Maureen O'Hara actor from Miracle On 34th Street dies aged 95

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Veteran Irish actress passed away this afternoon surrounded by her family
Starred in family favourites Miracle on 34th Street and the Parent Trap
Shared the screen with Hollywood's leading men - including John Wayne
Died peacefully in her sleep listening to the soundtrack from The Quiet Man

By Sean Dunne

Published: 12:52 EST, 24 October 2015 | Updated: 22:01 EST, 24 October 2015

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Maureen O'Hara's family confirmed her death in a statement saying she passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday

Veteran actress Maureen O'Hara has died aged 95.

The Irish screen legend starred in over 50 feature films spanning five decades, including big screen classics such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Miracle on 34th Street and the original Parent Trap.

Her family confirmed her death in a statement saying she passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday.

'It is with a sad heart that we share the news that Maureen O'Hara passed away today in her sleep of natural causes,' a statement from the Fitzsimons family read.

'Maureen was our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family as they celebrated her life listening to music from her favourite movie, The Quiet Man.'

The family statement added: 'As much as Maureen cherished her privacy, she always appreciated the expressions of good will from people around the world and from all walks of life.

'She especially loved it when children recognised her from her role in Miracle on 34th Street and asked her: 'Are you the lady who knows Santa Claus?' She always answered: 'Yes I am. What would you like me to tell him?'

'While we mourn the loss of a very wonderful woman, we also celebrate her remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world, especially in Ireland, to work hard to make their dreams come true and to always have the courage to stand up for themselves.

'For those who may ask what they can do to honour Maureen, we have a simple request: visit Ireland one day and think of her.'

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The star pictured in London in 1959 (right), and last year aged 94, attending the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival's Opening Night Gala at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles

O'Hara (pictured alongside John Payne in Miracle on 34th Street) said women have written to her over the years praising the way she held her own alongside some male Hollywood actors

The native Dubliner celebrated her 95th birthday in August in the home of her grandson Conor Beau Fitzsimons.

She was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of swashbuckling films in the 1940s.

Looking back on her many years of fame, O'Hara said: 'It's been a good life.'

'I've had a wonderful career and enjoyed making movies. I was fortunate to have made pictures with many of the greats, both actors and directors. I've no regrets'.'

Once billed as the Queen of Technicolour, she added: 'Some people see me as a former screen siren while others remember me as the dame who gave as good as she got in movies with John Wayne, for example,' she reflected.

O'Hara became known as the 'Queen of Technicolor' because of the camera's love-affair with the contrast between her bright red hair and pale skin

Henry Fonda helps Maureen O'Hara in the kitchen in a scene from the film Spencer's Mountain, 1963

O'Hara (pictured left in Spencer's Mountain and right during a photo shoot) was known for her ability to hold her own against some of Hollywood's biggest male stars

'Many women have written to me over the years and said I've been an inspiration to them, a woman who could hold her own against the world.'

The second oldest of six children, Maureen was raised in a close-knit Irish Catholic family. Her father, Charles, was a businessman, and her mother Marguerite, was an accomplished stage actress.

While still in her early teens, Maureen enrolled at Dublin's prestigious Abbey Theatre School, where she studied drama and music.

O'Hara signed a contract with RKO Studios in 1939 which was the start of a film career that would span decades. She moved to Hollywood in 1939 and by the summer she had made her American film debut as the alluring Esmeralda in the lavish production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In 1941, O'Hara gave a haunting performance as the Welsh daughter of a mining family in the drama How Green Was My Valley, which marked her first collaboration with legendary director John Ford.

Looking back on a life in films including Miracle on 34th Street (left) and How Green Was My Valley (right), O'Hara said I was fortunate to have made pictures with many of the greats. I've no regrets'

O'Hara studied at Dublin's prestigious Abbey Theatre School before going into motion pictures, becoming known as the Queen of Technicolor (pictured in The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Nine years later she entered a new phase of her career when she was cast as John Wayne's estranged wife in John Ford's romantic Western Rio Grande. The pair shared scintillating screen chemistry and she served as his leading lady in a succession of films thereafter.

The second oldest of six children, Maureen was raised in a close-knit Irish Catholic family

She will be best remembered, however, for playing the iconic Mary Kaye in 'The Quiet Man', the character that truly brought her into Irish acting royalty and just one of the five films in which she starred opposite Western legend John Wayne.

'She's a great guy,' Wayne once remarked.

'I've had many friends, and I prefer the company of men. Except for Maureen O'Hara.

O'Hara in turn loved her memorable co-star and held real affection for her off-screen friend.

Ireland was never far from Maureen's mind, however, despite her levels of fame and fortune, she was forever proud of her country and her home.

She once said: 'My heritage has been my grounding, and it has brought me peace.'

O'Hara graced the stage at the 2014 academy awards to finally receive an honorary Oscar from the Academy, the flame haired icon quitened a boisterous crowd by softly singing 'Danny Boy', both as a tribute to her roots and also showcasing her command of a stage even from a wheelchair at the age of 94.

We will always remember the 'the Queen of Technicolour'. It was her dying wish that she could make one final trip home to Ireland to visit her cherished Lugdine Park, which she lived in for over 45 years in Co Cork.

Ms O'Hara's beloved west Cork home was sold just last month for about €1.6 million.

FIVE THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT MAUREEN O'HARA

High Flyer

She became the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the United States, after inheriting Antilles Airboats from her third husband.

Charles Blair died in a 1978 plane crash, and O'Hara ran the commuter sea plane service in the U.S. Virgin Islands for several years.

Tinseltown royalty

During her movie heyday, she was known as the 'Queen of Technicolor' because of the camera's love affair with her vivid red hair and pale complexion.

One of the guys

She was John Wayne's favorite leading lady and they appeared in five films together. Her favorite was 1952's 'The Quiet Man,' filmed in Ireland.

In one scene, Wayne dragged her through a field that he and director John Ford had covered in sheep dung as a prank.

Wayne once quipped that he preferred to work with men -- 'except for Maureen O'Hara; she's a great guy.'

Their other movies together were 'Rio Grande' (1950), 'The Wings of Eagles' (1957), 'McClintock!' (1963) and 'Big Jake' (1971).

Fated for fame?

O'Hara begins her 2004 autobiography, Tis Herself, by recalling a Gypsy told her at the age of five: 'You will leave Ireland one day and become a very famous woman known all around the world.'

Still got it

She was never nominated for an Oscar, but received an honorary Academy Award in 2014.