Miracle On 34th Street Actress Maureen O’Hara Dies At 95

Actress Maureen O'Hara, best known for her role in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street, died Saturday of natural causes. She was 95. A statement from O'Hara's family said she passed away at her home in Idaho surrounded by loved ones, according to the Irish Times. “Maureen was our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend,” the statement read. “She passed peacefully, surrounded by her loving family as they celebrated her life listening to music from her favorite movie, The Quiet Man.” The Irish-born actress, whose first role was in the 1939 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, would appear in over 50 films throughout her career, including John Ford's The Quiet Man, alongside frequent co-star John Wayne, and 1961's The Parent Trap. But many would remember her best as Natalie Wood's cynical mother in the 1947 holiday film Miracle on 34th Street. Though the thrice-married O'Hara would appear in mostly black-and-white films, she would later become known as the "Queen of Technicolor." Many felt there was no better person to show off the beauty of color film, which came into vogue during her career, than O'Hara, with her red hair, green eyes, and fair complexion. O'Hara received an honorary Oscar in 2014.