Charles B. Fitzsimons

Maureen O'Hara with brothers James O'Hara (left) and Charles Fitzsimons in 1954

Charles B. Fitzsimons (born 8 May 1924, Ranelagh, County Dublin, Ireland – died 14 February 2001, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) was an Irish actor who emigrated to the United States, where he became a film producer after ending his acting career. He was a younger brother of famed actress Maureen O'Hara. His name was sometimes spelled as FitzSimons.

Life

Fitzsimons, an actor and attorney,[1] went to the US in 1951. His previous acting experience was with Dublin's Abbey Theatre.[2] Fitzsimons also studied law in Ireland at the National University of Ireland and King's Inns.[3][4] He completed his law degree at age 20 and was the youngest person to do so at the time. but had to wait until the age of 21 before being able to practice law.[2]

Fitzsimons originally was hired by producer John Ford in a legal capacity, in preparation for the arrival of the cast and crew of the film The Quiet Man for filming in Ireland.[5] Upon their first meeting, Ford believed Fitzsimons would be right for the film role of Forbes in addition to his legal duties.[5][6][7] Ford then proceeded to hire O'Hara's brother, James, for the role of Father Paul in the film. James also worked at the Abbey in Dublin, but used his mother's maiden name of Lilburn as a professional name.[5][6][8] Both brothers made their film debuts in The Quiet Man and both came to the United States upon completion of the film.[5][9] In 1957, Maureen O'Hara sued Confidential magazine because of false accusations made about her. Fitzsimons served as his sister's attorney during the trial.[10][11][12]

He became a Hollywood film actor and later a supervising production executive before becoming a producer himself.[3] He served as Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America from 1981-99.[4][3][13] In 1989, he received an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award from that organization.[3][4]

Death

Fitzsimons died from liver failure in 2001, aged 76. He was survived by his wife, Cherie Bromley, and their five children, as well as three sisters: Maureen O'Hara, Mrs. Margot Edwards, and Sister Mary Margaret, R.S.C., a nun.[3][4]

Selected filmography

Producer

Barry Fitzgerald, Fitzsimons, Sean McGlory, John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in a scene from The Quiet Man[14]

Actor

References

  1. ↑ "Brothers in Movie Debut". The Daily Chronicle. 4 November 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Producer excited over 'Helm' series". The Sedalia Democrat. 10 October 1975. p. 15. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Uslan, Rachel (17 February 2001). "Charles B. Fitzsimons; Producers Guild Executive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Stack, Vanessa (25 February 2001). "Charles B. Fitzsimons". Variety. variety. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bacon, James R. (26 August 1951). "Hollywood Gossip". The Hutchinson News. p. 3. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 "Cast of the Quiet Man". TCM. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. ↑ Handsaker, Gene (25 February 1952). "Hollywood". The Pocono Record. p. 16. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Corby, Jane (24 August 1952). "'Quiet Man' Cast Members Report Some Fun in Ireland". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 26. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Filming of The Quiet Man Was Regular Family Affair". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 17 August 1952. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Malone, Aubrey (12 September 2013). Maureen O'Hara: The Biography. University Press of Kentucky. p. 138.
  11. ↑ Thomas, Bob (24 August 1957). "Meade Gives Names of 10 Informants for Magazine". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 1. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Thomas, Bob. "Meade Gives Names of 10 Informants for Confidential". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 1. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Connolly, Ceci (25 March 1992). "Tinseltown exhibiting ageism, sexism". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 38. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Photo from The Quiet Man". Cumberland Sunday Times. 19 October 1952. p. 27. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Magnates at Local Premiere See Tucson as Film Center". Tucson Daily Citizen. 5 June 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 21 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Television Listings". Biddeford-Saco Journal. 27 October 1973. p. 8. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Video Production Starts Again at 20th Century Lot". The Van Nuys News. 21 June 1970. p. 24. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Thomas Forsakes John-Boy Im age in Crane Classic". The Gallup Independent. 3 December 1974. p. 14. Retrieved 20 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Parsons, Louella O. (21 October 1952). "Louella's Movie-Go-Round". Albuquerque Journal. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

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