
Wayne told a group of friends after a private screening of Midnight cowboy that he thought that actors Hoffman and Voight were great. A few days later he wondered: “Whoever thought I’d say good things about a movie featuring a gigolo, a homeless Italian dwarf, and gang rape”.
May 26, 1907
Marion Robert Morrison
June 11, 1979
Raised in California, Marion went to USC on a football scholarship. During summer vacations he was employed as a third-string prop man in the Fox-studio's and on the set he became close friends with director John Ford for whom he began doing bit parts.
Wayne got his break winning the the lead in Fox's upcoming Western epic The big trail. He changed his name in John Wayne and became in 1939 a star in the role of The Ringo kid in Stagecoach.
In 1948 for the first time, critics sat up and took notice when the duke starred in Howard Hawks' Red River (1948). The 50s gave Wayne an opportunity to depth and poignancy in films like She wore a yellow ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950), The Searchers (1956) and Rio Bravo (1959).
In real life he was a patriot, an ultra-American who reflected his right-wing political stance in The Alamo (1960) and in The green berets (1968). John won his only Academy Award with True Grit (1969).
1970 Won Best actor for: True grit (1969)
1961 Nominated Best picture for: The Alamo(1960)
1950 Nominated Best actor for: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
S. Zmijewsky and B. Zmijewsky and M. Ricci -> The Complete Films of John Wayne (1983/1995)
Randy Roberts and James S. Olson -> John Wayne, American (1995)
Ronald L. Davis -> Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne (1998)
Emanuel Levy -> John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life (1988/1998)