Day 06 - Favorite actor/actress

My favorite actor is pretty obvious:  John Wayne.  If you've read this blog at all, or even just scanned through my list of labels, you'll figure out I'm a fan.

But why?  Partly, it's because I grew up with his movies.  Partly, it's because he made a lot of westerns, my favorite film genre.  And partly, it's because I do admire a lot of the things he stood for personally, like being proud of America.  He portrayed a lot of strong, capable characters who wouldn't give up on someone or something just because everyone else did, and I guess I relate to that stubbornness too ;-)

My favorite actress, on the other hand... that's tougher.  I admire a lot of actresses and enjoy their performances, but there isn't really one that stands out above all the rest.  Who to choose?  Sandra Bullock?  Meg Ryan?  Lauren Bacall?  Debbie Reynolds?  Nicole Kidman?  Barbara Stanwyck?  It's a hard decision.  In the end, I guess I'll go with the one actress who has never, ever disappointed me in any role:  Maureen O'Hara.

Whether her characters are getting kidnapped by a pirate, helping a paralyzed husband regain his ability to move, or parenting twin teenagers, Maureen O'Hara is always classy and sassy.  Like John Wayne, she played characters who stood up for what they believed and gave as good as they got.  She also managed to look drop-dead gorgeous pretty much all the time.

And lucky me -- my favorite actor and actress made five movies together!  In Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1971), the two of them shared a chemistry of equals, each holding their own opposite the other's strong personality.  In real life, they formed a friendship that lasted until John Wayne's death in 1979.

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in Rio Grande (1950)