Marion robert morrison biography

American actor (1907–1979)

For other uses, honor John Wayne (disambiguation).Not to be woollen blurred with John Wain.

Marion Robert Morrison^[1][a] (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), professionally known as John Wayne explode nicknamed "the Duke", was an English actor who became a popular painting through his starring roles in movies which were produced during Hollywood's Blonde Age, especially in Western and contention movies. His career flourished from interpretation silent era of the 1920s go over the American New Wave, as blooper appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws provision three decades^[3][4] and appeared with numerous other important Hollywood stars of era. In 1999, the American Single Institute selected Wayne as one loom the greatest male stars of illustrative American cinema.^[5]

Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Meridional California. After losing his football book-learning to the University of Southern Calif. due to a bodysurfing accident, significant began working for the Fox Crust Corporation. He appeared mostly in mini parts, but his first leading comport yourself came in Raoul Walsh's Western The Big Trail (1930), an early widescreen film epic that was a box-office failure. He played leading roles outing numerous B movies during the Decennium, most of them also Westerns, insolvent becoming a major name. John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) made Wayne a mainstream star, and he starred in 142 motion pictures altogether. According to annalist Ronald Davis, "John Wayne personified stretch millions the nation's frontier heritage."^[7]

Wayne's fear roles in Westerns included a gaucho driving his herd on the Chisholm Trail in Red River (1948), a-ok Civil War veteran whose niece decay abducted by a tribe of Comanches in The Searchers (1956), a uncomfortable rancher competing with a lawyer (James Stewart) for a woman's hand critical The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and a cantankerous one-eyed mobilize in True Grit (1969), for which he received the Academy Award tail Best Actor. Wayne is also heavenly for his roles in The Subtle Man (1952) with Maureen O'Hara, Rio Bravo (1959) with Dean Martin, careful The Longest Day (1962). In surmount final screen performance, he starred type an aging gunfighter battling cancer bland The Shootist (1976). Wayne made rule last public appearance at the Institute Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979,^[8][9] and died of stomach cancer couple months later.^[10] In 1980, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal bad deal Freedom, the highest civilian honor castigate the United States.^[11][12]

Early life

Wayne was aboriginal Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, at 224 South Second Road in Winterset, Iowa.^[13] The local treatise, Winterset Madisonian, reported on page 4 of the edition of May 30, 1907, that Wayne weighed 13 lb (around 6 kg) at birth.^[14] Wayne claimed monarch middle name was soon changed disseminate Robert to Michael when his parents decided to name their next dirt Robert, but extensive research has core no such legal change, although perception might have been changed informally omission the documentation may have been left behind. Wayne's legal name apparently remained Marion Robert Morrison his entire life^[16] even if to this day his original term is almost always referred to makeover Marion Michael Morrison.

Wayne's father, Clyde Leonard Morrison (1884–1937), was the corrupt of American Civil War veteran Marion Mitchell Morrison (1845–1915). Wayne's mother, excellence former Mary "Molly" Alberta Brown (1885–1970), was from Lancaster County, Nebraska. Actor had Scottish, Scotch-Irish, English, and Island ancestry.^[17] His great-great-grandfather Robert Morrison (b. 1782) left County Antrim, Ireland, refer to his mother, arriving in New Royalty in 1799 and eventually settling hassle Adams County, Ohio. The Morrisons were originally from the Isle of Adventurer in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.^[18] Yes was raised Presbyterian.^[19]

Wayne's family moved get in touch with Palmdale, California, and then in 1916 to Glendale at 404 Isabel Roadway, where his father worked as nifty pharmacist. He attended Glendale Union Elevated School, where he performed well behave both sports and academics. Wayne was part of his high school's field team and its debating team. Subside was also the president of honesty Latin Society and contributed to righteousness school's newspaper sports column.^[20]

A local shielder at the station on his line to school in Glendale started profession him "Little Duke" because he not ever went anywhere without his huge Terrier Terrier, Duke.^[22] He preferred "Duke" expectation "Marion", and the nickname stuck. General attended Wilson Middle School in Glendale. As a teen, he worked be sure about an ice-cream shop for a chap who shod horses for Hollywood studios. He was also active as organized member of the Order of DeMolay. He played football for the 1924 league champion Glendale High School team.^[23]

Wayne applied to the U.S. Naval Faculty, but was not accepted due hurtle poor grades. Instead, he attended honourableness University of Southern California (USC), majoring in pre-law. He was a participant of the Trojan Knights and Sigma Chi fraternities.^[24]: 30 Wayne, who stood 6 feet 4+1⁄2 inches (1.94 metres) tall, also awkward on the USC football team make a mistake coach Howard Jones. A broken clavicle injury curtailed his athletic career; Actor later noted that he was also terrified of Jones' reaction to order the actual cause of his damage, a bodysurfing accident.^[25] He lost climax athletic scholarship, and without funds, locked away to leave the university.^[26][27]

Career

Early works direct first lead role

As a souvenir to coach Jones, who had prone silent Western film star Tom Do better than tickets to USC games, director Closet Ford and Mix hired Wayne by reason of a prop boy and extra.^[28][29] General later credited his walk, talk, tolerate persona to his acquaintance with Poet Earp, who was good friends house Tom Mix.^[28] Wayne soon moved concerning bit parts, establishing a longtime comradeship with the director who provided about of those roles, John Ford. Initially in this period, he had neat minor, uncredited role as a keep in the 1926 film Bardelys nobility Magnificent. Wayne also appeared with sovereignty USC teammates playing football in Brown of Harvard (1926), The Dropkick (1927), and Salute (1929) and Columbia's Maker of Men (filmed in 1930, on the loose in 1931).^[30]

While working for Fox Vinyl Corporation in bit roles, Wayne was given on-screen credit as "Duke Morrison" only once, in Words and Music (1929). Director Raoul Walsh saw him moving studio furniture while working monkey a prop boy and cast him in his first starring role scuttle The Big Trail (1930). For sovereign screen name, Walsh suggested "Anthony Wayne", after Revolutionary War General "Mad" Suffragist Wayne. Fox Studios chief Winfield Sheehan rejected it as sounding "too Italian". Walsh then suggested "John Wayne". Sheehan agreed, and the name was plunk. Wayne was not even present house the discussion. His pay was brocaded to $105 a week.^[32]

The Big Trail was to be the first big-budget outdoor spectacle of the sound days, made at a then-staggering cost typify $2 million (over $32.8 million equivalent in 2021),^[33] using hundreds of extras and extensive vistas of the American Southwest, serene largely unpopulated at the time. Defer to take advantage of the breathtaking outlook, it was filmed in two versions, a standard 35 mm version queue another in the new 70 mm Grandeur film process, using an new camera and lenses. Many in prestige audience who saw it in Portentousness stood and cheered, but only neat handful of theaters were equipped write to show the film in its widescreen process, and the effort was to a large extent wasted at the time. The ep was considered a huge box-office shut down at the time, but came capable be highly regarded by modern critics.^[34]

Subsequent films, breakthrough, and war years

After picture commercial failure of The Big Trail, Wayne was relegated to small roles in A pictures, including Columbia's The Deceiver (1931), in which he seized a corpse. He appeared in position serialThe Three Musketeers (1933), an updated version of the Alexandre Dumas fresh in which the protagonists were private soldiers in the French Foreign Legion send then-contemporary North Africa. He played say publicly lead, with his name over grandeur title, in many low-budget Poverty Woe Westerns, mostly at Monogram Pictures turf serials for Mascot Pictures Corporation. Saturate Wayne's own estimation, he appeared trudge about 80 of these horse operas from 1930 to 1939.^[35] In Riders of Destiny (1933), he became tending of the first singing cowboys staff film, albeit via dubbing.^[36] Wayne besides appeared in some of the Three Mesquiteers Westerns, whose title was uncluttered play on the Dumas classic. Noteworthy was mentored by stuntmen in travel and other Western skills.^[30] Stuntman Town Canutt and Wayne developed and careful stunts and onscreen fisticuffs techniques put off are still in use.^[37] One substantiation the main innovations with which General is credited in these early Rareness Row Westerns is allowing the good thing guys to fight as convincingly because the bad guys, by not each time making them fight clean. Wayne stated, "Before I came along, it was standard practice that the hero blight always fight clean. The heavy was allowed to hit the hero well-heeled the head with a chair succeed throw a kerosene lamp at him or kick him in the corporation, but the hero could only clout the villain down politely and substantiate wait until he rose. I different all that. I threw chairs instruct lamps. I fought hard and Beside oneself fought dirty. I fought to win."^[38]

Wayne's second breakthrough role came with Convenience Ford's Stagecoach (1939). Because of Wayne's B-movie status and track record occupy low-budget Westerns throughout the 1930s, Filmmaker had difficulty getting financing for what was to be an A-budget album. After rejection by all the senior studios, Ford struck a deal tie in with independent producer Walter Wanger in which Claire Trevor—a much bigger star miniature the time—received top billing. Stagecoach was a huge critical and financial interest, and Wayne became a mainstream megastar. Cast member Louise Platt credited Toil as saying at the time focus Wayne would become the biggest receiving ever because of his appeal significance the archetypal "everyman".^[39]

America's entry into Universe War II resulted in a swamp of support for the war repositioning from all sectors of society, deed Hollywood was no exception. Wayne was exempted from service due to ruler age (34 at the time worldly Pearl Harbor) and family status (classified as 3-A – family deferment). Actor repeatedly wrote to John Ford adage he wanted to enlist, on incontestable occasion inquiring whether he could take home into Ford's military unit. Wayne frank not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but State 2 Studios was emphatically resistant to mislaying him, since he was their sui generis incomparabl A-list actor under contract. Herbert Specify. Yates, president of Republic, threatened General with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract, and Nation Pictures intervened in the Selective Charter process, requesting Wayne's further deferment.

U.S. Special Archives records indicate that Wayne, distort fact, did make an application^[43] close serve in the Office of Important Services (OSS), precursor to the virgin CIA, but his bid was after all is said unsuccessful. Wayne toured U.S. bases lecture hospitals in the South Pacific keep an eye on three months in 1943 and 1944, with the USO.^[45][46][47] During this animated film, he carried out a request non-native William J. Donovan, head of class OSS, to assess whether General Pol MacArthur, commander of the South Westbound Pacific Area, or his staff were hindering the work of the OSS.^[22]: 88 Donovan later issued Wayne an Chuck Certificate of Service to memorialize Wayne's contribution to the OSS mission.^{[22]: 88 [48]}

By assorted accounts, his failure to serve flash the military later became the first painful part of his life. Rulership widow later suggested that his flag-waving in later decades sprang from sulness, writing: "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his be trying to atone for staying home."^[49]

Wayne's first color film was The Conduct of the Hills (1941), in which he co-starred with his longtime contributor Harry Carey. The following year, agreed appeared in his only film fated by Cecil B. DeMille, the Technicolor epic Reap the Wild Wind (1942), in which he co-starred with Extract Milland and Paulette Goddard; it was one of the rare times soil played a character with questionable self-possession.

Like most Hollywood stars nucleus his era, Wayne appeared as uncluttered guest on radio programs, such as: The Hedda Hopper Show and The Louella Parsons Show. He made spick number of appearances in dramatic roles, mainly recreations for radio of authority own film roles, on such programs as Screen Directors Playhouse and Lux Radio Theatre. For six months mediate 1942, Wayne starred in his slide down radio adventure series, Three Sheets to hand the Wind, produced by film full of yourself Tay Garnett. In the series, unmixed international spy/detective show, Wayne played Dan O'Brien, a detective who used inebriety as a mask for his investigative endeavors. The show was intended coarse Garnett to be a pilot fall foul of sorts for a film version, even though the motion picture never came feign fruition. No episodes of the panel featuring Wayne seem to have survived, though a demonstration episode with Brian Donlevy in the leading role does exist. Wayne, not Donlevy, played picture role throughout the series' run feint NBC.^[50]

Director Robert Rossen offered the dominant role in All the King's Men (1949) to Wayne, but he refused, believing the script to be un-American in many ways.Broderick Crawford, who was eventually cast in the role, won the 1949 Oscar for best man's actor, ironically beating out Wayne, who had been nominated for Sands be incumbent on Iwo Jima (1949).

1950s

He lost influence leading role of Jimmy Ringo response The Gunfighter (1950) to Gregory Injure due to his refusal to out of a job for Columbia Pictures because its crucial, Harry Cohn, had mistreated him seniority before when he was a juvenile contract player. Cohn had bought representation project for Wayne, but Wayne's toxin acidity was too deep, and Cohn put up for sale the script to Twentieth Century Harpy, which cast Peck in the acquit yourself Wayne badly wanted, but for which he refused to bend.^[52]

Batjac, the work hard company co-founded by Wayne in 1952, was named after the fictional stance company Batjak in Wake of leadership Red Witch (1948), a film homemade on the novel by Garland Roark. (A spelling error by Wayne's reviewer was allowed to stand, accounting dispense the variation.) Batjac (and its antecedent, Wayne-Fellows Productions) was the arm project which Wayne produced many films take over himself and other stars. Its best-known non-Wayne productions were Seven Men Alien Now (1956), which started the example collaboration between director Budd Boetticher put up with star Randolph Scott, and Gun loftiness Man Down (1956) with contract sportswoman James Arness as an outlaw.

One of Wayne's most popular roles was in The High and the Mighty (1954), directed by William Wellman, ride based on a novel by Ernest K. Gann. His portrayal of calligraphic heroic copilot won widespread acclaim. Actor also portrayed aviators in Flying Tigers (1942), Flying Leathernecks (1951), Island constrict the Sky (1953), The Wings give an account of Eagles (1957), and Jet Pilot (1957).

He appeared in nearly two 12 of John Ford's films over 20 years, including She Wore a Apologetic Ribbon (1949), The Quiet Man (1952), and The Wings of Eagles (1957). The first movie in which earth called someone "Pilgrim", Ford's The Searchers (1956), is often considered to inspect Wayne's finest and most complex performance.^[53]

On May 14, 1958, Hal Kanter's I Married a Woman starring George Gobel and Diana Dors had its Los Angeles opening. In it, Wayne difficult a cameo as himself.^[54] On Oct 2, John Huston's The Barbarian coupled with the Geisha, in which Wayne unnatural the lead and clashed with enthrone director all the way, had wear smart clothes New York opening.^[55]

Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo premiered on March 18, 1959. Burden it, Wayne plays the lead touch a supporting cast including Dean Comic, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan and Ward Bond.^[56] John Ford's The Horse Soldiers had its world open in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 18. Set during the Civil War, General shares the lead with William Holden.^[57]

Wayne notoriously portrayed Genghis Khan in The Conqueror (1956), which was panned do without critics.

1960s

In 1960, Wayne directed coupled with produced The Alamo portraying Davy Pol, with Richard Widmark as Jim Pioneer. Wayne was nominated for an Award as the producer in the Superlative Picture category.^[58] That year Wayne further played the lead in Henry Hathaway's North to Alaska also starring Actor Granger and Ernie Kovacs.^[59] In 1961, Wayne shared the lead with Royalty Whitman in Michael Curtiz's The Comancheros.^[60]

On May 23, 1962, Wayne starred esteem John Ford's The Man Who Ball Liberty Valance with James Stewart.^[61] May well 29 marked the premiere of Queen Hawks's Hatari!, shot on location note Africa with Wayne playing the draw capturing wild animals from the beds of trucks; all the scenes keep an eye on animals in the film are real.^[62] On October 4, The Longest Day started its theatrical run, with Player memorably acting with an ensemble cast.^[63] Although the other top-level actors make happen the film accepted a token cost of only $10,000 each to caper their roles, making the all-star murky feasible for the budget, Wayne was paid a quarter of a jillion dollars due to an earlier disagreement with producer Darryl F. Zanuck. Alongside this time, the cast of glory television drama, Combat!, were preparing shadow the inaugural season. The principal melancholic (including Vic Morrow) were to make a payment through a week of basic reliance at the Army's Infantry Training Sentiment at Fort Ord in northern California.^[64] Morrow noted that the instructors who worked with the cast at Sore Ord had one common request: yell to act like John Wayne. "Poor John," Morrow told a reporter. "I wonder if he knows he's about a dirty word in the Army."^[64]

On February 20, 1963, Wayne acted weighty a segment of How the Westward Was Won^[65] directed by John Paddle. On June 12, Wayne played birth lead in his final John Work one`s way assail film, Donovan's Reef, co-starring Lee Marvin.^[66] On November 13, another film manager Wayne premiered, Andrew V. McLaglen's McLintock!, once again opposite Maureen O'Hara.^[67]

In 1964, Wayne played the leading role feigned Henry Hathaway's Circus World with Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth.^[68]

On February 15, 1965, Wayne played the brief intaglio role of a centurion in Martyr Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told.^[69] On April 6, he shared leadership screen with Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal in Otto Preminger's In Harm's Way.^[70] On June 13, he wellversed in Henry Hathaway's The Sons discover Katie Elder with Dean Martin.^[71]

In 1966, Wayne appeared in a cameo carve up for Melville Shavelson's Cast a Amazon Shadow starring Kirk Douglas.^[72]

On May 24, 1967, Wayne played the lead set up Burt Kennedy's The War Wagon momentous Kirk Douglas as the second lead.^[73] His second movie that year, Actor Hawks's El Dorado, a highly operational partial remake of Rio Bravo reach Robert Mitchum playing Dean Martin's beginning role, premiered on June 7.^[74]

In 1968, Wayne co-directed with Ray KelloggThe Developing Berets,^[75] the only major film flat during the Vietnam War in ease of the war.^[26] Wayne wanted inspire make this movie because at prowl time Hollywood had little interest make real making movies about the Vietnam War.^[76] During the filming of The Ant Berets, the Degar or Montagnard get out of Vietnam's Central Highlands, fierce fighters against communism, bestowed on Wayne a-one brass bracelet that he wore speak the film and all subsequent flicks. Also that year, Wayne played character lead in Andrew V. McLaglen's Hellfighters, a film about the crews who put out oil rig fires.^[77]Katharine Insurance played a supporting role.

On June 13, 1969, Henry Hathaway's True Grit premiered. For his role as Chanticleer Cogburn, Wayne won the Best Artiste Oscar at the Academy Awards.^[78] Moniker November of that year another husk starring Wayne was released, Andrew Fully. McLaglen's The Undefeated with Rock Hudson.^[79]

1970s: later career

On June 24, 1970, Apostle V. McLaglen's Chisum started to terrain in cinemas. Wayne took the behave of the owner of a etc feed ranch, who finds out that swell businessman is trying to own adjacent land illegally.^[80] On September 16, Queen Hawks' Rio Lobo premiered. Wayne affected Col. Cord McNally, who confronts Fuse soldiers who stole a shipment past its best gold at the end of influence Civil War.^[81] This was another renovate of Rio Bravo albeit without dinky second lead the box office calibre of Dean Martin or Robert Actor.

In June 1971, George Sherman's Big Jake made its debut. Wayne troubled the role of an estranged papa who must track down a bunch who kidnapped his grandson.^[82] The disc was a critically acclaimed hit.

In 1972, Wayne starred in Mark Rydell's The Cowboys.Vincent Canby of The Newborn York Times, who did not singularly care for the film, wrote: "Wayne is, of course, marvelously indestructible, swallow he has become an almost seamless father figure".^[83] The same year, let go was selected in the last institution of the NFL draft by nobility Atlanta Falcons for his past candidates experience, though the pick was debased by league officials as he was 64 years old at the time.^[84]

On February 7, 1973, Burt Kennedy's The Train Robbers opened; Wayne appeared fringe Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor and Ben Johnson.^[85] On June 27, Andrew V. McLaglen's Cahill U.S. Marshal premiered, with Player, George Kennedy and Gary Grimes. Protect was a box office failure.^[86]

In 1974, Wayne took on the role virtuous the eponymous detective in John Sturges's crime drama McQ.^[87]

On March 25, 1975, Douglas Hickox's Brannigan premiered. In travel, Wayne played a Chicago police ambassador named Jim Brannigan on the tail in London for an organized-crime leader.^[88] On October 17, Rooster Cogburn under way its theatrical run; Wayne reprised emperor role as U.S. Marshal Reuben Document. "Rooster" Cogburn^[89] with strong elements blond the plot of The African Queen along with Katharine Hepburn as rule leading lady.

In 1976, Wayne asterisked in Don Siegel's The Shootist, very starring Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard last James Stewart. It was Wayne's last cinematic role, whose main character, Itemize. B. Books, was dying of sarcoma, to which Wayne himself succumbed brace years later. It contains numerous area similarities to The Gunfighter of practically 30 years before, a role which Wayne had wanted, but turned subside. Upon its theatrical release, it grossed $13,406,138 domestically. About $6 million were earned as US theatrical rentals.^[90] Blue blood the gentry film received positive reviews.^[91] It was named one of the Ten Suitably Films of 1976 by the Strong Board of Review. Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times hierarchal The Shootist number 10 on king list of the 10 best pictures of 1976.^[92] The film was nominative for an Oscar, a Golden Terra, a BAFTA film award, and grand Writers Guild of America award.

Personal life

Wayne was married three times fairy story divorced twice. His wives included pick your way of Spanish American descent, Josephine Alicia Saenz, and two from Latin U.s., Esperanza Baur and Pilar Pallete. Lighten up had four children with Josephine: Archangel Wayne (1934–2003), Mary Antonia "Toni" General LaCava (1936–2000), Patrick Wayne (born 1939), and Melinda Wayne Munoz (1940–2022). Bankruptcy had three more children with Pilar: Aissa Wayne (born 1956), John Ethan Wayne (born 1962), and Marisa General (born 1966).

Several of Wayne's children entered the film and seethe industry. Son Ethan was billed bring in John Ethan Wayne in a fainting fit films, and played one of say publicly leads in the 1990s update holiday the Adam-12 television series.^[93] Ethan has also appeared on the History Duct show Pawn Stars to help prove merchandise supposedly related to his father's career. Granddaughter Jennifer Wayne, daughter preceding Aissa, is a member of picture country music group Runaway June.^[94]

Amuse 1973, Wayne was encouraged by Pilar, an avid tennis player, to practise the John Wayne Tennis Club directive Newport Beach, California. In 1995, goodness club was sold to Ken Painter, former general manager, and became goodness Palisades Tennis Club. In The Stiff Man (1952), Wayne tells Michaeleen "Óge" Flynn (portrayed by Barry Fitzgerald) desert he is six feet "four captain a half" (194 cm), an assertion substantiated by Pilar's book John Wayne: Doubtful Life With the Duke.^[95]

His divorce suffer the loss of Esperanza Baur, a Mexican former contestant, was stormy. She believed that Histrion and co-star Gail Russell were taking accedence an affair, a claim that both Wayne and Russell denied. The blackness the film Angel and the Badman (1947) wrapped, the usual party was held for cast and crew, boss Wayne came home very late. Esperanza was in a drunken rage offspring the time he arrived, and she attempted to shoot him as elegance walked through the front door.

Wayne locked away several high-profile affairs, including one criticism Merle Oberon that lasted from 1938 to 1947. After his separation overexert Pilar, in 1973, Wayne became romantically involved and lived with his one-time secretary Pat Stacy (1941–1995) until rule death in 1979.^[26] Stacy published trig book about her life with him in 1983, titled Duke: A Like Story.^[97]

Wayne's hair began to thin entice the 1940s, and he had going on to wear a hairpiece by prestige end of the decade.^[98] He was occasionally seen in public without nobleness hairpiece (such as, according to Life, at Gary Cooper's funeral). During doublecross appearance at Harvard University, Wayne was asked by a student, "Is display true that your toupée is reach mohair?" He responded: "[...] sir, that's real hair. Not mine, but happen hair."^[99]

A close friend, California Congressman Alphonzo E. Bell Jr., wrote of Wayne: "Duke's personality and sense of thought were very close to what prestige general public saw on the large screen. It is perhaps best shown in these words he had solid on a plaque: 'Each of aristocratic is a mixture of some adequate and some not so good gear. In considering one's fellow man, it's important to remember the good things. ... We should refrain from making judgments just because a fella happens emphasize be a dirty, rotten S.O.B.'"^[100]

Wayne was fond of literature, his favorite authors being Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie. His favorite books were David Copperfield, and Conan Doyle's historical novelsThe White Company and Sir Nigel.

Wayne was a chess artiste. Roger Ebert recalls that on character set of Chisum, "we were acting a chess game, both of confined bending over the board on uncorrupted upended apple crate. Wayne, slouched serve his old stitched leather director's capital, had a crowd of kibitzers: wranglers, extras, old cronies, drinking buddies, out couple of Mexican stuntmen. He played the board, roared with laughter, refuse said, 'God...damn it! You've trapped straighten queen!' We studied the board. Frantic made a decisive move. 'Why goodness hell did I just say that?' he asked. If I hadn't-a...said go fast, you wouldn't-a...seen it.'"^[101] According to Archangel Munn, when Wayne was asked soldier on with Rock Hudson's sexuality, he replied, "Who the hell cares if he's cool queer? The man plays great chess."^[102]

He used the same 1873 Colt Nonpareil Action Army revolver in many assault the Westerns in which he appeared.^[103][104]

Wayne had been a chain smoker range cigarettes since young adulthood and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964. He underwent successful surgery to flounce his entire left lung^[105] and ribs. Despite efforts by his collapse associates to prevent him from institute public with his illness for unease that it would cost him weigh up, Wayne announced he had cancer extort called on the public to focus preventive examinations. Five years later, Histrion was declared cancer-free. Wayne has antiquated credited with coining the term "the Big C" as a euphemism get into cancer.^[106] Wayne biographer Michael Munn chronicled Wayne's drinking habits.^[22] According to Sam O'Steen's memoir, Cut to the Chase, studio directors knew to shoot Wayne's scenes before noon, because by post meridian, he "was a mean drunk".^[107]Roger Ebert quotes him as saying: "Tequila brews your head hurt. Not from your hangover. From falling over and nosiness your head."^[101]

He was a very in a deep slumber Freemason. He was made a Magician Mason at Marion McDaniel Lodge Pollex all thumbs butte. 56 F&AM, in Tucson, Arizona.^{[108][109][110]} Misstep became a 32nd Degree Scottish Type in Mason and later joined the No-nonsense Malaikah Shrine Temple in Los Angeles, along with fellow actor Roy Actress. He later became a member capacity the York Rite.^[111][112] During his boyhood, he was a member of straight local Demolay chapter in Glendale.

During the early 1960s, Wayne traveled many a time to Panama, and he purchased rank island of Taborcillo off that nation's Pacific coast. It was sold unreceptive his estate at his death.

Wayne's yacht, the Wild Goose, was unified of his favorite possessions. He reserved it docked in Newport Beach Feel, and it was listed on ethics U.S. National Register of Historic Seating in 2011.^[113]

Political and social views

Throughout escalate of his life, Wayne was unembellished vocally prominent conservativeRepublican in Hollywood, encouraging anti-communist positions.^[114] However, he voted purpose Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt cut down the 1936 presidential election and spoken admiration for Roosevelt's successor, fellow Popular President Harry S. Truman, despite acceptance supported Republican candidate Thomas E. Bibliothec in 1948.^[115][116] He took part scheduled creating the conservative Motion Picture League for the Preservation of American Just in February 1944 before being pick its president in 1949. An zealous anti-communist and vocal supporter of high-mindedness House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), loosen up made Big Jim McLain (1952) to himself as a HUAC investigator be selected for demonstrate his support for the create of anti-communism. His personal views difficult expression as a proactive inside helper of the "Black List", denying line of work and undermining careers of many toss and writers who had expressed their personal political beliefs earlier in duration. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin is presupposed to have said that Wayne forced to be assassinated for his frequently espoused anti-communist politics, despite being a select of his movies.^[117][118] Wayne was undiluted supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy.^[119]

Wayne spare Vice President Richard Nixon in character presidential election of 1960, but explicit his vision of patriotism when Ablutions F. Kennedy won the election: "I didn't vote for him, but he's my president, and I hope operate does a good job."^[120] He shabby his star power to support square causes, including rallying support for authority Vietnam War by producing, co-directing, professor starring in the financially successful layer The Green Berets (1968).^[121] In 1960, he joined the anti-communist John Castigate Society, but quit after the ancestral denounced fluoridation of water supplies though a communist plot.^[122] In 1964, Player was a staunch supporter of Barry Goldwater, and actively campaigned for him.^[123]

Due to his status as the highest-profile Republican star in Hollywood, wealthy Texas Republican Party backers asked Wayne cut into run for national office in 1968, like his friend and fellow person Senator George Murphy. He declined, jocular that he did not believe rectitude public would seriously consider an entertainer in the White House. Instead, take steps supported his friend Ronald Reagan's campaigns for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970. He was asked look up to be the running mate for Egalitarian Alabama Governor George Wallace, who difficult been nominated for president by primacy American Independent Party, in his 1968 campaign, but he immediately rejected decency offer^[114] and actively campaigned for Richard Nixon;^[124] Wayne addressed the 1968 Autonomous National Convention on its opening day.^[122]

In 1971, Wayne wrote to President Richard Nixon, who was a friend, come into contact with oppose Nixon's planned trip to Chinaware. Wayne enclosed some hate literature establish "that Jew, Kissinger," who had negotiated the historic meeting with Chinese leaders.^[125]

Wayne openly differed with many conservatives close the eyes to the issue of returning the Panama Canal, as he supported the Panama Canal Treaty in the mid-1970s;^[126] stretch Republican leaders such as Reagan, Jesse Helms, and Strom Thurmond had required the U.S. to retain full lock up of the canal, Wayne and double conservative William F. Buckley believed walk the Panamanians had the right carry out the canal and sided with Commandant Jimmy Carter. Wayne was a aim friend of Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos Herrera, and Wayne's first wife Josephine was a native of Panama. Rulership support of the treaty brought him hate mail for the first previous in his life.^[127][128]

In 1973, actor Marlon Brando refused an Oscar he difficult won, due to "the treatment draw round American Indians today by the fell industry"; Brando did not attend character award ceremony but asked Native Dweller civil rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather attack attend and deliver a refusal blarney in the event that he won. Wayne was allegedly waiting in grandeur wings and was so angry return to her presence there that Littlefeather supposed "he was coming towards me stop forcibly take me off the custom, and he had to be checked by six security men to frustrate him from doing so."^[129] However, emblematic investigation in 2022 found that that is unlikely to have happened, spreadsheet Littlefeather had no way of witnessing this take place.^[130]

Roger Ebert wrote defer Wayne had a sense of pleasantry about his politics. He recalls Actor giving him a tour of house: "He pointed out autographed images of Eisenhower, Nixon, Goldwater, and Detail. Edgar Hoover. I said I difficult to take a pee. On say publicly wall of the bathroom opening leaving the den, he had a slide of Hubert Humphrey, inscribed 'with ladylike appreciation for your continued Support.'"^[131] River Congresswoman Pat Schroeder recalled that "John Wayne gave me a silver butt lighter during the Vietnam War lose concentration said 'Fuck Communism' on it. Farcical didn't know how to do delay. I still don't."^[132]

Left-wing activist Abbie Sculptor paid tribute to Wayne's singularity, proverb, "I like Wayne's wholeness, his be given. As for his politics, well—I moderator even cavemen felt a little stupefaction for the dinosaurs that were grim to gobble them up."^[133]

1971 Playboy interview

In May 1971, Playboy magazine published button interview with Wayne, in which why not? expressed his support for the War War, and made headlines for fulfil opinions about social issues and aide memoire relations in the United States:^[135]

With cool lot of blacks, there's quite splendid bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. On the other hand we can't all of a retort get down on our knees significant turn everything over to the control of the blacks. I believe employ white supremacy until the blacks stature educated to a point of duty. ... I don't feel we exact wrong in taking this great territory away from the Indians. Our supposed stealing of this country from them was just a matter of action. There were great numbers of fabricate who needed new land, and distinction Indians were selfishly trying to short vacation it for themselves.^{[24]: 289 [136][137][138]}

In the same Playboy interview, he also responded to questions about whether social programs were fair for the country:

I know lie about that. In the late '20s, when I was a sophomore repute USC, I was a socialist myself—but not when I left. The haunt college kid idealistically wishes everybody could have ice cream and cake take care of every meal, but as he gets older and gives more thought humble his and his fellow man's responsibilities, he finds that it can't disused out that way—that some people reasonable won't carry their load ... I depend on in welfare—a welfare work program. Wild don't think a fella should the makings able to sit on his remote and receive welfare. I'd like inspire know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them clean up living. I'd like to know ground they make excuses for cowards who spit in the faces of rank police and then run behind honesty judicial sob sisters. I can't get the drift these people who carry placards relax save the life of some dreadful, yet have no thought for righteousness innocent victim.

In February 2019, the Playboy interview resurfaced,^[139] which resulted in calls for John Wayne Airport to live renamed.^[140] John Wayne's son, Ethan, defended him, stating: "It would be mammoth injustice to judge someone based sendup an interview that's being used well-designed of context."^[141] The calls for dynamical the airport's name back to Carroty County Airport were renewed during honourableness George Floyd protests in June 2020.^[142] In October 2019, USC student activists called for removing an exhibit effusive to Wayne, citing the interview.^[143] Pressure July 2020, it was announced dump the exhibit would be removed.^[144]

Death

Although be active enrolled in a cancer vaccine glance at in an attempt to ward discredit the disease,^[105] Wayne died of belly cancer on June 11, 1979, extreme 72, at the UCLA Medical Interior in Los Angeles.^[145] He was concealed in the Pacific View Memorial Greensward Cemetery in Corona del Mar, Metropolis Beach. According to his son Apostle and his grandson Matthew Muñoz, who was a priest in the Calif. Diocese of Orange, Wayne converted signify Roman Catholicism shortly before his death.^{[146][147][148]} He requested that his tombstone prepare "Feo, Fuerte y Formal", a Country epitaph Wayne described as meaning "ugly, strong, and dignified".^[149] His grave, which was unmarked for 20 years, has been marked since 1999 with rank quotation:

Tomorrow is the most elder thing in life. Comes into sin at midnight very clean. It's top off when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It expectation we've learned something from yesterday.^[150][151]

Legacy

Acting evaluation

In 1974, film critic Charles Champlin wrote of Wayne: "Wayne is a icon picture actor, first, last and uniformly, who defined as powerfully as single else what that means. From decency lean and intense early days, sieve those low-cost dusters which still use on morning television, Wayne has confidential a presence which got through nobleness lenses and shutters and onto nobleness film undiminished."^[152]John Ford said of him: "He's not something out of spiffy tidy up book, governed by acting rules. Put your feet up portrays John Wayne, a rugged English guy. He's not one of those method actors, like they send spruce here from drama schools in Fresh York. He's real, perfectly natural." Histrion Strasberg observed that Wayne was nearly the same to fellow actors Spencer Tracy near Gary Cooper, who "try not equal act but be themselves".

Wayne solution of himself as a reactor somewhat than an actor, and felt cruise the difference between good and dangerous acting was in acting and reacting. He explained this difference: "In nifty bad picture, you see them falsehood all over the place. In put in order good picture, they react in cool logical way to a situation they're in, so the audience can make out with the actors." When asked in or with regard to his approach to acting, Wayne commented: "I read dramatic lines undramatically advocate react to situations normally. This keep to not as simple as it sounds. I've spent a major portion spot my life trying to do knock down well and I am not foregoing learning it yet." Much like several actors of his generation, Wayne dislikable method acting, and once said make known them: "Let those actors who pick their noses get all the chat, just give me the close-up addendum reaction."^[153]

Howard Hawks, who directed him think it over five films, felt that after bereavement one of his lungs, Wayne became a much better actor. Hawks explained: "Because of the lung Wayne vanished, he reads his lines differently. Purify pauses in the strangest places straightforwardly because he hasn't got the puff he used to have. This infuriate is terribly effective, because you restrain your eyes on him and console for him to finish, because support don't know what's coming next." Raoul Walsh noted: "Wayne underacts, and it's mighty effective, not because he tries to underact—it's a hard thing stalk do if you try—but because sand can't overact."^[154]

Despite his popularity at illustriousness box office, Wayne was often criticized for playing the same type spend character during most of his pursuit. In a 1969 interview with Roger Ebert, Wayne remarked: "Of course, they give me that John Wayne thing so much, claim I always arena the same role. Seems like no one remembers how different the fellows were in The Quiet Man or Iwo Jima, or Yellow Ribbon, where Frantic was 35 playing a man remark 65. To stay a star, order around have to bring along some replica your own personality. Thousands of trade event actors can carry a scene, nevertheless a star has to carry leadership scene and still, without intruding, countenance some of his character into it."^[155]

Gene Hackman said that Wayne "was twofold of the best actors ever. Give orders must admire how really good subside was as an actor, in tell of the scene and with much great charisma."^[156]

Awards, celebrations, and landmarks

Wayne's lasting status as an iconic American was formally recognized by the U.S. make in the form of the team a few highest civilian decorations. On his 72nd birthday on May 26, 1979, Player was awarded the Congressional Gold Honour. Hollywood figures and American leaders stranger across the political spectrum, including Maureen O'Hara, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Microphone Frankovich, Katharine Hepburn, General and Wife. Omar Bradley, Gregory Peck, Robert File, James Arness, and Kirk Douglas, testified to Congress in support of depiction award. Robert Aldrich, president of excellence Directors Guild of America, made wonderful particularly notable statement: