John Wayne was the archetypal Western star. His films included Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956) and True Grit (1969).
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He was born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907 at 224 South Second Street in Winterset, Iowa.
Marion moved as a child to Glendale, California. A football star at Glendale High School, he attended the University of Southern California on a scholarship but dropped out after two years as a result of a bodysurfing accident, He tore ligaments in his shoulder while riding the surf near Balboa Pier.
After finding work locally as a movie studio laborer, Wayne befriended director John Ford, then a rising talent.
His first acting jobs were bit parts in which he was credited as Duke Morrison. "Duke" was a nickname derived from the name of a beloved childhood pet, a huge Airedale Terrier.
Wayne's college buddy, director Raoul Walsh, saw him moving studio furniture while working as a prop boy and cast him in his first starring role in The Big Trail (1930).
It was during this time that Marion Morrison became "John Wayne," when Raoul Walsh didn't think Marion was a good name for an actor playing a tough western hero.
Only leading roles in B movies followed during the 1930s, most of them also Westerns. Wayne's career was rejuvenated when John Ford's Stagecoach was released on March 2, 1939. Wayne's role as The Ringo Kid made him an instant mainstream star. Stagecoach was actually his 80th feature film.
John Wayne wore a toupee beginning in about 1948. Wayne felt more confident wearing his toupee and never denied it. He often joked saying "It's not phony, it's real hair. Of course, it's not mine, but it's real."
Joseph Stalin ordered the KGB to kill John Wayne because he considered his anti-communist rhetoric a threat to the Soviet Union. He allegedly sent more than one hit squad to do the job.
When Nikita Khrushchev visited the United States he made two requests: to visit Disneyland and meet John Wayne.
On May 31, 1956, Buddy Holly went to the movies. He saw the John Wayne film The Searchers, where Wayne repeatedly says, "That'll be the day."
On April 7, 1970 John Wayne, a movie veteran of around 150 films, won his first and only Academy Award for his role as a cantankerous one-eyed marshal in True Grit.
Studio Directors knew to film John Wayne's scenes before noon, because by the afternoon he was a 'real mean drunk'.
Marion moved as a child to Glendale, California. A football star at Glendale High School, he attended the University of Southern California on a scholarship but dropped out after two years as a result of a bodysurfing accident, He tore ligaments in his shoulder while riding the surf near Balboa Pier.
After finding work locally as a movie studio laborer, Wayne befriended director John Ford, then a rising talent.
His first acting jobs were bit parts in which he was credited as Duke Morrison. "Duke" was a nickname derived from the name of a beloved childhood pet, a huge Airedale Terrier.
Wayne's college buddy, director Raoul Walsh, saw him moving studio furniture while working as a prop boy and cast him in his first starring role in The Big Trail (1930).
It was during this time that Marion Morrison became "John Wayne," when Raoul Walsh didn't think Marion was a good name for an actor playing a tough western hero.
Only leading roles in B movies followed during the 1930s, most of them also Westerns. Wayne's career was rejuvenated when John Ford's Stagecoach was released on March 2, 1939. Wayne's role as The Ringo Kid made him an instant mainstream star. Stagecoach was actually his 80th feature film.
John Wayne wore a toupee beginning in about 1948. Wayne felt more confident wearing his toupee and never denied it. He often joked saying "It's not phony, it's real hair. Of course, it's not mine, but it's real."
Joseph Stalin ordered the KGB to kill John Wayne because he considered his anti-communist rhetoric a threat to the Soviet Union. He allegedly sent more than one hit squad to do the job.
When Nikita Khrushchev visited the United States he made two requests: to visit Disneyland and meet John Wayne.
 |
| Pixiebay |
On May 31, 1956, Buddy Holly went to the movies. He saw the John Wayne film The Searchers, where Wayne repeatedly says, "That'll be the day."
On April 7, 1970 John Wayne, a movie veteran of around 150 films, won his first and only Academy Award for his role as a cantankerous one-eyed marshal in True Grit.
Studio Directors knew to film John Wayne's scenes before noon, because by the afternoon he was a 'real mean drunk'.
John Wayne did a commercial for Australian shoe company Grosby's when he was in Australia for an award show. He only took a small fee as he was impressed that the small ad agency representing them had actually asked him.
America, Why I Love Her, A LP of poetry read by John Wayne reached #66 on the US albums chart. Released on March 1, 1973, the record consists of patriotic poems written by actor John Mitchum, the brother of Robert Mitchum.
He smoked six packs of cigarettes a day.
Wayne had lung cancer in the 1960s. He had his left lung removed in 1964 and was declared cancer free five years later. Wayne has been credited with coining the term "The Big C" as a euphemism for cancer.
He made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979.
John Wayne played the leading role in 142 of his 153 movies. 83 of his lead roles were in Westerns.
Wayne's 142 movies, in a career spanning 50 years, grossed a half-billion dollars or more.
John Wayne died at age 72 on June 11, 1979 from stomach cancer. The cancer was likely caused by radiation poisoning. 91 other cast and crew also developed cancers after shooting The Conqueror downwind from recent US government nuclear weapons tests in 1956. By the end of 1980, 46 members of the film’s cast and crew had died from some form of the disease.
Despite the suggestion that Wayne's lung cancer in the 1960s also was a result of nuclear contamination, the actor himself believed it was a result of his six-pack-a-day cigarette habit.
The house in Winterset, Iowa, where Wayne was born in 1907 is below. The John Wayne Birthplace Museum is located near the downtown area at 216 South 2nd Street.
Here is a list of songs inspired by John Wayne.
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