Maureen O’Hara tipped for Oscars lifetime award

Maureen O’Hara has been tipped as the leading contender to win a prestigious lifetime achievement award at next year’s Oscars ceremony.

The Irish screen legend, who turns 94 tomorrow, has never received an Academy Award despite starring in 64 movies, including taking the leading roles in timeless classics such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, How Green Was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, and her most famous film, The Quiet Man.

However, the flame-haired Dubliner, one of the last survivors of Hollywood’s golden era, is understood to be the likely recipient of next year’s honorary Oscar.

Screen icon Lauren Bacall, who passed away during the week at the age of 89, received the same award in 2009.

And one of her closest friends, June Porter Beck, who runs Ms O’Hara’s official website from her home in the US state of Arizona, yesterday called on Academy Award chiefs to honour the screen icon while she is still around to grace the red carpet one final time.

Ms Porter Beck said: “Nobody deserves this award more than Maureen. It’s amazing that she never received an Oscar in her acting career, particularly for her performance in films like The Quiet Man.

“But there’s still time for her to be recognised by being presented with an honorary Oscar and it would make sense if she won it next year.

“I speak to Maureen on the phone several times a week and I know that it’s still one of her biggest ambitions, to collect an Oscar, and there’s no one more deserving.

“She still has a great respect for Hollywood and her screen presence and work ethic during her career were phenomenal.

“There’s no doubt she’s got to be one of the leading contenders to receive the award next time round.”

Despite her advanced years and her reliance on round-the-clock care in Idaho in the US, Ms O’Hara remains “in good health”, with a “mind that’s as sharp as ever”, according to Ms Porter Beck.

Two years ago, the actress abruptly left her retirement home in Glengarriff, Co Cork, to be near her family in Idaho, following a well-publicised row over her care and legacy with her former personal assistant, Carolyn Murphy.

The dispute resulted in the shelving of ambitious plans to create an elaborate film museum and movie school in Ms O’Hara’s name in the West Cork town.

Ms Porter Beck added: “She’d hate people to think that she abandoned Ireland. It just makes much more sense for her to be near her family in Idaho now. She never stops talking about Ireland and it’s where her heart will always be.”