Charles B. Fitzsimons (8 May 1924 – 14 February 2001) 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, went to the US in 1951. His previous acting experience was with Dublin's

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

. Fitzsimons also studied law in Ireland at the National University of Ireland and King's Inns. 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. Maureen O'Hara and brothers James and Charles 1954

Maureen O'Hara and brothers James and Charles 1954

Fitzsimons originally was hired by producer

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

in a legal capacity, in preparation for the arrival of the cast and crew of the film ''

The Quiet Man ''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 ''Saturday Ev ...

'' for filming in Ireland. Upon their first meeting, Ford believed Fitzsimons would be right for the film role of Forbes in addition to his legal duties. 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. Both brothers made their film debuts in ''The Quiet Man'' and both came to the United States upon completion of the film. In 1957, Maureen O'Hara sued ''

Confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, lawyers are often required ...

'' magazine because of false accusations made about her. Fitzsimons served as his sister's attorney during the trial. He became a Hollywood film actor and later a supervising production executive before becoming a producer himself. He served as Executive Director of the

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 8,000 members of the producing establishment w ...

from 1981 to 1999. In 1989, he received an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award from that organisation.

Death

Fitzsimons died from liver failure in 2001, aged 76. He was survived by his wife, Cherie Bromley, and daughter. By his first wife Consuelo Vaughn and their four children. As well as his three sisters: Maureen O'Hara, Mrs. Margot Edwards, and Sister Mary Margaret, R.S.C., a nun.

Selected filmography

Producer

John Wayne Maureen O'Hara from lobby card 6

*''

The Deadly Companions ''The Deadly Companions'' is a 1961 American Western and war film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Steve Cochran, and Chill Wills. Based on the novel of the same name by A. S. Fleischman, the film is abo ...

'' (1961; starring his elder sister, Maureen O'Hara) *'' Batman'' (1966) (assoc.) *''

Love American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' (1969 TV series) *''

Nanny and the Professor ''Nanny and the Professor'' is an early 1970s American sitcom created by AJ Carothers and Thomas L. Miller for 20th Century-Fox Television that aired on ABC from January 21, 1970 until December 27, 1971. During pre-production, the proposed t ...

'' (1970 TV series) *''

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

'' (1974) *''

Matt Helm Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916-2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of t ...

'' (1975 TV series) *'' Casablanca'' (1983 TV series) *''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' (TV series)

Actor

*''

I Was a Male War Bride ''I Was a Male War Bride'' is a 1949 comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. The film was based on "Male War Bride Trial to Army", a biography of Henri Rochard (pen name of Roger Charlier), a Belgian who ...

'' (1949) - Lt. Kelly (scenes deleted) *''

'' (1952; alongside Maureen O'Hara, his elder sister) - Hugh Forbes *'' What Price Glory?'' (1952) - Capt. Wickham (uncredited) *''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (1952) - Noel - Student (uncredited) *''

Against All Flags ''Against All Flags'' is a 1952 American pirate film directed by George Sherman and Douglas Sirk and starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano. The film's plot is set in ...

'' (1952) - Flag Lieutenant (uncredited) *''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'' (1953) - Chief Officer Wilde (uncredited) *''

The Desert Rats The 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War, where its exploits in the Western Desert Campaign gained it the ''Desert Rats'' nickname. After the Muni ...

'' (1953) - Fire Officer (uncredited) *''

The Black Shield of Falworth ''The Black Shield of Falworth'' is a 1954 American Technicolor film from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. It stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Farrar, Herbert Marshall, an ...

'' (1954) - Giles *''

Captain Lightfoot ''Captain Lightfoot'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope Technicolor adventure film directed by Douglas Sirk starring Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush and Jeff Morrow and is Sirk's adaptation of a book by W. R. Burnett written in 1954. The movie is set ...

'' (1955) - Dan Shanley *''

The Last Hurrah ''The Last Hurrah'' is a 1956 novel written by Edwin O'Connor. It is considered the most popular of O’Connor's works, partly because of a 1958 movie adaptation starring Spencer Tracy. The novel was immediately a bestseller in the United Stat ...

'' (1958) - Kevin McCluskey (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimons, Charles B. 1924 births 2001 deaths American film producers American male film actors Deaths from liver failure Irish male film actors Irish emigrants to the United States People from Ranelagh People educated at Synge Street CBS 20th-century American male actors Alumni of King's Inns