.
Disney Role[]
(The Parent Trap)
