Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed Duke, was an American actor and filmmaker. An Academy Award-winner for True Grit (1969), Wayne was among the top box office draws for three decades. Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne grew up in Southern California. He was president of Glendale High class of 1925. He found work at local film studios when he lost his football scholarship to the University of Southern California as a result of a bodysurfing accident. Initially working for the Fox Film Corporation, he appeared mostly in small bit parts. His first leading role came in Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail (1930), which led to leading roles in numerous B movies throughout the 1930s, many of them in the Western genre. Wayne's career took off in 1939, with John Ford's Stagecoach making him an instant star. He went on to star in 142 pictures. Biographer Ronald Davis said, "John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage. Eighty-three of his movies were Westerns, and in them, he played cowboys, cavalrymen, and unconquerable loners extracted from the Republic's central creation myth." Wayne's other well-known Western roles include a cattleman driving his herd north on the Chisholm Trail in Red River (1948), a Civil War veteran whose young niece is abducted by a tribe of Comanches in The Searchers (1956), and a troubled rancher competing with a lawyer for a woman's hand in marriage in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He is also remembered for his roles in The Quiet Man (1952), Rio Bravo (1959), and The Longest Day (1962). In his final screen performance, he starred as an aging gunfighter battling cancer in The Shootist (1976). He appeared with many important Hollywood stars of his era, and his last public appearance was at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979.
Movie | Sly | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2023-09-16 |
Movie | I Am Not Your Negro | Various Roles (archive footage) | 2017-02-03 |
Movie | And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
Movie | John Ford & Monument Valley | Self (archive footage) | 2013-03-05 |
Movie | Dictator: One Crazy Job | Self (archive footage) | 2013-06-12 |
Movie | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Self (archive footage) | 2010-05-05 |
Movie | The Duke at Fox | Self (archive footage) | 2001-05-17 |
Movie | The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender | Self (archive footage) | 1997-11-01 |
Movie | La Classe américaine | George Abitbol (archive footage) | 1993-12-31 |
Movie | Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire | Self (archive footage) | 1991-07-15 |
Movie | House II: The Second Story | Cowboy (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1987-05-14 |
Movie | Star Wars | Garindan (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1977-05-25 |
Movie | It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
Movie | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | Jerry Mason | 1976-05-01 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | Brannigan | Lt. Jim Brannigan | 1975-03-21 |
Movie | Rooster Cogburn | Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn | 1975-11-01 |
Movie | McQ | McQ | 1974-01-04 |
Movie | The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks | Self (archive footage) | 1973-01-01 |
Movie | Cahill: United States Marshall | J.D. Cahill | 1973-07-11 |
Movie | The Train Robbers | Lane | 1973-02-07 |
Movie | Cancel My Reservation | 1972-09-21 | |
Movie | The Cowboys | Wil Andersen | 1972-01-13 |
Movie | Letter to Jane | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1972-10-10 |
Movie | Big Jake | Jacob McCandles | 1971-05-26 |
Movie | Directed by John Ford | Self (1969) | 1971-09-06 |
Movie | The American West of John Ford | Self - Narrator | 1971-12-05 |
Movie | No Substitute for Victory | Himself | 1970-01-01 |
Movie | Rio Lobo | Colonel Cord McNally | 1970-04-01 |
Movie | Raquel! | Self | 1970-04-26 |
Movie | Chisum | John Simpson Chisum | 1970-07-23 |
Movie | True Grit | Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn | 1969-06-11 |
Movie | The Undefeated | Colonel John Henry Thomas | 1969-10-04 |
Movie | The Movie Orgy | Self (archive footage) | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | The Green Berets | Colonel Mike Kirby | 1968-07-04 |
Movie | Hellfighters | Chance Buckman | 1968-11-27 |
Movie | The War Wagon | Taw Jackson | 1967-05-26 |
Movie | Cast a Giant Shadow | Gen. Mike Randolph | 1966-03-30 |
Movie | El Dorado | Cole Thornton | 1966-12-17 |
Movie | In Harm's Way | Capt. Rockwell Torrey | 1965-04-06 |
Movie | The Sons of Katie Elder | John Elder | 1965-06-23 |
Movie | Circus World | Matt Masters | 1964-06-25 |
Movie | Donovan's Reef | Michael "Guns" Donovan | 1963-06-12 |
Movie | Hollywood Without Make-Up | Self (archive footage) | 1963-07-01 |
Movie | McLintock! | George Washington McLintock | 1963-11-12 |
Movie | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Tom Doniphon | 1962-04-13 |
Movie | Hatari! | Sean Mercer | 1962-06-19 |
Movie | How the West Was Won | Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman | 1962-11-02 |
Movie | The Longest Day | Col. Benjamin Vandervoort | 1962-09-25 |
Movie | Flashing Spikes | Marine Sergeant | 1962-10-04 |
Movie | The Comancheros | Jake Cutter | 1961-12-22 |
Movie | The Alamo | Col. Davy Crockett | 1960-10-23 |
Movie | North to Alaska | Sam McCord | 1960-11-07 |
Movie | Rio Bravo | John Chance | 1959-03-18 |
Movie | The Horse Soldiers | Col John Marlowe | 1959-06-11 |
Movie | I Married a Woman | 1958-03-01 | |
Movie | The Wings of Eagles | Frank W. 'Spig' Wead | 1957-01-31 |
Movie | Jet Pilot | Col. Jim Shannon | 1957-10-11 |
Movie | Legend of the Lost | Joe January | 1957-12-17 |
Movie | The Conqueror | Temujin, later Genghis Khan | 1956-03-28 |
Movie | Blood Alley | Capt. Tom Wilder | 1955-10-01 |
Movie | The Sea Chase | Captain Karl Ehrlich | 1955-06-04 |
Movie | Screen Directors Playhouse: Rookie of the Year | Mike Cronin | 1955-12-07 |
Movie | The High and the Mighty | Dan Roman | 1954-07-03 |
Series | Producers' Showcase | 1954-10-18 | |
Movie | Trouble Along the Way | Stephen Aloysius Williams | 1953-04-04 |
Movie | Hondo | Hondo Lane | 1953-11-26 |
Movie | Island in the Sky | Captain Dooley | 1953-09-05 |
Movie | The Quiet Man | Sean Thornton | 1952-07-21 |
Movie | Big Jim McLain | Jim McLain | 1952-08-30 |
Movie | Flying Leathernecks | Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby | 1951-08-28 |
Movie | Sands of Iwo Jima | Sgt. John M. Stryker | 1950-01-01 |
Movie | The Fighting Kentuckian | John Breen | 1949-09-15 |
Movie | She Wore a Yellow Ribbon | Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles | 1949-10-22 |
Movie | Fort Apache | Capt. Kirby York | 1948-06-14 |
Movie | Wake of the Red Witch | Capt. Ralls | 1948-12-30 |
Movie | 3 Godfathers | Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower | 1948-12-31 |
Movie | Angel and the Badman | Quirt Evans | 1947-02-15 |
Movie | Tycoon | Johnny Munroe | 1947-12-27 |
Movie | Without Reservations | Rusty Thomas | 1946-05-13 |
Movie | Desert Command | Tom Wayne | 1946-05-31 |
Movie | Flame of Barbary Coast | Duke Fergus | 1945-05-28 |
Movie | Back to Bataan | Colonel Joseph Madden | 1945-05-30 |
Movie | They Were Expendable | Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan | 1945-12-07 |
Movie | Dakota | John Devlin | 1945-12-15 |
Movie | The Fighting Seabees | Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan | 1944-01-27 |
Movie | Tall in the Saddle | Rocklin | 1944-09-29 |
Movie | In Old Oklahoma | Daniel F Somers | 1943-12-06 |
Movie | A Lady Takes a Chance | Duke Hudkins | 1943-08-19 |
Movie | Reap the Wild Wind | Captain Jack Stuart | 1942-03-26 |
Movie | In Old California | Tom Craig | 1942-05-31 |
Movie | Lady for a Night | Jackson Morgan | 1942-01-05 |
Movie | Reunion in France | Pat Talbot | 1942-12-25 |
Movie | The Spoilers | Glennister | 1942-06-11 |
Movie | Pittsburgh | Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham | 1942-12-11 |
Movie | Flying Tigers | Jim Gordon | 1942-10-08 |
Movie | Lady from Louisiana | John Reynolds | 1941-04-22 |
Movie | The Shepherd of the Hills | Young Matt Matthews | 1941-07-18 |
Movie | Dark Command | Bob Seton | 1940-04-15 |
Movie | Three Faces West | John Phillips | 1940-07-03 |
Movie | The Long Voyage Home | Ole Olsen | 1940-11-16 |
Movie | Seven Sinners | Dan | 1940-10-25 |
Movie | The Night Riders | Stony Brooke | 1939-04-12 |
Movie | Three Texas Steers | Stony Brooke | 1939-05-12 |
Movie | Stagecoach | The Ringo Kid | 1939-03-03 |
Movie | New Frontier | Stony Brooke | 1939-08-10 |
Movie | Wyoming Outlaw | Stony Brooke | 1939-06-27 |
Movie | Allegheny Uprising | Jim Smith | 1939-11-10 |
Movie | Overland Stage Raiders | Stony Brooke | 1938-09-20 |
Movie | Pals of the Saddle | Stony Brooke | 1938-08-28 |
Movie | Santa Fe Stampede | Stony Brooke | 1938-11-18 |
Movie | Red River Range | Stony Brooke | 1938-12-22 |
Movie | California Straight Ahead | Biff Smith | 1937-04-16 |
Movie | I Cover the War! | Bob Adams | 1937-07-04 |
Movie | Born to the West | Dare Rudd | 1937-12-10 |
Movie | Idol of the Crowds | Johnny Hanson | 1937-09-30 |
Movie | Adventure's End | Duke Slade | 1937-12-05 |
Movie | The Oregon Trail | Capt John Delmont | 1936-01-18 |
Movie | The Lawless Nineties | John Tipton | 1936-02-15 |
Movie | The Lonely Trail | Captain John Ashley | 1936-05-25 |
Movie | Conflict | Pat Glendon | 1936-11-29 |
Movie | Sea Spoilers | Bob Randall | 1936-09-30 |
Movie | Winds of the Wasteland | John Blair | 1936-07-06 |
Movie | The Desert Trail | John Scott / John Jones | 1935-04-21 |
Movie | Rainbow Valley | John Martin | 1935-03-15 |
Movie | The Dawn Rider | John Mason | 1935-06-20 |
Movie | Lawless Range | John Middleton | 1935-11-04 |
Movie | Paradise Canyon | John Wyatt | 1935-07-19 |
Movie | The New Frontier | John Dawson | 1935-10-25 |
Movie | Texas Terror | John Higgins | 1935-10-17 |
Movie | The Man from Utah | John Weston | 1934-05-15 |
Movie | The Lucky Texan | Jerry Mason | 1934-01-22 |
Movie | West of the Divide | Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns | 1934-02-15 |
Movie | Blue Steel | John Carruthers | 1934-05-10 |
Movie | 'Neath the Arizona Skies | Chris Morrell | 1934-12-05 |
Movie | The Lawless Frontier | John Tobin | 1934-11-22 |
Movie | The Star Packer | U.S. Marshal John Travers | 1934-07-30 |
Movie | The Trail Beyond | Rod Drew | 1934-10-22 |
Movie | The Life of Jimmy Dolan | Smith | 1933-06-03 |
Movie | Central Airport | 1933-04-15 | |
Movie | The Telegraph Trail | John Trent | 1933-03-18 |
Movie | His Private Secretary | Dick Wallace | 1933-06-10 |
Movie | The Three Musketeers | Lt. Tom Wayne | 1933-04-07 |
Movie | Somewhere in Sonora | John Bishop | 1933-05-27 |
Movie | Baby Face | Jimmy McCoy Jr. | 1933-07-13 |
Movie | College Coach | 1933-11-04 | |
Movie | Riders of Destiny | Singin' Sandy Saunders | 1933-10-10 |
Movie | Sagebrush Trail | John Brant | 1933-12-15 |
Movie | The Man from Monterey | John Holmes | 1933-07-15 |
Movie | Texas Cyclone | Steve Pickett | 1932-02-24 |
Movie | The Shadow of the Eagle | Craig McCoy | 1932-02-01 |
Movie | Two-Fisted Law | Duke | 1932-06-08 |
Movie | Ride Him, Cowboy | John Drury | 1932-08-27 |
Movie | Lady and Gent | Buzz Kinney | 1932-07-10 |
Movie | The Big Stampede | Deputy Sheriff John Steele | 1932-09-29 |
Movie | The Hurricane Express | The Air Pilot | 1932-08-01 |
Movie | Girls Demand Excitement | Peter Brooks | 1931-02-08 |
Movie | Three Girls Lost | Gordon Wales | 1931-04-19 |
Movie | The Range Feud | Clint Turner | 1931-10-14 |
Movie | Arizona | Lt. Bob Denton | 1931-06-27 |
Movie | Maker of Men | Dusty Rhodes | 1931-08-03 |
Movie | Men Without Women | Radioman on Surface (uncredited) | 1930-02-08 |
Movie | Born Reckless | Extra (uncredited) | 1930-05-11 |
Movie | Cheer Up and Smile | 1930-06-22 | |
Movie | Rough Romance | Lumberjack | 1930-06-15 |
Movie | The Big Trail | Breck Coleman | 1930-11-01 |
Movie | Words and Music | Pete Donahue | 1929-08-18 |
Movie | The Black Watch | Black Watch Soldier (uncredited) | 1929-05-22 |
Movie | Salute | 1929-09-01 | |
Movie | Four Sons | 1928-02-13 | |
Movie | Hangman's House | Horse Race Spectator / Condemned Man in Flashback | 1928-05-13 |
Movie | Noah's Ark | Flood Extra (uncredited) | 1928-11-01 |
Movie | The Draw-Back | Opposing Football Player | 1927-04-10 |
Movie | Annie Laurie | 1927-05-10 | |
Movie | The Drop Kick | Football Player / Extra in Stands | 1927-09-25 |
Movie | Mother Machree | 1927-12-19 | |
Movie | Brown of Harvard | Yale Football Player (uncredited) | 1926-05-02 |
Movie | The Great K&A Train Robbery | 1926-10-17 | |
Movie | Bardelys the Magnificent | 1926-09-30 |
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