John Wayne
Born: 1907-05-26 in Winterset, Iowa, USA
Died: 1979-06-11
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2025
- Naughty America: Guns & Stripes as Self (archive footage)
2024
- The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout as Self (archive footage)
- Atomic People as Self (archive footage)
2023
- John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons as Self (Archive Footage)
2022
- Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend as Self (archive footage)
- John Ford and Throwing
2019
- John Ford: The Man Who Invented America as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
- Gérard Blain : adultes, je vous hais as Self (archive)
- John Wayne - America at All Costs as Himself (archive footage)
2016
- John Wayne on Film as Himself
2013
- John Ford & Monument Valley as Self (archive footage)
- Talking Pictures as Self (archive footage)
- Dictator: One Crazy Job as Self (archive footage)
2012
2010
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff as Self (archive footage)
- Nuke 'Em, Duke as Self (archive footage)
2009
- 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year as Self (archive footage)
2004
- Battleground as Self (archive footage)
2001
- The Duke at Fox as Self (archive footage)
- The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
2000
- John Wayne-A Life on Film as Himself
1999
- Television: The First Fifty Years as Self (archive footage)
1998
- The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts as Self - Roaster (archive footage)
- JOHN WAYNE - AMERICAN LEGEND as Himself
1997
- The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender as Self (archive footage)
1993
- La Classe américaine as George Abitbol (archive footage)
- The Making of 'Rio Grande' as Self (archive footage)
- The John Wayne Story - The Later Years as Himself
- Young Duke: Making Of A Movie Star as Himself
- The John Wayne Story: The Early Years
1992
- John Wayne's 'The Alamo' as Davy Crockett
1991
- Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire as Self (archive footage)
- John Wayne - Eine amerikanische Legende as (archive footage)
- Movie Tough Guys as Self (archive footage)
1988
- Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC as Self (archive footage)
1987
- Sacrée Soirée as Self (archive footage)
1984
- Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
1982
- Showbiz Goes to War as (archive footage)
1980
- Hollywood as Self
1978
- Western von gestern as John Wyatt aka John Allen (archive footage)
- Perry Como's Early American Christmas as Self
1977
- That's Action as self
- This Little Bullet as Host
1976
- Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch as Jerry Mason
- It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- Hooray for Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
- The Shootist as J.B. Books
- CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years as Self
- Bob Hope's Comedy Christmas Special
- Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend as Himself/Narrator
1975
- Rooster Cogburn as Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
- Brannigan as Lt. Jim Brannigan
- Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television as (archive footage)
- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
1974
- Spécial cinéma as Self (archive footage)
- McQ as McQ
- Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1973
- Cahill: United States Marshal as J.D. Cahill
- The Train Robbers as Lane
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts as Self
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks as Self (archive footage)
- Wayne Train as Self
1972
- The Cowboys as Wil Andersen
- Maude as Himself
- Cancel My Reservation as Himself (uncredited)
1971
- Big Jake as Jacob McCandles
- V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- Directed by John Ford as Self (1969)
- The American West of John Ford as Self - Narrator
- The Selling of the Pentagon as Self (archive footage)
1970
- Chisum as John Chisum
- Rio Lobo as Col. Cord McNally
- Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo as Self
- Swing Out, Sweet Land as Self - Host
- Raquel! as Self
- No Substitute for Victory as Himself
1969
- True Grit as Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
- The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour as Self
- The Undefeated as Colonel John Henry Thomas
1968
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self (uncredited)
- The Green Berets as Colonel Mike Kirby
- Hellfighters as Chance Buckman
- The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1967
- The War Wagon as Taw Jackson
- A Nation Builds Under Fire as Narrator
- Dateline: Hollywood
1966
- El Dorado as Cole Thornton
- Cast a Giant Shadow as Gen. Mike Randolph
- The Victory Squad as Self - Host
1965
- The Sons of Katie Elder as John Elder
- The Greatest Story Ever Told as Centurion at crucifixion
- In Harm's Way as Capt. Rockwell Torrey
- The Making of A Movie as Himself
1964
- Circus World as Matt Masters
- Choice as Host
1963
- McLintock! as George Washington McLintock
- Donovan's Reef as Michael "Guns" Donovan
- Hollywood and the Stars as Self (archive footage)
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Beverly Hillbillies as John Wayne (uncredited)
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- The Lucy Show as John Wayne
- Hatari! as Sean Mercer
- The Longest Day as Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as Tom Doniphon
- How the West Was Won as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
- Flashing Spikes as Marine Sergeant
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self (archive footage)
- The Comancheros as Jake Cutter
- Alcoa Premiere
- The Challenge of Ideas as Self
- The 10 from Texas as (archive footage)
1960
- North to Alaska as Sam McCord
- The Alamo as Col. Davy Crockett
- The Colter Craven Story
1959
- Rio Bravo as Sheriff John T. Chance
- The Horse Soldiers as Col John Marlowe
1958
- The Barbarian and the Geisha as Townsend Harris
- I Married a Woman as Actor in a Movie (uncredited)
- The Western: A Lost TV Special as Self
1957
- Wagon Train as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar as Self
- Jet Pilot as Col. Jim Shannon
- Legend of the Lost as Joe January
- The Wings of Eagles as Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
1956
- The Conqueror as Temujin
- Cinépanorama as Self
- The Searchers as Ethan Edwards
- Good-bye, My Lady ... (Producer)
- Seven Men from Now ... (Producer)
1955
- Gunsmoke as Self - Host, Introduction to the Series
- Blood Alley as Capt. Tom Wilder
- Screen Director's Playhouse as Mike Cronin
- The Sea Chase as Captain Karl Ehrlich
- Casablanca
1954
- The High and the Mighty as Dan Roman
- Producers' Showcase as Self
- Track of the Cat ... (Producer)
- Ring of Fear ... (Producer)
1953
- The Oscars as Self
- Hondo as Hondo Lane
- Three Lives as Self
- Island in the Sky as Captain Dooley
- Trouble Along the Way as Stephen Aloysius Williams
- You're the Star as Self
1952
- The Quiet Man as Sean Thornton
- Big Jim McLain as Jim McLain
1951
- I Love Lucy as John Wayne
- The Red Skelton Show as Self (uncredited)
- Operation Pacific as Duke E. Gifford
- Bullfighter and the Lady ... (Producer)
- Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen ... (Producer)
- The Screen Director as Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
- Flying Leathernecks as Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
1950
- What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- The Jack Benny Program as John Wayne
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- The Bob Hope Show as Self - Cameo
- Rio Grande as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
- Sands of Iwo Jima as Sgt. John M. Stryker
- The Dangerous Stranger ... (Producer)
1949
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon as Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
- The Fighting Kentuckian as John Breen
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Red River as Thomas Dunson
- Fort Apache as Capt. Kirby York
- 3 Godfathers as Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower
- Wake of the Red Witch as Capt. Ralls
1947
- Tycoon as Johnny Munroe
- Angel and the Badman as Quirt Evans
1946
- Without Reservations as Rusty Thomas
- Desert Command as Tom Wayne
1945
- Dakota as John Devlin
- Back to Bataan as Colonel Joseph Madden
- They Were Expendable as Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
- Flame of Barbary Coast as Duke Fergus
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee
- Tall in the Saddle as Rocklin
- The Fighting Seabees as Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan
- Memo for Joe as Self
1943
- In Old Oklahoma as Daniel F Somers
- A Lady Takes a Chance as Duke Hudkins
1942
- Flying Tigers as Jim Gordon
- The Spoilers as Glennister
- Pittsburgh as Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham
- Reap the Wild Wind as Captain Jack Stuart
- Reunion in France as Pat Talbot
- Lady for a Night as Jackson Morgan
- In Old California as Tom Craig
1941
- The Shepherd of the Hills as Young Matt Matthews
- Lady from Louisiana as John Reynolds
- A Man Betrayed as Lynn Hollister
1940
- Seven Sinners as Dan
- The Long Voyage Home as Ole Olsen
- Dark Command as Bob Seton
- Three Faces West as John Phillips
1939
- Wyoming Outlaw as Stony Brooke
- Allegheny Uprising as Jim Smith
- New Frontier as Stony Brooke
- Stagecoach as The Ringo Kid
- Three Texas Steers as Stony Brooke
- The Night Riders as Stony Brooke
1938
- Pals of the Saddle as Stony Brooke
- Overland Stage Raiders as Stony Brooke
- Red River Range as Stony Brooke
- Santa Fe Stampede as Stony Brooke
1937
- Born to the West as Dare Rudd
- Adventure's End as Duke Slade
- California Straight Ahead as Biff Smith
- I Cover the War! as Bob Adams
- Idol of the Crowds as Johnny Hanson
1936
- Sea Spoilers as Bob Randall
- King of the Pecos as John Clayborn
- The Lonely Trail as Captain John Ashley
- The Lawless Nineties as John Tipton
- The Stagecoach Race as John Blair
- Winds of the Wasteland as John Blair
- Conflict as Pat Glendon
- The Oregon Trail as Capt John Delmont
1935
- Westward Ho as John Wyatt
- Paradise Canyon as John Wyatt
- Rainbow Valley as John Martin
- The New Frontier as John Dawson
- The Desert Trail as John Scott / John Jones
- Lawless Range as John Middleton
- Avenging Angel as John Mason
- Guns Along The Trail as John Wyatt
- Texas Terror as John Higgins
- The Dawn Rider as John Mason
- Cowboy G-Man as John Wyatt
- On the Run as John Jones
1934
- Blue Steel as John Carruthers
- Claim Jumpers as Jerry Mason
- The Man from Utah as John Weston
- Randy Rides Alone as Randy Bowers
- 'Neath the Arizona Skies as Chris Morrell
- Bandits of the Badlands as John Carruthers
- The Lucky Texan as Jerry Mason
- West of the Divide as Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
- Rodeo Rocketeers as John Weston
- The Star Packer as U.S. Marshal John Travers
- The Trail Beyond as Rod Drew
- The Lawless Frontier as John Tobin
- Next Of Kin as Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
- The Shadow Gang as U.S. Marshal John Travers
- Klondike Gold as Rod Drew
- The Drifter as Randy
- Vengence is Mine as John Tobin
1933
- Baby Face as Jimmy McCoy Jr.
- College Coach as Football player (uncredited)
- Sagebrush Trail as John Brant
- The Three Musketeers as Lt. Tom Wayne
- His Private Secretary as Dick Wallace
- The Man from Monterey as John Holmes
- The Life of Jimmy Dolan as Smith
- Central Airport
- Riders of Destiny as Singin' Sandy Saunders
- Fugitive as John
- The Telegraph Trail as John Trent
- Somewhere in Sonora as John Bishop
1932
- Haunted Gold as John Mason
- Texas Cyclone as Steve Pickett
- Running Hollywood as Emcee
- The Shadow of the Eagle as Craig McCoy
- Two-Fisted Law as Duke
- Lady and Gent as Buzz Kinney
- Ride Him, Cowboy as John Drury
- The Big Stampede as Deputy Sheriff John Steele
- The Hurricane Express as The Air Pilot
- The Hollywood Handicap
1931
- Arizona as Lt. Bob Denton
- The Deceiver as Reginald Thorpe as a corpse
- Maker of Men as Dusty Rhodes
- Girls Demand Excitement as Peter Brooks
- The Range Feud as Clint Turner
- Three Girls Lost as Gordon Wales
1930
- Born Reckless as Extra (uncredited)
- The Big Trail as Breck Coleman
- Men Without Women as Radioman on Surface (uncredited)
- Cheer Up and Smile
- Rough Romance as Lumberjack (uncredited)
1929
- Speakeasy as Extra
- Salute
- The Black Watch as Black Watch Soldier (uncredited)
- Words and Music as Pete Donahue (as Duke Morrison)
1928
- Four Sons
- Hangman's House as Horse Race Spectator / Condemned Man in Flashback
- Noah's Ark as Flood Extra (uncredited)
- A Home Made Man as Man on Stool
1927
- Annie Laurie
- Mother Machree
- The Drop Kick as Football Player / Extra in Stands
- The Draw-Back as Opposing Football Player
1926
- The Great K&A Train Robbery as Extra (uncredited)
- Bardelys the Magnificent as Guard (uncredited)
- Brown of Harvard as Yale LIneback Player