John Wayne

John Wayne: The iconic star of 179 film and television productions, from Stagecoach to True Grit.

Nicknamed "Duke," he gained widespread fame by starring in Western and war films produced during Hollywood's Golden Age.^[1]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Marion Robert Morrison

Born

26 May 1907

Birthplace

Winterset, Iowa, U.S.

Died

11 June 1979

Place of death

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Resting place

Pacific View Memorial Park

Other names

Marion Michael Morrison, Duke Morrison

Occupation

Actor
producer
director

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Wayne grew up in Southern California after his family moved to Glendale in 1916.^[2][3] Wayne won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969).^[4] A bodysurfing accident caused him to lose his University of Southern California football scholarship.^[2][5] Raoul Walsh gave Wayne his first starring role in the 1930 widescreen epic The Big Trail, which failed at the box office.^[6][7]

Throughout the 1930s, Wayne starred in many B movie Westerns but did not achieve major stardom.^[6] Stagecoach (1939), directed by John Ford, propelled Wayne to mainstream fame, and he ultimately appeared in 142 films.^[6] The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded to him posthumously in 1980.^[8]

What the cited sources add

A Duke Fan Club article states that Wayne starred in a weekly NBC radio series titled Three Sheets To The Wind from February 15, 1942 through July 5, 1942.^[9] The same source notes that the first episode, The Sultan’s Curse, stars Brian Donlevy, not John Wayne.^[9] That interview also quotes Wayne saying "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility".^[10] The DeMolay International record states that Wayne joined DeMolay in 1924 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1986.^[11]

References

Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "John Wayne", The Numbers; "Quigley's Annual List of Box-Office Champions, 1932–1970", Reel Classics (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts Olson 1995, p. 647 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chilton, "John Wayne: 10 surprising facts", The Telegraph, April 25, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "True Grit (1969)", catalog.afi.com; "The Undefeated (1969)", catalog.afi.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Travers, "USC Trojans: College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty", Taylor Trade Publishing, 2010, p. 29; Shephard, Richard. Biography . JWayne.com. Retrieved March 11, 2010.; Jewell, "John Wayne, an American Icon", Trojan Family Magazine, August 1, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davis, "Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne", University of Oklahoma Press, 2012, p. 6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts Olson 1995, p. 647; "JOHN WAYNE – The Duke – Vallarta Tribune", Vallarta Tribune, May 19, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "John Wayne" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Duke, We're Glad We Knew You: John Wayne's Friends and Colleagues Remember His Remarkable life by Herb Fagen page 230; Retrieved February 13, 2016; Easy Riders Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood by Peter Biskind page 372; Retrieved February 13, 2016; John Wayne Dies at 72 of Cancer Los Angeles Times June 12, 1979; Retrieved February 13, 2016; Kehr, "John Wayne News", The New York Times; "Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 1980–1981, Book 2: May 24 to September 26, 1980 en.wikipedia.org
"The New Frontier: John Wayne's Forgotten Radio Show", Duke Fan Club, December 9, 2011. facts only, no text reused. dukefanclub.blogspot.com
"On John Wayne, Cancel Culture, and the Art of Problematic Artists", Literary Hub, June 21, 2019. facts only, no text reused. lithub.com
"John Wayne - DeMolay International", beademolay.org. facts only, no text reused. beademolay.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article John Wayne (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.