Of all the incredible acting collaborations seen throughout the history of Hollywood, the pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara stood as one of cinema’s greatest. With Wayne’s reputation as perhaps the best leading man of classic American cinema, and O’Hara’s talent for portraying dynamic and ionate heroines, the two were a match made in heaven and to see them starring opposite one another was always a treat. Wayne and O’Hara collaborated with legendary filmmaker John Ford on three separate occasions which only added to the legacy of their work with one another.

The movies that starred both Wayne and O’Hara vary greatly and included fantastic Western team-ups, an idyllic rural romance, and even a slice-of-life laugh-out-loud comedy. Wayne and O’Hara played to each other’s strengths and their onscreen chemistry cemented their reputations as box office draws who teamed up five times for more than 20 years. With classic movies together, such as Rio Grande and The Quiet Man, despite the varying quality of their five films seeing the duo onscreen together always felt like an occasion.

5 The Wings of Eagles (1957)

John Wayne as Frank "Spig" Wead & Maureen O'Hara as Min Wead

The Wings of Eagles was a 1957 biopic about United States Navy aviator Frank “Spig” Wead that also acted as a history of American aviation from its inception right up until World War II. Actual Navy flight students and instructors appeared as extras in the film, adding an air of authenticity to it. Many of the interior sets for the movie, however, were recycled from other MGM movies to save money.

Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne as Spig and Maureen O’Hara as his wife Min Wead, The Wings of Eagles acted as an enjoyable melodrama that glorified military life and imbued its story with family drama and unfortunately dated humor. With committed performances, the best thing about The Wings of Eagles was the pairing of Wayne and O’Hara who at this point had already starred in three movies together.

4 Big Jake (1971)

John Wayne as Jacob McCandles & Maureen O'Hara as Martha McCandles

The final film to feature both John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, O’Hara retired for 20 years after the release of the Technicolor Western Big Jake. With a plot involving a kidnapped boy being held for ransom, Big Jake was a film that featured great character introductions and an exciting climax, but unfortunately, it took its time getting to the point and sometimes felt slightly tedious. However, the reunited pairing of Wayne and O’Hara alone was enough to justify the ticket price and the two demonstrated for the last time what made them such a great team.

Wayne portrayed Jacob McCandles and O’Hara was his wife, Martha.

Wayne portrayed Jacob McCandles and O’Hara was his wife, Martha. Together, with their sons, they ran a ranch that got attacked by the notorious Fain Gang who abducted their son Little Jake. This action set in motion a cowboy adventure that saw Wayne on the hunt to save his boy. However, the film could have benefited from more interaction between Wayne and O’Hara as her role was a reduced one. Sadly, Big Jake was an uneven movie that, with a stronger script and better direction, could have stood among Wayne and O’Hara’s best work together.

3 McLintock! (1963)

John Wayne as G.W. McLintock & Maureen O'Hara as Kate McLintock

John Wayne showed off his funny side in McLinktock! a comedy co-starring Maureen O’Hara that was partly inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An over-the-top adventure, McLinktock! featured exciting gun chases, hilarious hijinks, and a famous spanking scene that O’Hara testified was the real deal (via Express.) Unusual for a Wayne-led Western, McLinktock! set aside the usual action-orientated nature of the genre and gave some time to the stories of daily life and those living in the rural American Old West.

McLintock! may not have gone down in history as the best comedy of all time, but it remained an enjoyable piece of entertainment.

Telling the story of a wealthy ranger, played by Wayne, who used his power and influence to keep the peace between farmers, land-grabbers, Native Americans, and corrupt government workers, McLintock! was a box office success that carried out its enjoyable Western comedy premise well. O’Hara shined as the beautiful redhead Kate McLintock, who was responsible for some of the film’s most hilarious scenes and was fiercely committed to delivering expert physical comedy. McLintock! may not have gone down in history as the best comedy of all time, but it remained an enjoyable piece of entertainment.

2 Rio Grande (1950)

John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke & Maureen O'Hara as Kathleen Yorke

The first movie to feature both John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, Rio Grande laid the groundwork for their long-running collaboration that would also include three films with acclaimed Western director John Ford. The story of a cavalry officer confronted by murderous raiding Apaches as well as his estranged wife, Rio Grande brought out themes of conflict, love, and military life. Rio Grande was the third and final installment in Ford’s “Cavalry Trilogy” which also included Ford Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

Wayne played Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke tasked with leading a Cavalry against Apache raiders at the Mexico-United States border, while O’Hara portrayed his long-lost wife Kathleen Yorke who arrived unexpectedly to take their underage son home after she bought him out of his army enlistment. Facing both personal and professional problems, Kirby must navigate tensions between his family and troops. Rio Grande was a powerful collaboration for Wayne and O’Hara that showcased the complex personal sacrifices facing those in military life.

1 The Quiet Man (1952)

John Wayne as Sean Thornton & Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher

The best movie that featured the dynamic duo of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara was the extraordinary romantic comedy, and ode to Ireland, The Quiet Man. An important moment for the cinematic representation of Ireland, The Quiet Man brought hordes of American tourists to Cong, County Mayo, to witness the place where legendary filmmaker John Ford produced his luscious display of rolling green hills and idyllic small-town life in the fictional community of Inisfree. The Quiet Man was a sentimental success that portrayed Ireland as it had never been seen before on the big screen.

The Quiet Man told the story of a retired American boxer, played by Wayne, who fell in love with an outgoing and exciting Irish redhead, played by O’Hara, when he visited the village of his birth in rural 1920s Ireland. An expert pairing of Wayne and O’Hara’s natural chemistry, guided by iconic film director Ford, The Quiet Man was a triumphant collaboration that represented all that was great about the duo’s work together. A funny, heartfelt, and memorable romance, The Quiet Man acted as Wayne and O’Hara’s crowning achievement and was one of John Wayne's favorite films of his own.

The fictional community's name of Inisfree was inspired by the W.B. Years poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree", a small uninhabitated island within Lough Gill on the Sligo-Leitrim border in Ireland.

John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara's Off-Screen Relationship

They were clearly as close as family during the nearly 40 years they knew one another.

Though Wayne and O’Hara appeared in numerous projects together and cared about one another a great deal, they never had a romantic relationship. O’Hara repeatedly denied the rumors of anything romantic happening between them. A biography of Wayne called John Wayne: The Life and Legend, published in 2014 by Scott Eyman alleges differently. A friend of Wayne’s who spoke with Eyman claims that Wayne and O’Hara had an affair that spanned years, but that’s never been corroborated.

Even though their first movie together wouldn’t hit theaters until 1950, the two actually met and became friends when O’Hara made the move from Ireland to the United States in 1939. They maintained a friendship their entire lives. When O’Hara appeared for a televised interview with Larry King in 2000, she didn’t seem to be bothered about the idea that people had long assumed she and Wayne were romantic. She denied the romance allegations to King again, but she also told him:

I used to have an old lady stop me in the street and say, 'I saw all your children today,' and they were all Duke's kids.

Of course, she also said that Wayne’s children called her “Auntie Maureen” and that they shared all of their secrets with one another. They were clearly as close as family during the nearly 40 years they knew one another.

In 1978, O’Hara beat cancer while Wayne was gravely ill from a cancer diagnosis himself. She traveled to speak to Congress on his behalf, arguing for a Congressional Medal for her friend:

I have known John Wayne for 39 years, and in those 39 years I have called him my dearest friend - my best friend. To the people of the world, John Wayne is not just an actor and a very fine actor. John Wayne is the United States of America. I beg you to strike a medal for Duke, to order the President to strike it. And I feel that the medal should say just one thing: 'John Wayne, American.’

O’Hara got her wish for a Congressional Medal for Wayne. He died the following year.

Source: Express, Larry King Live, John Wayne: The Life and Legend,