Information AboutJohn Wayne |
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John Wayne ( May 26 , 1907 – June 11 , 1979 ), popularly known as "The Duke", was an American film Actor whose career began in silent films in the 1920s. LIFE AND CAREER John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa in 1907 , but the name became '''Marion Mitchell Morrison''' when his parents decided to name their next son Robert. However, in later life, he often stated that his middle name was Michael. His family was Presbyterian ; father Clyde Leonard Morrison was of Irish and Scottish descent and the son of an American Civil War veteran while mother Mary Alberta Brown was of Irish descent. Wayne's family moved to Glendale, California in 1911 ; it was neighbors in Glendale who started calling him "Big Duke" because he never went anywhere without his Airedale Terrier dog, who was Little Duke. He preferred "Duke" to "Marion", and the name stuck for the rest of his life. Duke Morrison's early life was marked by poverty; his father was a man who did not manage money well. Duke was a good and popular student. Tall from an early age, he was a star football player for Glendale High School and was recruited by the University Of Southern California . After nearly gaining admission to the U.S. Naval Academy , he attended the University Of Southern California , where he was a member of the Trojan Knights and joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Wayne also played on the USC Football team under legendary coach Howard Jones . An injury while supposedly swimming at the beach curtailed his athletic career, however; Wayne would later note that he was too terrified of Jones' reaction to reveal the actual cause of his injury. He lost his athletic scholarship and with no funds was unable to continue at USC. While at the university, Wayne began working around the local film studios. Western star Tom Mix got him a summer job in the prop department in exchange for football tickets, and Wayne soon moved on to bit parts, establishing a long friendship with director John Ford . During this period, Wayne appeared with his USC teammates as one of the featured football players in Columbia Pictures ' ''Maker of Men'' (filmed in 1930 and released in 1931 ), which starred Richard Cromwell and Jack Holt . In the film, Wayne was billed with his given name of Marion Morrison. After two years working as a prop man at the William Fox Studios for $35 a week, his first starring role was in the 1930 movie '' The Big Trail ''; it was the director of that movie Raoul Walsh who gave him the stage name "John Wayne", after Revolutionary War general "Mad Anthony" Wayne . His pay was raised to $75 a week. He was tutored by the studio's stuntmen in riding and other western skills. ''The Big Trail'', the first "western" epic sound motion picture, established his screen credentials, although it was a commercial failure. Nine years later, his performance in the 1939 film '' Stagecoach '' made him a star. In between, he made westerns, most notably at Monogram Pictures , and serials for Mascot Studios , where he played the role of d'Artagnan in '' The Three Musketeers '', set in modern North Africa, with co-stars Ray Corrigan and Max Terhune. In this same year ( 1933 ), Wayne had a small part in Alfred E. Green 's succes de scandale '' Baby Face ''. Beginning in 1928 , Wayne appeared in more than twenty of John Ford 's films over the next 35 years, including '' Stagecoach '' ( 1939 ), '' She Wore A Yellow Ribbon '' ( 1949 ), '' The Quiet Man '' ( 1952 ), '' The Searchers '' ( 1956 ), '' The Wings Of Eagles '' ( 1957 ), and '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance '' ( 1962 ). According to the Internet Movie Database , Wayne played the male lead in 142 of his film appearances, an unsurpassed record. One of Wayne's most praised roles was in '' The High And The Mighty '' (1954), directed by William Wellman and based on a novel by Ernest K. Gann . His portrayal of a heroic airman won widespread acclaim. Island In The Sky (1953) is related to it, and both films were made one year apart with the same producers, director, writer, cinematographer, editor, and distributor. John Wayne won a is also regarded as offering a positive representation of the American presence in Vietnam but was produced in 2002 )'' Batjac , the production company co-founded by Wayne, was named after the fictional shipping company in ''The Wake of the Red Witch''. In 1964 Wayne was diagnosed with Lung Cancer , and underwent surgery to remove his entire left lung and two ribs. Rumors circulated that his illness was caused by filming '' The Conqueror '' (1956) in Utah, where the US government had tested nuclear bombs. Wayne himself however did not believe this, as from the early 1930s until his operation in 1964 he had smoked between three and five packs of cigarettes a day. Perhaps due to his sheer popularity, or his status as the most famous Republican star in Hollywood, the Republican Party asked Wayne to run for President in 1968 . He declined because he did not believe the public would take seriously an actor in the White House . He did however support his friend Ronald Reagan 's runs for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970 , however. In 1968 Wayne was also asked to be conservative Democrat governor George Wallace 's running mate in the presidential election; however, this too did not come to pass. John Wayne died of Stomach Cancer on June 11 , 1979 . He was interred in the Pacific View Memorial Park cemetery in Corona Del Mar , Orange County, California . On June 9 , 1979 , the Archbishop of Panama arrived at the hospital and baptized Wayne into the Roman Catholic Church , at the request of his eldest son Michael, who gave him a Catholic funeral service. Wayne was married three times, always to Spanish-speaking brides; to Josephine Alicia Saenz , Esperanza Baur , and Pilar Palette . He had four children with Josephine, three with Pilar, most notably actor Patrick Wayne and Ayissa Wayne, who wrote a memoir of her life as the daughter of John Wayne. His romance with Josie Saenz began when he was a college student and continued for seven years before their marriage. Miss Saenz was 15 or 16 at their first meeting at a beach party at Balboa. The daughter of a successful Spanish businessman, Josie resisted considerable opposition from her family to maintain her relationship with Duke. In the years prior to his death, Wayne was happily involved with his former secretary Pat Stacy. At the time of his death, John Wayne resided in a bayfront home in Newport Beach , California . His home remains a point of interest in Newport Harbor. He is the most celebrated utterer, and apocryphal coiner, of the Tmesis "ri-goddamn-diculous." =In memoriam John Wayne
Draft Controversy Wayne did not serve in the U.S. military in shows for U.S. servicemen.Willis, Gary ''John Waynes America: The Politics of Celebrity'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997 ISBN 0684808234 Wayne later claimed to have applied and narrowly missed out on attending the U.S. Naval Academy, whose graduates are required to serve in the United States Navy. John Wayne in modern pop culture =Movies and television Characters in numerous other movies and television shows have made imitations of John Wayne. They have easily imitated his signature swaggered walk, and especially his use of the word "pilgrim" and his famous lines like "Fill your hands you son-of-a-bitch."
In the comic '' Preacher '', the main character speaks to the ghost of John Wayne. During a flashback to Vietnam, John Wayne is featured speaking to the troops. Jesse has a lighter that was presented to his father (and other troops) by "The Duke." =Song lyrics
CHARACTER DEATHS A frequently asked trivia question is: in how many films did John Wayne's character die? The answer is as follows: His death is seen in the following films: # '' The Shootist '' - After winning a seemingly hopeless gunfight with three opponents simultaneously, he is shot by the bartender and is then avenged by Ron Howard 's character. # '' The Cowboys '' - He is killed by Bruce Dern 's character. # '' The Alamo '' - Playing Davy Crockett , he runs into the ammunition room with a lit torch and blows it up. #'' Sands Of Iwo Jima '' - He is killed by a bullet fired by a Japanese soldier who is hiding under concealment at the end of the film. #'' Wake Of The Red Witch '' - He dies as the ship sinks. #'' The Fighting Seabees '' - He is shot by a sniper. #'' Reap The Wild Wind '' - He is trapped inside the wreck of a sunken ship after a fight with a giant squid and drowns. His character death is not shown in the following: #'' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance '' - His character is dead at the beginning of the film and the story is told in flashback by James Stewart , who is attending his funeral. #'' The Sea Chase '' - Lana Turner and Wayne are on a ship when it sinks, but the possibility that the characters survived is left open. #''The Deceiver'' - Ian Keith's character died, but the corpse was played by John Wayne. #'' Central Airport '' - John Wayne has a very minor role as the co-pilot of an aircraft that crashes into the ocean. #'' The Long Voyage Home '' John Wayne is killed when his ship is sunk by the Germans however this event occurs off screen and is only talked about the other characters at the end of the movie. FILMOGRAPHY 1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
CHARACTER QUOTES "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." (From ''The Shootist'') "Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." SEE ALSO FURTHER READING
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