John Wayne
John Wayne: The iconic star of 179 film and television productions, from Stagecoach to True Grit.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Marion Robert Morrison, known to the world as John Wayne, was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, and died on June 11, 1979. Called "Duke" by nearly everyone, he became a defining figure of Hollywood's Golden Age, especially famous for his work in Westerns and war films. Over a career that stretched from the silent era of the 1920s into the 1970s, he appeared in 179 movies and TV shows. For three decades, he was one of the top draws at the box office and worked alongside many of the era's biggest stars. In 1999, the American Film Institute named him one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.
Wayne grew up in Southern California after his family moved there from Iowa. He lost his football scholarship at the University of Southern California following a bodysurfing accident, so he started working for Fox Film Corporation. He began with small parts, then landed a lead role in Raoul Walsh's Western *The Big Trail* (1930), an early widescreen epic that failed at the box office. Throughout the 1930s, he played leads in many films—mostly Westerns—but didn't become a major star until John Ford's *Stagecoach* (1939). That film made him a household name, and he went on to star in 142 movies. Biographer Ronald Davis wrote that Wayne "personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage."
Among his most famous Western roles are a cattleman driving his herd on the Chisholm Trail in *Red River* (1948); a Civil War veteran searching for his niece, taken by Comanches, in *The Searchers* (1956); a troubled rancher competing with a lawyer (James Stewart) for a woman in *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance* (1962); and a cantankerous one-eyed marshal in *True Grit* (1969), which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. He is also remembered for *The Quiet Man* (1952) with Maureen O'Hara, *Rio Bravo* (1959) with Dean Martin, and *The Longest Day* (1962). His final screen role was as an aging gunfighter with cancer in *The Shootist* (1976).
Wayne made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards on April 9, 1979, and died of stomach cancer two months later. In 1980, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Wayne was born at 224 South Second Street in Winterset, Iowa. The local paper reported he weighed 13 pounds at birth. He claimed his middle name was changed from Robert to Michael so his parents could name a younger son Robert, but no legal change has been found, and his legal name likely remained Marion Robert Morrison. His father, Clyde Leonard Morrison, was the son of a Union Civil War veteran. His mother was Mary Alberta Brown from Nebraska. Wayne had Scottish, Scotch-Irish, English, and Irish ancestry; his great-great-grandfather left County Antrim, Ireland, for New York in 1799, and the Morrisons originally came from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. He was raised Presbyterian.
The family moved to Palmdale, California, then to Glendale in 1916, where his father worked as a pharmacist. Wayne attended Wilson Middle School and Glendale Union High School, excelling in sports and academics. He played football, was on the debating team, served as president of the Latin Society, and wrote a sports column for the school paper. A local fireman started calling him "Little Duke" because he never went anywhere without his large Airedale Terrier, Duke. He preferred the nickname over Marion. As a teen, he worked in an ice-cream shop for a man who shod horses for Hollywood studios. He was active in the Order of DeMolay and later inducted into its Hall of Fame. He played football for the 1924 league champion Glendale High School team.
He applied to the U.S. Naval Academy but was rejected due to poor grades. Instead, he attended USC, majoring in pre-law, and joined the Trojan Knights and Sigma Chi fraternities. He played on the USC Trojans football team under coach Howard Jones, but a broken collarbone ended his athletic career. He later admitted he was too scared of Jones's reaction to reveal the injury came from a bodysurfing accident. Losing his scholarship, he had to leave the university.
As a favor to coach Jones, who had given silent film star Tom Mix tickets to USC games, director John Ford and Mix hired Wayne as a prop boy and extra. Wayne credited his walk, talk, and persona to his acquaintance with Wyatt Earp, a friend of Mix. He moved into bit parts and built a lasting friendship with Ford, who gave him most of those early roles. He had a minor, uncredited part as a guard in the 1926 film *Bardelys the Magnificent*.
- born
- May 26, 1907, Winterset, Iowa
- died
- June 11, 1979, stomach cancer
- field
- Actor
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Starring roles in Western and war films, including Stagecoach, Red River, The Searchers, and True Grit
Lore & Background
Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Southern California. After losing his football scholarship to the University of Southern California due to a bodysurfing accident, he began working for the Fox Film Corporation. He appeared mostly in small parts, but gained a leading role in Raoul Walsh's Western The Big Trail (1930), an early widescreen film epic that was a box-office failure. He played leading roles in numerous B movies during the 1930s, most of them Westerns, without becoming a major name. John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) made Wayne a mainstream star, and he starred in 142 motion pictures altogether. According to biographer Ronald Davis, 'John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage'. Wayne's other roles in Westerns included a cattleman driving his herd on the Chisholm Trail in Red River (1948); a Civil War veteran whose niece is abducted by Comanches in The Searchers (1956); a troubled rancher competing with a lawyer (James Stewart) for a woman's hand in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); and a cantankerous one-eyed marshal in True Grit (1969), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Actor. Wayne is also remembered for his roles in The Quiet Man (1952) with Maureen O'Hara; Rio Bravo (1959) with Dean Martin; and The Longest Day (1962). In his final screen performance, he starred as an aging gunfighter suffering from cancer in The Shootist (1976). Wayne made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979, and died of stomach cancer two months later. In 1980, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States.
Reader's Guide
Wayne was born as Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, at 224 South Second Street in Winterset, Iowa. The local paper reported that Wayne weighed 13 lb at birth. Wayne claimed his middle name was soon changed from Robert to Michael when his parents decided to name their next son Robert, but extensive research has found no such legal change, although it might have been changed informally or the documentation may have been lost. Wayne's legal name apparently remained Marion Robert Morrison his entire life, although to this day his original name is almost always referred to as Marion Michael Morrison. Wayne's father, Clyde Leonard Morrison (1884–1937), was the son of Marion Mitchell Morrison (1845–1915), a veteran who had served in the Union army during the American Civil War. Wayne's mother, the former Mary 'Molly' Alberta Brown (1885–1970), was from Lancaster County, Nebraska. Wayne had Scottish, Scotch-Irish, English, and Irish ancestry. His great-great-grandfather Robert Morrison (b. 1782) left County Antrim, Ireland, with his mother, arriving in New York in 1799, and eventually settling in Adams County, Ohio. The Morrisons were originally from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Wayne was raised Presbyterian. Wayne's family moved to Palmdale, California, and then in 1916 to Glendale at 404 Isabel Street, where his father worked as a pharmacist. He attended Wilson Middle School in Glendale, and then Glendale Union High School, where he performed well in both sports and academics. Wayne was part of his high school's football team, and its debating team. He was also the president of the Latin Society, and contributed to the school's newspaper sports column. A local fireman on his route to school started calling him 'Little Duke' because he never went anywhere without his huge Airedale Terrier, Duke. He preferred 'Duke' to 'Marion', and the nickname stuck. As a teen, he worked in an ice-cream shop for a man who shod horses for Hollywood studios. He was also active as a member of the Order of DeMolay, and was eventually inducted into its Hall of Fame. He played football for the 1924 league champion Glendale High School team. Wayne applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, but was not accepted due to poor grades. Instead, he attended the University of Southern California (USC), majoring in pre-law. He was a member of the Trojan Knights and Sigma Chi f
Did You Know?
- Wayne appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions, and starred in 142 motion pictures altogether.
- His nickname 'Duke' came from a local fireman who called him 'Little Duke' because he never went anywhere without his huge Airedale Terrier, Duke.
- Wayne's legal name apparently remained Marion Robert Morrison his entire life, though it is often referred to as Marion Michael Morrison.
- He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in True Grit (1969).
- Wayne made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979, and died of stomach cancer two months later.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer." — John Wayne "We had a pretty good time together, when she wasn't trying to kill me!" — John Wayne "1954, in an interview with Hedda Hopper regarding his marriage to Esperanza "Chata" Baur." — John Wayne "1969 Academy Awards speech for Best Actor in True Grit." — John Wayne
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