John Wayne
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Name: John Wayne
Birth Name: Marion Robert Morrison
Birthdate: May 26, 1907
Date of Death: June 11, 1979
Birthplace: Winterset, Iowa
Raised the son of a pharmacist who eventually settled the family in Glendale, Calif., Wayne attended USC on a football scholarship in 1925. After the famous cowboy actor Tom Mix landed him a summer job as a prop man in exchange for football tickets, John became close friends with director John Ford who started casting him in bit parts. As the roles increased in size, "John Wayne" was born, though he'd work in over 70 films before finding stardom in Stagecoach (1939). The epitome of rugged American masculinity, "Duke" received the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969). In a film career spanning 250 films, Wayne is perhaps best remembered for his roles in The Green Berets (1968), The Searchers (1956), Rio Grande (1950), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Red River (1948).
1. As a kid, he delivered newspapers in the morning with his trusty dog, Duke, the source of his nickname. The local firemen called them "Big Duke" and "Little Duke."
2. All three of his wives were of Latin-American descent.
3. He made several films early in his career as a "singing" cowboy; his vocals were supplied by a singer hidden off camera.
4. Of his many film roles, his personal favorite was Ethan Edwards from The Searchers (1956). He even named his son Ethan after that character.
5. Although never hailed as a great actor in the classic sense, he represented Glendale High School in the prestigious Southern California Shakespeare Competition, performing a passage from Henry VIII.
"When I started, I knew I was no actor, and I went to work on this Wayne thing. It was as deliberate a projection as you'll ever see. I figured I needed a gimmick, so I dreamed up the drawl, the squint and a way of moving meant to suggest that I wasn't looking for trouble but would just as soon throw a bottle at your head as not. I practiced in front of a mirror."
Wife: Pilar Pallete, married November 1, 1954
Wife: Esperanza Baur, married January 17, 1946, divorced November 1, 1953
Wife: Josephine Alicia Saenz, married June 24, 1933, divorced December 25, 1945
Daughter: (with Pallete) Marisa Wayne, born 1966
Daughter: (with Pallete) Aissa Wayne, born 1956
Daughter: (with Saenz) Melinda Wayne, born 1940
Daughter: (with Saenz) Toni Wayne, born 1936, died December 2000
Son: (with Pallete) John Ethan Wayne, born 1962
Son: (with Saenz) Patrick Wayne, born July 15, 1939
Son: (with Saenz) Michael Wayne, born November 23, 1934, died March 2003
1970: Academy Award: Best Actor, True Grit; Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama), True Grit
1966: Golden Globe: Cecil B. DeMille Award
1961: Academy Award nomination: Best Picture, The Alamo
1953: Golden Globe: Henrietta Award, World Film Favorite (Male)
1950: Academy Award nomination: Best Actor, Sands of Iwo Jima
John Wayne Classics - (2005) - Actor
The John Wayne Collection - (2005) - Actor
John Wayne - Legend of A Cowboy: 20-Movie Set - (2004) - Actor
John Wayne - Collector's Edition - (2001) - Actor
Great John Wayne Movies - (2001) - Actor
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