An icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, at the height of her career O'Hara was considered one of the world's most beautiful women.

She is often remembered for her on-screen chemistry with John Wayne. They made five films together: Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, McLintock! and Big Jake.

A clip of O'Hara's radiant face as she waves from a gate in John Ford's Academy Award-winning How Green Was My Valley, remains one of the most classic images preserved on film, and is often featured as a clip in montages and promotions.