Shirley O'Hara

American actress (1924–2002)

Shirley O'Hara
O'Hara in The Chase (1946)
Born
Shirley Har

(1924-08-15)August 15, 1924
Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedDecember 13, 2002(2002-12-13) (aged 78)
Calabasas, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1943–1995
Spouse(s)Jimmy McHugh Jr. (divorced)
Milton Krims (m. ?–1988; his death)
Children1

Shirley O'Hara (born Shirley Har;[1][2] August 15, 1924 – December 13, 2002) was an American actress. She appeared in numerous films from the 1940s to the 1980s.[3]

Biography

O'Hara was born in Rochester, Minnesota in 1924 and graduated from Rochester High School[2] in 1942.[1] As a high school senior, she worked at three film theaters in downtown Rochester.[2]

After graduation, O'Hara moved to Hollywood. Her job as an elevator operator at Saks Fifth Avenue brought her in contact with people who worked with films,[2] and she signed with RKO Studios when she was 18 years old.[4] She began her acting career in 1943. Her film debut was in the Kay Kyser musical Around the World (1943).[1] Other films in which she appeared included Tarzan and the Amazons, The Chase, Higher and Higher and Ghost Ship (1952).[3]

O'Hara's figure led to her role in Ghost Ship, as the result of a process that was featured in the September 13, 1943, issue of Life. RKO held a competition to find the "shapeliest 'shadow girl'" for the role, because the leading lady in the film was seen only in silhouette.[5]

During World War II, she received the Support for America award, acknowledging her wartime efforts with the Hollywood Canteen.[3]

She also appeared in several TV series during the 1950s, including Fireside Theatre, Gunsmoke, The Millionaire, Racket Squad and Dragnet.[3] In 1970, O'Hara appeared as Mrs. Drew on the TV western The Virginian in the episode "The Mysterious Mr. Tate."

During the early 1970s, she was appointed director of public relations for The Burbank Studios. In 1973, she played Mrs. Malone, a night school teacher, on the season four episode "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She appeared on three episodes of the Bob Newhart Show as ditzy temporary secretary, Debbie Flett. She appeared in the films Duel (1971) and Rocky (1976). A member of the Publicists Guild, she retired in 1995.[3]

Personal life

O'Hara was married to Jimmy McHugh Jr., and they lived in England, where he headed the London branch of MCA Inc. They had one son, Jimmy McHugh III, but later divorced. Her second marriage was to Milton Krims.[3]

Death

On December 13, 2002, O'Hara died at the Motion Picture Hospital[4] in Calabasas, California, from complications of diabetes at the age of 78.[3]

TV and filmography

  • Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) - Model (uncredited)
  • Government Girl (1943) - Girl in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
  • Around the World (1943) - Shirley (uncredited)
  • Higher and Higher (1943) - Bridesmaid (uncredited)
  • The Ghost Ship (1943) - Ellen's Sister (uncredited)
  • The Falcon Out West (1944) - Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
  • Seven Days Ashore (1944) - Girl in Band (uncredited)
  • Show Business (1944) - Chorine (uncredited)
  • Step Lively (1944) - Louise, 'Daughter' in Rehearsal (uncredited)
  • Three Is a Family (1944) - Janet (uncredited)
  • Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) - Athena
  • Cuban Pete (1946) - Girl (uncredited)
  • The Runaround (1946) - Stewardess (uncredited)
  • Lover Come Back (1946) - Show Girl (uncredited)
  • The Chase (1946) - Manicurist
  • Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946) - College Coed (uncredited)
  • Bells of San Fernando (1947) - Nita
  • Ghost Ship (1952)
  • Mr. and Mrs. North (1953) - Phyllis Tucker
  • Fireside Theatre (1953) - Mary Casey / Lucinda
  • Crime Wave (1953) - Girl with Bandaged Man (uncredited)
  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1953) - Landlady
  • December Bride (1954)
  • The Star and the Story (1955) - Mrs. Canelli
  • Highway Patrol (1956) - Payroll Clerk
  • Sneak Preview (1956) (Season 1 Episode 3: "One Minute from Broadway")
  • The Detectives (1960) - Mrs. Stalker
  • The 3rd Voice (1960) - Carreras' Secretary
  • Sea Hunt (1960) - Fran Parmalee
  • The High Powered Rifle (1960) - Jean Brewster
  • Stagecoach West (1960) - Mrs. Jessup
  • Rawhide (1960) - Mrs. Slocum
  • Lock Up (1960) - Harriet Janis
  • Schwarzer Kies (1961)
  • The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961) - Mrs. Turner
  • Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961) - Clara Dumont
  • Bus Stop (1961) - Mattie
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) (Season 6 Episode 29: "The Pearl Necklace") - Nurse
  • The Twilight Zone (1961-1963, TV Series) - Colonist / George's Wife
  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 13: "The Silk Petticoat") - Flora
  • The Untouchables (1962) - Mrs. Halvorsen
  • Stoney Burke (1962) - Nurse
  • The Eleventh Hour (1962-1963, TV Series) - Miss Pendleton / Nurse / Mrs. Stanger
  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 32: "Death of a Cop") - Alice Reardon
  • Sam Benedict (1963) - Helen Eddy
  • The Outer Limits (1963)
  • Gunsmoke (1960 - 1963) - Florie Neff / Mrs. Kurtch / Martha Guilbert
  • Sylvia (1965) - Mrs. Karoki
  • Perry Mason (1965) - Superintendent
  • The Fugitive (1966) - Landlady
  • The Hostage (1967) - Mrs. Primus
  • Mannix, Season 2-Episode 23 "The Solid Gold Web" (1969)
  • Mannix, Season 3-Episode 21 "Fly, Little One" (1970)
  • Mannix, Season 4-Episode 22 "The Color Of Murder" (1971)
  • Room 222 (1970) - Miss Foss / Teacher
  • The Young Lawyers (1970) - Dr. Louise Cantrell
  • The Virginian (TV series) (1970) Season 9 Episode 05 ("The Mysterious Mr. Tate") - Mrs. Drew
  • Duel (1971) - Waitress
  • Emergency! (1973) - Ellie
  • The Streets of San Francisco (1976) - Mrs. Evans
  • Rocky (1976) - Secretary
  • Mary Tyler Moore (1975, TV Series) - Night School Teacher
  • Rhoda (1977) - Marge
  • Flight to Holocaust (1977) - Mrs. Bender
  • Quincy (1978) - Mrs. Barnett
  • The Incredible Hulk (1978) - Mrs. MacIntire
  • CHiPs (1978) - Elderly Woman
  • Crash (1978)
  • Lucan (1978) - Sally
  • Getting Wasted (1980) - Mrs. Kramer (final film role)

References

  1. ^ a b c Jones, Will (July 20, 1982). "'Shadow Girl', husband reflect on decades in Hollywood". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. p. 13. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Weber, Thomas (November 10, 2020). "Then and Now: From Rochester to Hollywood". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Shirley O'Hara Krims". Variety. December 16, 2002. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Obituaries: Shirley O'Hara Krims". The Hollywood Reporter. December 18, 2002. p. 16. ProQuest 235321658. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Speaking of Pictures". Life. September 13, 1943. pp. 18–20. Retrieved December 4, 2020.

External links

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