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.
Known For
| Birth Location | Winterset, Iowa, USA |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907-05-26 |
| Died | 1979-06-11 |
Movies
The Conqueror (Hollywood Fallout)
as Self (archive footage)
2023
Sly
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2023
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
as Self (Archive Footage)
2023
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
as Self (archive footage)
2022
John Wayne - America at All Costs
as Himself (archive footage)
2019
John Ford: The Man Who Invented America
as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
2019
John Wayne on Film
as Himself
2016
And the Oscar Goes To...
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Dictator: One Crazy Job
as Self (archive footage)
2013
John Ford & Monument Valley
as Self (archive footage)
2013
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Self (archive footage)
2010
Nuke 'Em, Duke
as Self (archive footage)
2010
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
as Self (archive footage)
2009
The Duke at Fox
as Self (archive footage)
2001
John Wayne - Ein Leben für den Film
as Himself
2000
Television: The First Fifty Years
as Self (archive footage)
1999
JOHN WAYNE - AMERICAN LEGEND
as Himself
1998
Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman
as Self (archive footage)
1998
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
as Self - Roaster (archive footage)
1998
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
as Self (archive footage)
1997
La Classe américaine
as George Abitbol (archive footage)
1993
Young Duke: Making Of A Movie Star
as Himself
1993
The John Wayne Story - The Later Years
as Himself
1993
The Making of 'Rio Grande'
as Self (archive footage)
1993
John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
as Davy Crockett
1992
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire
as Self (archive footage)
1991
John Wayne - Eine amerikanische Legende
as (archive footage)
1991
Movie Tough Guys
as Self (archive footage)
1991
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage)
1988
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
as (Archival Footage)
1987
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)
1984
Showbiz Goes to War
as (archive footage)
1982
1978
This Little Bullet
as Host
1977
That's Action
as self
1977
1976
The Shootist
as J.B. Books
1976
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
as Jerry Mason
1976
Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend
as Himself/Narrator
1976
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
1976
Rooster Cogburn
as Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
1975
Brannigan
as Lt. Jim Brannigan
1975
McQ
as McQ
1974
Cahill: United States Marshall
as J.D. Cahill
1973
Wayne Train
as Self
1973
The Train Robbers
as Lane
1973
The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks
as Self (archive footage)
1973
The Cowboys
as Wil Andersen
1972
The American West of John Ford
as Self - Narrator
1971
Directed by John Ford
as Self (1969)
1971
Big Jake
as Jacob McCandles
1971
The Selling of the Pentagon
as Self (archive footage)
1971
Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo
as Self
1970
Chisum
as John Simpson Chisum
1970
Raquel!
as Self
1970
Rio Lobo
as Colonel Cord McNally
1970
Swing Out, Sweet Land
as Self - Host
1970
No Substitute for Victory
as Himself
1970
The Undefeated
as Colonel John Henry Thomas
1969
True Grit
as Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
1969
Hellfighters
as Chance Buckman
1968
The Green Berets
as Colonel Mike Kirby
1968
The Movie Orgy
as Self (archive footage)
1968
The War Wagon
as Taw Jackson
1967
A Nation Builds Under Fire
as Narrator
1967
El Dorado
as Cole Thornton
1966
The Victory Squad
as Himself - Host
1966
Cast a Giant Shadow
as Gen. Mike Randolph
1966
The Sons of Katie Elder
as John Elder
1965
The Greatest Story Ever Told
as Centurion at crucifixion
1965
In Harm's Way
as Capt. Rockwell Torrey
1965
Circus World
as Matt Masters
1964
Choice
as Host
1964
McLintock!
as George Washington McLintock
1963
Donovan's Reef
as Michael "Guns" Donovan
1963
How the West Was Won
as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
1962
Flashing Spikes
as Marine Sergeant
1962
The Longest Day
as Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
1962
Hatari!
as Sean Mercer
1962
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Tom Doniphon
1962
The Comancheros
as Jake Cutter
1961
The Challenge of Ideas
as Self
1961
The 10 from Texas
as (archive footage)
1961
North to Alaska
as Sam McCord
1960
The Alamo
as Col. Davy Crockett
1960
The Horse Soldiers
as Col John Marlowe
1959
Rio Bravo
as John Chance
1959
The Barbarian and the Geisha
as Townsend Harris
1958
1958
Legend of the Lost
as Joe January
1957
Jet Pilot
as Col. Jim Shannon
1957
The Wings of Eagles
as Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
1957
The Searchers
as Ethan Edwards
1956
The Conqueror
as Temujin, later Genghis Khan
1956
Rookie of the Year
as Mike Cronin
1955
Blood Alley
as Capt. Tom Wilder
1955
The Sea Chase
as Captain Karl Ehrlich
1955
The High and the Mighty
as Dan Roman
1954
Hondo
as Hondo Lane
1953
Three Lives
as Self
1953
Island in the Sky
as Captain Dooley
1953
Trouble Along the Way
as Stephen Aloysius Williams
1953
You're the Star
as Self
1953
Big Jim McLain
as Jim McLain
1952
The Quiet Man
as Sean Thornton
1952
Flying Leathernecks
as Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
1951
The Screen Director
as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
1951
Operation Pacific
as Duke E. Gifford
1951
Rio Grande
as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
1950
Sands of Iwo Jima
as Sgt. John M. Stryker
1950
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
as Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
1949
The Fighting Kentuckian
as John Breen
1949
3 Godfathers
as Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower
1948
Wake of the Red Witch
as Capt. Ralls
1948
Red River
as Thomas Dunson
1948
Fort Apache
as Capt. Kirby York
1948
Tycoon
as Johnny Munroe
1947
Angel and the Badman
as Quirt Evans
1947
Desert Command
as Tom Wayne
1946
Without Reservations
as Rusty Thomas
1946
Dakota
as John Devlin
1945
They Were Expendable
as Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
1945
Back to Bataan
as Colonel Joseph Madden
1945
Flame of Barbary Coast
as Duke Fergus
1945
Tall in the Saddle
as Rocklin
1944
Memo for Joe
as Self
1944
The Fighting Seabees
as Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan
1944
In Old Oklahoma
as Daniel F Somers
1943
A Lady Takes a Chance
as Duke Hudkins
1943
Reunion in France
as Pat Talbot
1942
Pittsburgh
as Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham
1942
Flying Tigers
as Jim Gordon
1942
The Spoilers
as Glennister
1942
In Old California
as Tom Craig
1942
Reap the Wild Wind
as Captain Jack Stuart
1942
Lady for a Night
as Jackson Morgan
1942
The Shepherd of the Hills
as Young Matt Matthews
1941
Lady from Louisiana
as John Reynolds
1941
A Man Betrayed
as Lynn Hollister
1941
The Long Voyage Home
as Ole Olsen
1940
Seven Sinners
as Dan
1940
Three Faces West
as John Phillips
1940
Dark Command
as Bob Seton
1940
Allegheny Uprising
as Jim Smith
1939
New Frontier
as Stony Brooke
1939
Wyoming Outlaw
as Stony Brooke
1939
Three Texas Steers
as Stony Brooke
1939
The Night Riders
as Stony Brooke
1939
Stagecoach
as The Ringo Kid
1939
Red River Range
as Stony Brooke
1938
Santa Fe Stampede
as Stony Brooke
1938
Overland Stage Raiders
as Stony Brooke
1938
Pals of the Saddle
as Stony Brooke
1938
Born to the West
as Dare Rudd
1937
Adventure's End
as Duke Slade
1937
Idol of the Crowds
as Johnny Hanson
1937
I Cover the War!
as Bob Adams
1937
California Straight Ahead
as Biff Smith
1937
Conflict
as Pat Glendon
1936
Sea Spoilers
as Bob Randall
1936
Winds of the Wasteland
as John Blair
1936
The Stagecoach Race
as John Blair
1936
The Lonely Trail
as Captain John Ashley
1936
King of the Pecos
as John Clayborn
1936
The Lawless Nineties
as John Tipton
1936
The Oregon Trail
as Capt John Delmont
1936
Lawless Range
as John Middleton
1935
The New Frontier
as John Dawson
1935
Texas Terror
as John Higgins
1935
Guns Along The Trail
as John Wyatt
1935
Westward Ho
as John Wyatt
1935
Paradise Canyon
as John Wyatt
1935
The Dawn Rider
as John Mason
1935
Avenging Angel
as John Mason
1935
The Desert Trail
as John Scott / John Jones
1935
Rainbow Valley
as John Martin
1935
'Neath the Arizona Skies
as Chris Morrell
1934
The Lawless Frontier
as John Tobin
1934
The Trail Beyond
as Rod Drew
1934
The Star Packer
as U.S. Marshal John Travers
1934
Randy Rides Alone
as Randy Bowers
1934
Next Of Kin
as Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
1934
The Shadow Gang
as U.S. Marshal John Travers
1934
Bandits of the Badlands
as John Carruthers
1934
The Man from Utah
as John Weston
1934
Blue Steel
as John Carruthers
1934
West of the Divide
as Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
1934
The Lucky Texan
as Jerry Mason
1934
Sagebrush Trail
as John Brant
1933
1933
Riders of Destiny
as Singin' Sandy Saunders
1933
The Man from Monterey
as John Holmes
1933
Baby Face
as Jimmy McCoy Jr.
1933
His Private Secretary
as Dick Wallace
1933
The Life of Jimmy Dolan
as Smith
1933
Somewhere in Sonora
as John Bishop
1933
1933
The Three Musketeers
as Lt. Tom Wayne
1933
The Telegraph Trail
as John Trent
1933
Haunted Gold
as John Mason
1932
The Big Stampede
as Deputy Sheriff John Steele
1932
Ride Him, Cowboy
as John Drury
1932
The Hurricane Express
as The Air Pilot
1932
Lady and Gent
as Buzz Kinney
1932
Two-Fisted Law
as Duke
1932
Texas Cyclone
as Steve Pickett
1932
The Shadow of the Eagle
as Craig McCoy
1932
Running Hollywood
as Emcee
1932
The Range Feud
as Clint Turner
1931
Maker of Men
as Dusty Rhodes
1931
Arizona
as Lt. Bob Denton
1931
Three Girls Lost
as Gordon Wales
1931
Girls Demand Excitement
as Peter Brooks
1931
The Big Trail
as Breck Coleman
1930
1930
Rough Romance
as Lumberjack
1930
Born Reckless
as Extra (uncredited)
1930
Men Without Women
as Radioman on Surface (uncredited)
1930
1929
Words and Music
as Pete Donahue
1929
The Black Watch
as Black Watch Soldier (uncredited)
1929
Speakeasy
as Extra
1929
Noah's Ark
as Flood Extra (uncredited)
1928
A Home Made Man
as Man on Stool
1928
Hangman's House
as Horse Race Spectator / Condemned Man in Flashback
1928
1928
1927
The Drop Kick
as Football Player / Extra in Stands
1927
1927
The Draw-Back
as Opposing Football Player
1927
Brown of Harvard
as Yale Football Player (uncredited)
1926
Movies
McQ
Executive Producer
1974
The Train Robbers
Executive Producer
1973
Big Jake
Executive Producer
1971
The Green Berets
Director
1968
The Alamo
Producer
1960
The Alamo
Director
1960
7 Men from Now
Producer
1956
Good-bye, My Lady
Producer
1956
Blood Alley
Producer
1955
Track of the Cat
Producer
1954
Ring of Fear
Producer
1954
The High and the Mighty
Producer
1954
Hondo
Producer
1953
Island in the Sky
Producer
1953
Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen
Producer
1951
Bullfighter and the Lady
Producer
1951
The Dangerous Stranger
Producer
1950
The Fighting Kentuckian
Producer
1949
Angel and the Badman
Producer
1947
Four Sons
Property Master
1928
Mother Machree
Property Master
1927
