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- Actress
- Soundtrack
In America, the early performing arts accomplishments of young Maureen FitzSimons (who we know as Maureen O'Hara) would definitely have put her in the child prodigy category. However, for a child of Irish heritage surrounded by gifted parents and family, these were very natural traits. Maureen made her entrance into this caring haven on August 17, 1920, in Ranelagh (a suburb of Dublin), Ireland. Her mother, Marguerita Lilburn FitzSimons, was an accomplished contralto. Her father, Charles FitzSimons, managed a business in Dublin and also owned part of the renowned Irish soccer team "The Shamrock Rovers." Maureen was the second of six FitzSimons children - Peggy, Florrie, Charles B. Fitzsimons, Margot Fitzsimons and James O'Hara completed this beautiful family.
Maureen loved playing rough athletic games as a child and excelled in sports. She combined this interest with an equally natural gift for performing. This was demonstrated by her winning pretty much every Feis award for drama and theatrical performing her country offered. By age 14 she was accepted to the prestigious Abbey Theater and pursued her dream of classical theater and operatic singing. This course was to be altered, however, when Charles Laughton, after seeing a screen test of Maureen, became mesmerized by her hauntingly beautiful eyes. Before casting her to star in Jamaica Inn (1939), Laughton and his partner, Erich Pommer, changed her name from Maureen FitzSimons to "Maureen O'Hara" - a bit shorter last name for the marquee.
Under contract to Laughton, Maureen's next picture was to be filmed in America (The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)) at RKO Pictures. The epic film was an extraordinary success and Maureen's contract was eventually bought from Laughton by RKO. At 19, Maureen had already starred in two major motion pictures with Laughton. Unlike most stars of her era, she started at the top, and remained there - with her skills and talents only getting better and better with the passing years.
Maureen has an enviable string of all-time classics to her credit that include the aforementioned "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Sitting Pretty (1948), The Quiet Man (1952), and The Parent Trap (1961). Add to this the distinction of being voted one of the five most beautiful women in the world and you have a film star who was as gorgeous as she was talented.
Although at times early in her career Hollywood didn't seem to notice, there was much more to Maureen O'Hara than her dynamic beauty. She not only had a wonderful lyric soprano voice, but she could use her inherent athletic ability to perform physical feats that most actresses couldn't begin to attempt, from fencing to fisticuffs. She was a natural athlete.
In her career Maureen starred with some of Hollywood's most dashing leading men, including Tyrone Power, John Payne, Rex Harrison, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Brian Keith, Sir Alec Guinness and, of course, her famed pairings with "The Duke" himself, John Wayne. She starred in five films with Wayne, the most beloved being The Quiet Man (1952).
In addition to famed director John Ford, Maureen was also fortunate to have worked for some other great directors in the business: Alfred Hitchcock, William Dieterle, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Jean Renoir, John M. Stahl, William A. Wellman, Frank Borzage, Walter Lang, George Seaton, George Sherman, Carol Reed, Delmer Daves, David Swift, Andrew V. McLaglen and Chris Columbus.
In 1968 Maureen found much deserved personal happiness when she married Charles Blair. Gen. Blair was a famous aviator whom she had known as a friend of her family for many years. A new career began for Maureen, that of a full-time wife. Her marriage to Blair, however, was again far from typical. Blair was the real-life version of what John Wayne had been on the screen. He had been a Brigadier General in the Air Force, a Senior Pilot with Pan American, and held many incredible record-breaking aeronautic achievements. Maureen happily retired from films in 1973 after making the TV movie The Red Pony (1973) (which on the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence) with Henry Fonda. With Blair, Maureen managed Antilles Airboats, a commuter sea plane service in the Caribbean. She not only made trips around the world with her pilot husband, but owned and published a magazine, "The Virgin Islander," writing a monthly column called "Maureen O'Hara Says."
Tragically, Charles Blair died in a plane crash in 1978. Though completely devastated, Maureen pulled herself together and, with memories of ten of the happiest years of her life, continued on. She was elected President and CEO of Antilles Airboats, which brought her the distinction of being the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the United States.
Fortunately, she was coaxed out of retirement several times - once in 1991 to star with John Candy in Only the Lonely (1991) and again, in 1995, in a made-for-TV movie, The Christmas Box (1995) on CBS. In the spring of 1998, Maureen accepted the second of what would be three projects for Polson Productions and CBS: Cab to Canada (1998) - and, in October, 2000, The Last Dance (2000).
On St. Patrick's Day in 2004, she published her New York Times bestselling memoir, 'Tis Herself, co-authored with her longtime biographer and manager Johnny Nicoletti.
On November 4, 2014 Maureen was honored by a long overdue Oscar for "Lifetime Achievement" at the annual Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards.
Maureen O'Hara was absolutely stunning, with that trademark red hair, dazzling smile and those huge, expressive eyes. She has fans from all over the world of all ages who are utterly devoted to her legacy of films and her persona as a strong, courageous and intelligent woman.- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Samuel Beckett is an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator.
A resident of Paris for most of his life, he wrote in both French and English.
Beckett's work offers a bleak, tragi-comic outlook on human existence, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humor, and became increasingly minimalist in his later career. He is considered one of the last modernist writers, and one of the key figures in what Martin Esslin called the "Theatre of the Absurd".
Beckett was awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize in Literature.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Lawrence Doheny was born on 14 April 1924 in Kilmurry, County Limerick, Republic of Ireland. He was a director and writer, known for Teenage Millionaire (1961), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and Black Sheep Squadron (1976). He was married to Margaret Mangan. He died on 7 September 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dermot Kelly was born on 15 May 1917 in County Laois, Irish Republic. He was an actor, known for The Plank (1967), Mess Mates (1960) and Devil's Bait (1959). He died on 18 February 1980 in Dublin, Ireland.- Iurie Darie (real name Darie Maximciuc) was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on March 14, 1929 in Vadul Rascov, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1952.In 1953, he plays first role in the movie Nepotii gornistului. Other notable roles in Brigada Diverse în alerta! (1971), Dimitrie Cantemir (1973), Fratii Jderi (1974). Play on the stage of the theater ''Teatrul de Comedie '' in Bucharest.He was married with Consuela Rosu and with Anca Pandrea .He had a son ,director Ducu Darie.He was decorated on May 30, 2002 with the National Order of the Faithful Service in the rank of Knight.He died on November 9, 2012 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
William Butler Yeats was born on 13 June 1865 in Sandymount, County Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was a writer, known for Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), Valentines. A Bouquet of Letters and Poetry of Lovers (1994) and Echoes. He was married to Georgiana Hyde-Lees. He died on 28 January 1939 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.- D'Arcy Corrigan was born on 2 January 1870 in County Cork, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was an actor, known for The Last Warning (1928), A Christmas Carol (1938) and Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927). He died on 25 December 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Hung Hsuan Fan was born on 5 September 1946 in Lu County, Sichuan, Republic of China. He is an actor, known for The Arbiter (1993), Bao biao (1976) and Zui yu zui ha zui pang xie (1979).
- Luke Cosgrave was born on 6 August 1862 in Ballaghdreen, County Mayo, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was an actor, known for Hollywood (1923), The Light That Failed (1923) and Merton of the Movies (1924). He died on 28 June 1949 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Ethel Lilian Voynich was born on 11 May 1864 in County Cork, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. She was a writer, known for The Gadfly (1928), The Gadfly (1955) and Ovod (1980). She was married to Wilfrid Michael Voynich. She died on 28 July 1960 in New York, USA.
- Pauline Flanagan was born on 29 June 1925 in County Sligo, Irish Free State [now County Sligo, Republic of Ireland]. She was an actress, known for Night Train (1998), Spenser: For Hire (1985) and Play of the Week (1959). She was married to George Vogel. She died on 28 June 2003 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Laurence Sterne was born on 24 November 1713 in Clonmel, Kingdom of Ireland [now County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland]. Laurence was a writer, known for Tristram Shandy (2005), Famous Gossips (1965) and Camera Three (1955). Laurence was married to Elizabeth Lumley. Laurence died on 18 March 1768 in London, England, UK.
- George Moore was born on 24 February 1852 in County Mayo, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was a writer, known for Albert Nobbs (2011), Sin of Esther Waters (1948) and Esther Waters (1977). He died on 21 January 1933 in London, England, UK.
- Soundtrack
Louis Lambert was born on 25 December 1829 in Ballygar, Ireland, UK [now County Galway, Republic of Ireland]. He was married to Ellen J. O'Neill. He died on 24 September 1892 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.- Horatio Herbert Kitchener was born in Ballylongford, Ireland on June 24, 1850, the son of Lt. Col. Henry Kitchener. After attending boarding school in Switzerland, Horatio was admitted to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, England in 1868. Commissioned as an officer in the Royal Engineers in 1871, he spent most of the next 28 years at British army posts in Africa, rising to the rank of major general. He led part of the British-Egyptian Expeditionary force in the reconquest of the Sudan from 1896 to 1898 against the Dervish Mahdists where at the Battle of Omdurman on September 2, 1898, he defeated the Mahdists and was later given the title Baron Kitchener of Khartoum, later elevated to earl.
During the 1899-1902 Boer War in South Africa, General Kitchener was assigned as chief of staff to the British commander, Lord Roberts. While General Sir Redvers Buller handled operations in the eastern theater of operations, Kitchener served as Roberts' second in command in the western theater, spearheading the British advance into the Boer republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal in early 1900, leading to the capture of the Boer capital of Pretoria. When Roberts and Buller returned to England in November 1900, Lord Kitchener succeeded Roberts as commander in chief for the drawn-out guerrilla phase of the war. From then on, Lord Kitchener directed the British campaign against General Louis Botha's Boer guerrillas launching hit-and-run raids against British posts everywhere in South Africa. In a long and brutal campaign, Kitchener imposed a "scorched earth" policy of burning crops, destroying Afrikaner farms and villages, and establishing a network of blockhouses across parts of South Africa which slowly tied down the Boers, impairing their commando raids. It was not until May 31, 1902 that the Boer leaders gave in and within months the last of the Boer guerrillas were starved into surrendering. Kitchener was then made commander of the British troops in India and promoted to Field Marshall.
y 1914 at the start of World War I, Kitchener was appointed secretary for war and placed in charge of organizing the British war effort. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Kitchener believed that the war would be long and costly, and accordingly instituted a massive recruiting drive. Almost 2.5 million British and Colonial troops were raised through this effort. In addition to the mass mobilization and supply of his armies, Lord Kitchener personally oversaw the British campaigns from the Near East, to the Western Front in France, to Africa. Kitchener was made a Knight of the Garter, Great Britain's highest honor in June 1915.
Lord Kitchener died in the line of duty on June 5, 1916 when, en route to a conference with the Russian high command in St. Petersburg, the ship he was on, the HMS Hampshire, struck a mine off the Orkney Islands. Kitchener was not among the few dozen survivors. He was then declared missing in action, and later declared dead. Had he survived, some experts believe that World War I would have ended a year earlier than it did. - Ian O'Connell was born on 10 November 1945 in Sligo, County Sligo, Republic of Ireland. He is an actor, known for Insignificance (1985).
- Editor
- Sound Department
- Actor
Charles Lacey joined Centron films as a major stockholder in 1949 after serving in WWII and graduating from Kansas State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His first duties were as a film sound engineer. He soon began editing films, while continuing to do sound work, and even occasionally acting through the 50s. As the company expanded, he became vice president in charge of production, primarily in charge of coordinating production and post-production of Centron's films. During this period in the 60s, Centron was producing more and more corporate films and sale meetings, in additon to their educational product. The 70s ushered in a period of corporate 'documentaries', especially for John Deere, in which Lacey wrote and directed many short films in addition to his duties coordinating production company-wide. Centron's films remained in that vein, alongwith a renewed emphasis on educational product with the early 70s launching of Centron Educational Films, a distibution arm. Lacey continued with Centron up until its sale to Coronet Films in the mid-1980s. Charles Lacey was born (1922) and raised in Republic County, Kansas. He married Ruthanne Finley in 1947. They had four children; Philip, Jean, Bruce, & Marilyn. He died in February, 2002, in Lawrence, Kansas.- Adela Measor was born on 2 September 1857 in Philipstown, County Offaly, Ireland, UK [now Daingean, Republic of Ireland]. She was an actress, known for Old Scrooge (1913). She was married to J.C. Buckstone. She died on 9 June 1933 in Chelsea, London, England, UK.
- Mrs. Hungerford was born on 27 April 1855 in Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. She was a writer, known for Molly Bawn (1916). She died on 24 January 1897 in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland].
- Roger Casement was born on 1 September 1864 in Sandycove, County Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He died on 3 August 1916 in Pentonville Prison, Islington, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ewa Nagurska was born on 12 May 1934 in Wilno, Wilenskie, Second Polish Republic [now Vilnius, Vilnius County, Lithuania]. He was an actor, known for Czlowiek srodka (1988) and Bylem malym chlopcem (2000). He died on 8 March 2024 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.- William H. Turner was born on 21 October 1861 in County Cork, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was an actor, known for The Last Performance (1929), Traffic in Souls (1913) and The Power God (1925). He was married to Ann Vislaire. He died on 27 September 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Special Effects
Ryszard Wierzbicki was born on 29 March 1939 in Wilno, Wilenskie, Second Polish Republic [now Vilnius, Vilnius County, Lithuania]. He is known for Prywatne sledztwo (1987), Gry uliczne (1996) and Zabic na koncu (1990). He died on 6 December 2022 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.- Romuald Malkowski was born on 18 July 1923 in Podbrodzie, Wilenskie, Second Polish Republic [now Pabrade, Vilnius County, Lithuania]. He died on 23 November 1972 in Brussels, Belgium.
- Ben Hu Wang was born on 6 December 1953 in Tainan County, Taiwan, Republic of China. He was a writer, known for Yin jian xiang ma, Chui gu chui (1988), The Daughter-in-Law (1995) and That Vital Organ (1991). He died on 16 February 2017 in Tainan City, Taiwan, Republic of China.