Wayne, John, 1907–79, American movie actor, b. Winterset, Iowa, as Marion Michael Morrison. An enduringly popular movie star from his debut in 1930, Wayne combined the toughness necessary to play westerners and soldiers with an appealing amiability. He collaborated with John Ford Ford, John, 1895–1973, American film director, b. Cape Elizabeth, Maine, as John Martin Feeney. Ford began directing in 1917 after an apprenticeship with his brother Francis.
..... Click the link for more information. , who discovered him, in such films as Stagecoach (1939), Fort Apache (1948), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Wayne's other films include Red River (1949), The Alamo (1960), True Grit (1969), for which he won an Academy Award, and The Shootist (1975).

Bibliography

See biography by R. Roberts and J. S. Olson (1995); studies by M. Tomkies (1971), G. Carpozi (1972), and G. Wills (1997).

Wayne, John

orig. Marion Michael Morrison

(born May 26, 1907, Winterset, Iowa, U.S.—died June 11, 1979, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. film actor. While a member of the University of Southern California football team, he worked summers at the Fox Film Corporation as a propman and developed a friendship with director John Ford, who cast him in small parts from 1928. After his leading role in The Big Trail (1930), he played in more than 80 low-budget movies before winning acclaim for his starring role as the Ringo Kid in Ford's Stagecoach (1939). Noted for his image as the strong, silent man, Wayne, nicknamed “Duke,” became one of the top box-office attractions in movie history. He starred in other westerns (many directed by Ford) such as Red River (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950), The Searchers (1956), Rio Bravo (1959), and True Grit (1969, Academy Award), as well as in The Quiet Man (1952), The Alamo (1960), which he also directed, Hatari! (1962), and The Green Berets (1968), which he codirected.

Wayne, John (b. Marion Michael Morrison) (1907–79) film actor; born in Winterset, Iowa. This tough, tall, strong-but-silent he-man made his first film in Hangman's House (1928) and graduated to a long succession of small parts in low-budget movies until he got his big break in Stagecoach (1939). He became the quintessential mythical movie hero, and finally won an Oscar for True Grit (1969) after some 250 films. His final movie was The Shootist (1976). He became known in later years for his outspokenness on behalf of conservative political causes, particularly for his support of America's role in Vietnam.