John Wayne

Name: John Wayne
Date of Birth: May 26, 1907
Place of Birth: Winterset, Iowa, USA

Biography: John Wayne (born Marion Morrison) was the son of pharmacist Clyde Morrison and his wife Mary. Clyde developed a lung condition that required him to move his family from Iowa to the warmer climate of s...( read more

)outhern California, where they tried ranching in the Mojave Desert. Until the ranch failed, Marion and his younger brother Robert E. Morrison swam in an irrigation ditch and rode a horse to school. When the ranch failed, the family moved to Glendale, California, where Marion delivered medicines for his father, sold newspapers and had an Airedale dog named "Duke" (the source of his own nickname). He did well at school both academically and in football. When he narrowly failed admission to Annapolis he went to USC on a football scholarship 1925-7. Tom Mix got him a summer job as a prop man in exchange for football tickets. On the set he became close friends with director John Ford for whom, among others, he began doing bit parts, some billed as John Wayne. His first featured film was Men Without Women (1930). After more than 70 low-budget westerns and adventures, mostly routine, Wayne's career was stuck in a rut until Ford cast him in Stagecoach (1939), the movie that made him a star. He appeared in nearly 250 movies, many of epic proportions. From 1942-43 he was in a radio series, "The Three Sheets to the Wind", and in 1944 he helped found the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a right-wing political organization, later becoming its President. His conservative political stance was also reflected in The Alamo (1960), which he produced, directed and starred in. His patriotic stand was enshrined in The Green Berets (1968) which he co-directed and starred in. Over the years Wayne was beset with health problems. In September 1964 he had a cancerous left lung removed; in March 1978 there was heart valve replacement surgery; and in January 1979 his stomach was removed. He received the Best Actor nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and finally got the Oscar for his role as one-eyed Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969). A Congressional Gold Medal was struck in his honor in 1979. He is perhaps best remembered for his parts in Ford's cavalry trilogy - Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950).

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<div style="font-size:11px;text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/actor/john-wayne"> <img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/98/72/83/9872835_tml.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.flixster.com/actor/john-wayne">John Wayne</a></div>	<a href="http://www.flixster.com/actor/john-wayne">John Wayne</a>

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Comments

Appledumplin4593

My dad's idol...he's loves to watch "John Wayne" movies,my dad is 72yrs.old.

posted 95 days ago
darabutler2011

Hey ajbruegg John wayne is an american hero. I may only be 14 years old but I grew up watching John Wayne is the best actor I have ever seen.

posted 235 days ago
Blutarski

John Wayne, American.

posted 268 days ago
bonnierobins52

Well everyone i grew up watching John Waynes movies and i have watched them time and time again i enjoy them and it was a darn shame when he passed away. I still at age 55 watch his shows everyweekend and will til the day I die too. They are really good movies. I like them.and so does my family

posted 301 days ago
theiceman

john wayne.....the all american movie hero.....legend

posted 305 days ago
elvischick11

I know I might be only 14, but I have grown up to love John Wayne and he is my favorite actor ever! I will always love him and look up to him! He is my hero!

posted 309 days ago
maureen611

You may not reply but i would say you read them all. Ever since i was "knee high to a grasshopper" my father would take us to the pictures every Sunday night to watch a John Wayne movie and always his cowboys so i have grown up knowing the Duke and when the videos came into existence well it was worse for the family because all dad would watch is his cowboy movies, it's sad that now there isn't any good cowboy movies being made anymore.
Love you and miss you.

posted 314 days ago
madalama

Heey John Wayne
I really like your movies. And watch the many times

posted 315 days ago
kyle9032

what up my name is kyle will you be my friend.

posted 318 days ago
my4kids63077

john wayne is one of the older actors i enjoyed watching on film.

posted 323 days ago