John Wayne

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May 26, 1907

June 11, 1979

Marion Robert Morrison

Josephine Alicia Saenz (m. 1933–1945)

Esperanza Baur (m. 1946–1954)

Pilar Pallete (m. 1954–1979)

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Actor

1976 The Shootist

1975 Rooster Cogburn

1975 Brannigan

1974 McQ

1973 Cahill U.S. Marshal

1973 The Train Robbers

1972 The Cowboys

1971 The Bob Hope Show (TV series) (uncredited)

1971 Big Jake

1970 Rio Lobo

1970 Chisum

1969 The Undefeated

1969 True Grit

1968 Hellfighters

1968 The Green Berets

1967 The War Wagon

1966 El Dorado

1966 Cast a Giant Shadow

1965 The Sons of Katie Elder

1965 In Harm's Way

1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told

1964 Circus World

1963 McLintock!

1963 Donovan's Reef

1962 How the West Was Won

1962 Alcoa Premiere (TV series)

1962 The Longest Day

1962 Hatari!

1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1961 The Comancheros

1960 Wagon Train (TV series)

1960 North to Alaska

1960 The Alamo

1959 The Horse Soldiers

1959 Rio Bravo

1958 The Barbarian and the Geisha

1958 I Married a Woman (uncredited)

1957 Legend of the Lost

1957 Jet Pilot

1957 The Wings of Eagles

1956 The Searchers

1956 The Conqueror

1955 Screen Directors Playhouse (TV series)

1955 Blood Alley

1955 The Sea Chase

1954 The High and the Mighty

1953 Hondo

1953 Island in the Sky

1953 Trouble Along the Way

1953 Three Lives (short)

1952 Big Jim McLain

1952 The Quiet Man

1952 Miracle in Motion (short) Narrator

1951 Flying Leathernecks

1951 Operation Pacific

1950 Rio Grande

1949 Sands of Iwo Jima

1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

1949 The Fighting Kentuckian

1948 Wake of the Red Witch

1948 3 Godfathers

1948 Red River

1948 Fort Apache

1947 Tycoon

1947 Angel and the Badman

1946 Without Reservations

1945 They Were Expendable

1945 Dakota

1945 Back to Bataan

1945 Flame of Barbary Coast

1944 Tall in the Saddle

1944 The Fighting Seabees

1943 In Old Oklahoma

1943 A Lady Takes a Chance

1942 Reunion in France

1942 Pittsburgh

1942 Flying Tigers

1942 In Old California

1942 The Spoilers

1942 Reap the Wild Wind

1942 Lady for a Night

1941 The Shepherd of the Hills

1941 Lady from Louisiana

1941 A Man Betrayed

1940 Seven Sinners

1940 The Long Voyage Home

1940 Three Faces West

1940 Dark Command

1939 Allegheny Uprising

1939 New Frontier

1939 Wyoming Outlaw

1939 Three Texas Steers

1939 The Night Riders

1939 Stagecoach

1938 Red River Range

1938 Santa Fe Stampede

1938 Overland Stage Raiders

1938 Pals of the Saddle

1937 Born to the West

1937 Adventure's End

1937 Idol of the Crowds

1937 I Cover the War

1937 California Straight Ahead!

1936 Conflict

1936 Sea Spoilers

1936 Winds of the Wasteland

1936 The Lonely Trail

1936 King of the Pecos

1936 The Lawless Nineties

1936 The Oregon Trail

1935 Lawless Range

1935 The New Frontier

1935 Westward Ho

1935 Paradise Canyon

1935 The Dawn Rider

1935 The Desert Trail

1935 Rainbow Valley

1935 Texas Terror

1934 'Neath the Arizona Skies

1934 The Lawless Frontier

1934 The Trail Beyond

1934 The Star Packer

1934 Randy Rides Alone

1934 The Man from Utah

1934 Blue Steel

1934 West of the Divide

1934 The Lucky Texan

1933 Sagebrush Trail

1933 College Coach (uncredited)

1933 Riders of Destiny

1933 The Man from Monterey

1933 Baby Face

1933 His Private Secretary

1933 The Life of Jimmy Dolan

1933 Somewhere in Sonora

1933 Central Airport (uncredited)

1933 The Three Musketeers

1933 The Telegraph Trail

1932 Haunted Gold

1932 The Big Stampede

1932 That's My Boy (uncredited)

1932 Ride Him, Cowboy

1932 The Hurricane Express

1932 Lady and Gent

1932 Two-Fisted Law

1932 Texas Cyclone

1932 The Shadow of the Eagle

1931 Maker of Men

1931 Range Feud

1931 The Deceiver

1931 Arizona

1931 Three Girls Lost

1931 Girls Demand Excitement

1930 The Big Trail

1930 Cheer Up and Smile(uncredited)

1930 Rough Romance (uncredited)

1930 Born Reckless (uncredited)

1930 Men Without Women (uncredited)

1929 The Forward Pass(uncredited)

1929 Salute (uncredited)

1929 Words and Music

1929 The Black Watch (uncredited)

1929 Speakeasy (uncredited)

1928 Noah's Ark (uncredited)

1928 Hangman's House (uncredited)

1928 Four Sons(uncredited)

1928 Mother Machree(uncredited)

1927 The Drop Kick (uncredited)

1927 Annie Laurie (uncredited)

1926 The Great K & A Train Robbery (uncredited)

1926 Bardelys the Magnificent (uncredited)

1926 Brown of Harvard(uncredited)

Producer

1967 Hondo and the Apaches (TV movie) (producer)

1960 The Alamo (producer)

1958 Escort West (producer - uncredited)

1958 China Doll (producer - uncredited)

1956 Man in the Vault (producer - uncredited)

1956 Gun the Man Down (producer)

1956 Seven Men from Now (producer - uncredited)

1956 Good-bye, My Lady (producer)

1955 Blood Alley (producer - uncredited)

1954 Track of the Cat (producer - uncredited)

1954 Ring of Fear (producer - uncredited)

1954 The High and the Mighty (producer - uncredited)

1953 Hondo (producer - uncredited)

1953 Island in the Sky (producer - uncredited)

1953 Plunder of the Sun (producer - uncredited)

1952 Big Jim McLain (producer - uncredited)

1951 Bullfighter and the Lady (producer)

1951 Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen (short) (producer - uncredited)

1950 The Dangerous Stranger (short) (producer - uncredited)

1949 The Fighting Kentuckian (producer - uncredited)

1947 Angel and the Badman (producer - uncredited)

Director

1971 Big Jake (uncredited)

1968 The Green Berets

1961 The Comancheros (uncredited)

1960 The Alamo

1955 Blood Alley (uncredited)

Appearances

1980 Hollywood (TV mini-series documentary)

1979 The 51st Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1979 The Barbara Walters Special (TV series)

1978 Early American Christmas (TV special)

1978 General Electric's All-Star Anniversary (TV documentary)

1978 Happy Birthday, Bob (TV special)

1978 The American Film Institute Salute to Henry Fonda (TV special documentary)

1978 ABC's Silver Anniversary Celebration (TV movie)

1977 Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Gala (TV movie)

1976 America Salutes Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music (TV movie)

1976 CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years (TV documentary)

1976 An All-Star Tribute to John Wayne (TV documentary)

1976 The Mike Douglas Show (TV series)

1976 Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend (documentary) Narrator

1976 Backlot USA (TV movie)

1976 The 2nd Annual People's Choice Awards (TV movie)

1971-1976 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV series)

1971-1975 V.I.P.-Schaukel (TV series documentary)

1975 Bob Hope on Campus (TV movie)

1975 The 47th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1975 The 17th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (TV movie)

1974 Maude (TV series)

1974 John Wayne and Glen Campbell & the Musical West (TV movie)

1973 RCA's Opening Night (TV movie)

1973 The American Film Institute Salute to John Ford (TV special documentary)

1973 Cavalcade of Champions (TV movie)

1968-1973 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV series)

1973 The Wayne Train (TV documentary short)

1972 Cancel My Reservation (uncredited)

1972 The David Frost Show (TV series)

1972 The 44th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1972 The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men in 'The Cowboys' (documentary short)

1971 The American West of John Ford (TV documentary) Narrator

1971 Directed by John Ford (documentary) (uncredited)

1969-1971 The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (TV series)

1971 Sehnsucht nach dem wilden Westen (TV documentary)

1971 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Jack Benny But Were Afraid to Ask (TV special)

1970 Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo (TV documentary)

1970 Swing Out, Sweet Land (TV movie)

1970 Raquel! (TV movie)

1970 The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1970 The Movie Game (TV series)

1970 No Substitute for Victory (documentary) Narrator

1970 John Wayne and Chisum (documentary short)

1970 Harry Jackson: A Man and his Art (TV documentary) (voice)

1966-1969 The Red Skelton Show (TV series)

1968 The Moviemakers (documentary short)

1967 Dateline: Hollywood (TV series)

1967 The Beverly Hillbillies (TV series)

1967 A Nation Builds Under Fire (documentary short)Narrator

1966 The Lucy Show (TV series)

1965-1966 The Dean Martin Show (TV series)

1966 The Merv Griffin Show (TV series)

1960-1964 Cinépanorama (TV series documentary)

1963 The Dick Powell Show (TV series)

1961 The Challenge of Ideas (documentary short) Narrator

1960 The Jack Benny Program (TV series)

1960 The Ed Sullivan Show (TV series)

1960 What's My Line? (TV series)

1960 The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1959 The 31st Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1959 World's Heavyweight Championship Fight: Floyd Patterson Heavyweight Champion of the World versus Ingemar Johansson Heavyweight Champion of Europe (uncredited)

1958 Wide Wide World (TV series documentary)

1958 Screen Snapshots: Salute to Hollywood (documentary short)

1958 The 30th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1956 Climax! (TV series)

1953-1955 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)

1955 Producers' Showcase (TV series)

1955 I Love Lucy (TV series)

1955 Casablanca (TV series)

1955 Gunsmoke (TV series)

1955 Screen Snapshots: The Great Al Jolson (short)

1954 This Is Your Life (TV series)

1953 The 25th Annual Academy Awards (TV special)

1951 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Awards (documentary short)

1951 The Screen Director (documentary short)

1951 Screen Snapshots: Reno's Silver Spur Awards (documentary short)

1950 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Famous Feet (documentary short) (uncredited)

1949 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Rodeo (short)

1944 Memo for Joe (documentary short)

1941 Meet the Stars #8: Stars Past and Present (documentary short)

1940 Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 8: Cowboy Jubilee (documentary short)

1932 The Hollywood Handicap (short)

1932 Running Hollywood (short)

1932 The Voice of Hollywood No. 13 (Second Series) (short)

Academy Awards

1970 Won Oscar Best Actor in a Leading Role for: True Grit (1969)

1961 Nominated Oscar Best Picture for: The Alamo (1960)

1950 Nominated Oscar Best Actor in a Leading Role for: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Golden Apple Awards

1976 Won Golden Apple Male Star of the Year

1965 Won Golden Apple Most Cooperative Actor

Golden Boot Awards

2007 Founder's Award Awarded posthumously. Accepted by his son, Patrick Wayne, on his behalf.

1996 In Memoriam Award

Golden Globes

1970 Won Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama for: True Grit (1969)

1966 Won Cecil B. DeMille Award

1953 Won Henrietta Award World Film Favorite - Male

Laurel Awards

1971 Won Golden Laurel Best Action Performance for: Chisum (1970)

1971 Nominated Golden Laurel Star, Male 7th place

1970 Won Golden Laurel Action Performance for: True Grit (1969)

1970 Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 4th place

1968 3rd place Golden Laurel Action Performance for: The Green Berets (1968)

1968 Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 6th place

1967 Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 6th place

1966 Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 9th place

1965 Nominated Golden Laurel Action Performance for: Circus World (1964) 4th place

1965 Nominated Golden Laurel Male Star 5th place

1964 Won Golden Laurel Top Action Performance for: McLintock! (1963)

1964 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 4th place

1963 Won Golden Laurel Top Action Performance for: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

1963 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 4th place

1962 Won Golden Laurel Top Action Performance for: The Comancheros (1961)

1962 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 8th place.

1961 Won Golden Laurel Top Action Performance for: The Alamo (1960)

1961 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 8th place

1960 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 5th place.

1959 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 8th place

1958 Nominated Golden Laurel Top Male Star 7th place

People's Choice Awards

1978 Won People's Choice Award Favorite Motion Picture Actor

1977 Won People's Choice Award Favorite Motion Picture Actor

1976 Won People's Choice Award Favorite Motion Picture Actor

1975 Won People's Choice Award Favorite Motion Picture Actor

Photoplay Awards

1950 Won Most Popular Male Star for: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Walk of Fame (Hollywood)

Star on the Walk of Fame Motion Picture At 1541 Vine Street.

Western Heritage Awards

1970 Won Bronze Wrangler Theatrical Motion Picture for: True Grit (1969)

1963 Won Bronze Wrangler Theatrical Motion Picture for: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

1962 Won Bronze Wrangler Theatrical Motion Picture for: The Comancheros (1961)

1961 Won Bronze Wrangler Theatrical Motion Picture for: The Alamo (1960)

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Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.

I never trust a man that doesn't drink.

God-damn, I'm the stuff men are made of!

Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway.

I was overwhelmed by the feeling of friendship, comradeship, and brotherhood . . . DeMolay will always hold a deep spot in my heart.

I am a demonstrative man, a baby picker-upper, a hugger and a kisser - that's my nature.

There's been a lot of stories about how I got to be called Duke. One was that I played the part of a duke in a school play--which I never did. Sometimes, they even said I was descended from royalty! It was all a lot of rubbish. Hell, the truth is that I was named after a dog!

I am an old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness, flag-waving patriot.

Screw ambiguity. Perversion and corruption masquerade as ambiguity. I don't trust ambiguity.

Westerns are closer to art than anything else in the motion picture business.

Submit Quotes

Most published sources refer to Wayne's birth name as Marion Michael Morrison. His birth certificate, however, gives his original name as Marion Robert Morrison. According to Wayne's own statements, after the birth of his younger brother in 1911, his parents named the newborn Robert Emmett and changed Wayne's name from Marion Robert to Marion Michael. It has also been suggested by several of his biographers that Wayne's parents actually changed his birth name from Marion Robert to Marion Mitchell. In "Duke: The Life and Times of John Wayne" (1985), Donald Shepherd and Robert F. Slatzer state that when Wayne's younger brother was born, "the Duke's middle name was changed from Robert to Mitchell. . . . After he gained celebrity, Duke deliberately confused biographers and others by claiming Michael as his middle name, a claim that had no basis in fact."

His parents were Clyde Leonard Morrison and Mary "Molly" Alberta Brown.

His production company, Batjac, was originally to be called Batjak, after the shipping company owned by Luther Adler's character in the film “Wake of the Red Witch” (1948). A secretary's typo while she was drawing up the papers resulted in it being called Batjac, and Wayne, not wanting to hurt her feelings, kept her spelling of it.

Among his favorite leisure activities were playing bridge, poker, and chess.

Wayne did not serve during World War II. The knee injuries he received in College kept him from running the distances required by Military Standards.

He made several films early in his career as a "singing" cowboy. His singing voice was supplied by a singer hidden off camera.

Wayne was initiated into DeMolay in 1924 at the Glendale Chapter in Glendale California and received the DeMolay Legion of Honor in 1970.

He was a Master Mason.

He was a conservative Republican.

Was a member of the far-right-wing John Birch Society.

He was a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

All of his three wives were of Latin descent.

By the early 1960s Wayne used to wear three or four-inch lifts in his shoes.

Broke his leg while filming Legend of the Lost (1957).

He underwent surgery to have a cancerous left lung removed in 1964, in a six-hour operation.

During the filming of “The Undefeated” (1969), he fell from his horse and fractured three ribs. He couldn't work for almost two weeks. Then he tore a ligament in his shoulder and couldn't use one arm at all.

Had plastic surgery to remove the lines around his eyes in 1969, which left him with black eyes and forced him to wear dark glasses for two weeks. He also had surgery to remove the jowls around his mouth.

Suffered a stroke in 1974.

Underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 1976.

While making “The Barbarian and the Geisha” (1958), he apparently became so enraged with director John Huston (who was something of a tough guy himself and was nearly as tall as Wayne but not as massive) that he throttled and punched him out. It is unknown what Huston did to earn the beating, but the director was known to have a mean streak. Wayne later re-enacted the incident for Peter Bogdanovich, who was somewhat terrified to be used as a substitute for Huston.

In his will were instructions that, because of his suffering from lung cancer, no film of him smoking should ever be shown again. The director of “Thank You for Smoking” (2005), Jason Reitman, had to petition Wayne's family in order to allow him to use a scene from “Sands of Iwo Jima” (1949), in which Wayne's character, Sgt. Striker, survives the battle only to be killed by a sniper after lighting a cigarette. After showing them the script and describing to them what the movie was about the family agreed to allow the scene to be shown.

Holds the record for the actor with the most leading parts - 142. In all but 11 films he played the leading part.

Great-uncle of boxer/actor Tommy Morrison, aka "The Duke.".

Eagerly sought the role of Gen. George S. Patton in Patton (1970), but was turned down by the producer.

Wore a toupee in every film from "Wake of the Red Witch" (1948) onwards. For some scenes towards the end of "The Wings of Eagles" (1957) he left it off in order to play his character in later life. Wayne's hairpiece can be seen to fall off during a fight scene in "North to Alaska" (1960).

On Saturday, June 9th, 1979, the Archbishop of Panama arrived at the hospital and baptized Wayne into the Roman Catholic Church. Wayne was given a Catholic funeral service, in a secret grave, which went unmarked until 1999, in case Vietnam War protesters desecrated the site.

On June 11, 1979, the flame of the Olympic Torch at the Coliseum in Los Angeles was lit to honor his memory. It remained lit until the funeral four days later.

He is interred at Pacific View Cemetery in Corona del Mar, California, (a community within his hometown of Newport Beach).

Roles Turned Down

The Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles (1974)

Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979)

Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971)

Jimmy Ringo in The Gunfighter (1950)

Willie Stark in All the King's Men (1949)

Salary

Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) $10/day

The Big Trail (1930) $75/week

Three Girls Lost (1931) $200/week

The Deceiver (1931) $350/week

The Range Feud (1931) $350/week

Maker of Men (1931) $350/week

Texas Cyclone (1932) $350/week

Two-Fisted Law (1932) $350/week

The Hurricane Express (1932) $675

Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) $1,500

The Big Stampede (1932) $1,500

Haunted Gold (1932) $1,500

The Telegraph Trail (1933) $1,500

Somewhere in Sonora (1933) $1,500

The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933) $1,500

Baby Face (1933) $1,500

Westward Ho (1935) $6,000

Sea Spoilers (1936) $6,000

I Cover the War (1937) $6,000

Idol of the Crowds (1937) $6,000

Adventure's End (1937) $6,000

Stagecoach (1939) $3,700

Lux Radio Theater (1930's-1940's) $5,000 per performance

Vendaval de Paixões (1942) $25,000

Without Reservations (1946) $68,000

Fort Apache (1948) $110,000

Red River (1948) $75,000 + percentage of gross

Wake of the Red Witch (1948) $75,000 + 10% of gross

Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) $180,000 + 10% of gross

Flying Leathernecks (1951) $300,000

The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) $700,000

Rio Bravo (1959) $750,000

The Horse Soldiers (1959) $750,000

North to Alaska (1960) $750,000 + 10% of gross

The Comancheros (1961) $750,000 + 10% of gross

The Longest Day (1962) $250,000

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) $250,000

The War Wagon (1967) $1,000,000 + % of gross

The Green Berets (1968) $1,000,000

Hellfighters (1968) $1,000,000

Rio Lobo (1970) $1,000,000

Brannigan (1975) $500,000

The Shootist (1976) $750,000

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