Maureen O’Hara, the ‘Quiet Man’ actress – who was born in Dublin in 1920 – passed away at her home in Boise, Idaho, at the age of 95. O’Hara, an iconic figure in Hollywood’s Golden Age of the 1940s and 1950s who was once considered one of the world’s most beautiful women, was also the star of “How Green Was My Valley” and “Miracle on 34th Street”.

Ireland’s President Michael Higgins spoke of his “great sadness” at the news in a statement. “She will be remembered as an outstanding and versatile actress, whose work especially in film, will endure for many years to come,” he said.

About O’Hara

• Known as “the queen of Technicolor” due to her red hair and green eyes, O’Hara was born in Ranelagh, south Dublin, in 1920.
• According to her autobiography “‘Tis Herself”, she started acting opposite her own shadow aged five.
• Still in her teens, she was brought to Hollywood in 1939 by legendary actor Charles Laughton and her first film was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, playing Esmerelda to his Quasimodo.
• In 1941, she drew critical acclaim in Oscar-winning Welsh family saga “How Green Was My Valley”, directed by John Ford.
• And by 1947, she was appearing as mother of the young Natalie Wood in “Miracle on 34th Street”.
• O’Hara was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2014.