John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara A LIFETIME of Love

THE CO-STARS DIDN'T LET A NIGHT OF ROMANCE RUIN THEIR SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP

- LOUISE A. BARILE

In June of 1979, Maureen O’Hara received word that her great friend and frequent co-star, John Wayne, had died at age 72. “That’s the only time I had ever seen my grandmother cry,” Conor Beau Fitzsimons tells Closer. “She didn’t really cry when her husband died. But when Duke died, she cried.”

John, known as Duke to his friends, and Mau reen starred in five films together and enjoyed one of Hollywood’s warmest and most enduring relationships. Their spirited on-screen chemistry often led to speculation that they were lovers in real life, too. Although the pair always laughed it off, Maureen’s grandson confides that they did have a brief real-life romance. “I know they did at one point, but she was way too strong for him,” says Fitzsimons. “They would never have been a good couple.”

The Dublin-born Irish beauty first met Duke through director John Ford, who would become a close friend to both actors. Ford cast them together in 1950’s romantic western Rio Grande, the film where Duke returned to the role of Capt. Kirby York. Maureen was introduced as his estranged wife — a pairing that fans immediately loved. “Duke’s presence was so strong that when audiences finally meet a woman of equal hell and fire, it was exciting and thrilling,” Maureen said.

Despite her Technicolor-ready looks, the stunning redhead could hold her own among the men in many ways. “They used to go up Ford’s house and drink a few whiskies. Back then, there were not a lot of women that could hold their whiskey and stay up late like my grandmother,” says Fitzsimons, who adds that Maureen would often sit at the piano and play and sing at these informal gatherings. “She got a reputation as one of the boys.”