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.
Academy Awards
Best Actor
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Known For
Rio Bravo
(1959)
John Chance
Baby Face
(1933)
Jimmy McCoy Jr.
The Greatest Story Ever Told
(1965)
Centurion at crucifixion
True Grit
(1969)
Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
Sly
(2023)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Big Jake
(1971)
Jacob McCandles
McLintock!
(1963)
George Washington McLintock
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(1962)
Tom Doniphon
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Colonel Cord McNally
El Dorado
(1966)
Cole Thornton
The Quiet Man
(1952)
Sean Thornton
The Searchers
(1956)
Ethan Edwards
Red River
(1948)
Thomas Dunson
Stagecoach
(1939)
The Ringo Kid
The Cowboys
(1972)
Wil Andersen
3 Godfathers
(1948)
Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower
Full Filmography
Acting
The Great K&A Train Robbery
(1926)
Bardelys the Magnificent
(1926)
Brown of Harvard
(1926)
Yale Football Player (uncredited)
The Drop Kick
(1927)
Football Player / Extra in Stands
The Draw-Back
(1927)
Opposing Football Player
Mother Machree
(1927)
Annie Laurie
(1927)
Hangman's House
(1928)
Horse Race Spectator / Condemned Man in Flashback
A Home Made Man
(1928)
Man on Stool
Noah's Ark
(1928)
Flood Extra (uncredited)
Four Sons
(1928)
Words and Music
(1929)
Pete Donahue
Speakeasy
(1929)
Extra
Salute
(1929)
The Black Watch
(1929)
Black Watch Soldier (uncredited)
The Big Trail
(1930)
Breck Coleman
Rough Romance
(1930)
Lumberjack
Cheer Up and Smile
(1930)
Born Reckless
(1930)
Extra (uncredited)
Men Without Women
(1930)
Radioman on Surface (uncredited)
Arizona
(1931)
Lt. Bob Denton
The Range Feud
(1931)
Clint Turner
Maker of Men
(1931)
Dusty Rhodes
Girls Demand Excitement
(1931)
Peter Brooks
Three Girls Lost
(1931)
Gordon Wales
The Shadow of the Eagle
(1932)
Craig McCoy
The Hurricane Express
(1932)
The Air Pilot
The Big Stampede
(1932)
Deputy Sheriff John Steele
Ride Him, Cowboy
(1932)
John Drury
Haunted Gold
(1932)
John Mason
Two-Fisted Law
(1932)
Duke
Texas Cyclone
(1932)
Steve Pickett
Lady and Gent
(1932)
Buzz Kinney
Running Hollywood
(1932)
Emcee
Riders of Destiny
(1933)
Singin' Sandy Saunders
Sagebrush Trail
(1933)
John Brant
Baby Face
(1933)
Jimmy McCoy Jr.
His Private Secretary
(1933)
Dick Wallace
The Man from Monterey
(1933)
John Holmes
The Telegraph Trail
(1933)
John Trent
Somewhere in Sonora
(1933)
John Bishop
The Three Musketeers
(1933)
Lt. Tom Wayne
The Life of Jimmy Dolan
(1933)
Smith
College Coach
(1933)
Central Airport
(1933)
Randy Rides Alone
(1934)
Randy Bowers
The Lucky Texan
(1934)
Jerry Mason
The Trail Beyond
(1934)
Rod Drew
West of the Divide
(1934)
Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
The Star Packer
(1934)
U.S. Marshal John Travers
The Lawless Frontier
(1934)
John Tobin
The Man from Utah
(1934)
John Weston
Blue Steel
(1934)
John Carruthers
'Neath the Arizona Skies
(1934)
Chris Morrell
Bandits of the Badlands
(1934)
John Carruthers
The Shadow Gang
(1934)
U.S. Marshal John Travers
Next Of Kin
(1934)
Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
Texas Terror
(1935)
John Higgins
Paradise Canyon
(1935)
John Wyatt
Westward Ho
(1935)
John Wyatt
Rainbow Valley
(1935)
John Martin
The Desert Trail
(1935)
John Scott / John Jones
The Dawn Rider
(1935)
John Mason
Lawless Range
(1935)
John Middleton
The New Frontier
(1935)
John Dawson
Guns Along The Trail
(1935)
John Wyatt
Avenging Angel
(1935)
John Mason
Winds of the Wasteland
(1936)
John Blair
King of the Pecos
(1936)
John Clayborn
The Lawless Nineties
(1936)
John Tipton
The Lonely Trail
(1936)
Captain John Ashley
The Oregon Trail
(1936)
Capt John Delmont
Sea Spoilers
(1936)
Bob Randall
Conflict
(1936)
Pat Glendon
The Stagecoach Race
(1936)
John Blair
Born to the West
(1937)
Dare Rudd
Idol of the Crowds
(1937)
Johnny Hanson
I Cover the War!
(1937)
Bob Adams
California Straight Ahead
(1937)
Biff Smith
Adventure's End
(1937)
Duke Slade
Santa Fe Stampede
(1938)
Stony Brooke
Red River Range
(1938)
Stony Brooke
Overland Stage Raiders
(1938)
Stony Brooke
Pals of the Saddle
(1938)
Stony Brooke
Stagecoach
(1939)
The Ringo Kid
Allegheny Uprising
(1939)
Jim Smith
New Frontier
(1939)
Stony Brooke
Three Texas Steers
(1939)
Stony Brooke
The Night Riders
(1939)
Stony Brooke
Wyoming Outlaw
(1939)
Stony Brooke
Dark Command
(1940)
Bob Seton
Three Faces West
(1940)
John Phillips
Seven Sinners
(1940)
Dan
The Long Voyage Home
(1940)
Ole Olsen
A Man Betrayed
(1941)
Lynn Hollister
The Shepherd of the Hills
(1941)
Young Matt Matthews
Lady from Louisiana
(1941)
John Reynolds
Reunion in France
(1942)
Pat Talbot
Lady for a Night
(1942)
Jackson Morgan
In Old California
(1942)
Tom Craig
Flying Tigers
(1942)
Jim Gordon
The Spoilers
(1942)
Glennister
Pittsburgh
(1942)
Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham
Reap the Wild Wind
(1942)
Captain Jack Stuart
In Old Oklahoma
(1943)
Daniel F Somers
A Lady Takes a Chance
(1943)
Duke Hudkins
The Fighting Seabees
(1944)
Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan
Tall in the Saddle
(1944)
Rocklin
Memo for Joe
(1944)
Self
Flame of Barbary Coast
(1945)
Duke Fergus
They Were Expendable
(1945)
Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
Back to Bataan
(1945)
Colonel Joseph Madden
Dakota
(1945)
John Devlin
Without Reservations
(1946)
Rusty Thomas
Desert Command
(1946)
Tom Wayne
Angel and the Badman
(1947)
Quirt Evans
Tycoon
(1947)
Johnny Munroe
Red River
(1948)
Thomas Dunson
Wake of the Red Witch
(1948)
Capt. Ralls
3 Godfathers
(1948)
Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower
Fort Apache
(1948)
Capt. Kirby York
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(1949)
Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
The Fighting Kentuckian
(1949)
John Breen
Rio Grande
(1950)
Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
Sands of Iwo Jima
(1950)
Sgt. John M. Stryker
Operation Pacific
(1951)
Duke E. Gifford
Flying Leathernecks
(1951)
Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
The Screen Director
(1951)
Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
Big Jim McLain
(1952)
Jim McLain
The Quiet Man
(1952)
Sean Thornton
Hondo
(1953)
Hondo Lane
Island in the Sky
(1953)
Captain Dooley
Trouble Along the Way
(1953)
Stephen Aloysius Williams
Three Lives
(1953)
Self
You're the Star
(1953)
Self
The High and the Mighty
(1954)
Dan Roman
The Sea Chase
(1955)
Captain Karl Ehrlich
Blood Alley
(1955)
Capt. Tom Wilder
Rookie of the Year
(1955)
Mike Cronin
The Searchers
(1956)
Ethan Edwards
The Conqueror
(1956)
Temujin, later Genghis Khan
Legend of the Lost
(1957)
Joe January
The Wings of Eagles
(1957)
Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
Jet Pilot
(1957)
Col. Jim Shannon
The Barbarian and the Geisha
(1958)
Townsend Harris
I Married a Woman
(1958)
Rio Bravo
(1959)
John Chance
The Horse Soldiers
(1959)
Col John Marlowe
The Alamo
(1960)
Col. Davy Crockett
North to Alaska
(1960)
Sam McCord
The Colter Craven Story:
(1960)
The Comancheros
(1961)
Jake Cutter
The 10 from Texas
(1961)
(archive footage)
The Challenge of Ideas
(1961)
Self
Hatari!
(1962)
Sean Mercer
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(1962)
Tom Doniphon
How the West Was Won
(1962)
Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
The Longest Day
(1962)
Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
Flashing Spikes
(1962)
Marine Sergeant
McLintock!
(1963)
George Washington McLintock
Donovan's Reef
(1963)
Michael "Guns" Donovan
Circus World
(1964)
Matt Masters
Choice
(1964)
Host
In Harm's Way
(1965)
Capt. Rockwell Torrey
The Sons of Katie Elder
(1965)
John Elder
The Greatest Story Ever Told
(1965)
Centurion at crucifixion
El Dorado
(1966)
Cole Thornton
Cast a Giant Shadow
(1966)
Gen. Mike Randolph
The Victory Squad
(1966)
Himself - Host
The War Wagon
(1967)
Taw Jackson
A Nation Builds Under Fire
(1967)
Narrator
The Green Berets
(1968)
Colonel Mike Kirby
Hellfighters
(1968)
Chance Buckman
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Self (archive footage)
True Grit
(1969)
Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
The Undefeated
(1969)
Colonel John Henry Thomas
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Colonel Cord McNally
Chisum
(1970)
John Simpson Chisum
No Substitute for Victory
(1970)
Himself
Raquel!
(1970)
Self
Swing Out, Sweet Land
(1970)
Self - Host
Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo
(1970)
Self
Big Jake
(1971)
Jacob McCandles
The American West of John Ford
(1971)
Self - Narrator
Directed by John Ford
(1971)
Self (1969)
The Selling of the Pentagon
(1971)
Self (archive footage)
The Cowboys
(1972)
Wil Andersen
Cancel My Reservation
(1972)
Cahill: United States Marshal
(1973)
J.D. Cahill
The Train Robbers
(1973)
Lane
Wayne Train
(1973)
Self
The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks
(1973)
Self (archive footage)
McQ
(1974)
McQ
Brannigan
(1975)
Lt. Jim Brannigan
Rooster Cogburn
(1975)
Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
(1975)
Self (archive footage)
The Shootist
(1976)
J.B. Books
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(1976)
Jerry Mason
Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend
(1976)
Himself/Narrator
It's Showtime
(1976)
Self (archive footage)
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
(1976)
Self
Bob Hope's Comedy Christmas Special
(1976)
That's Action
(1977)
self
This Little Bullet
(1977)
Host
Perry Como's Early American Christmas
(1978)
Self
Showbiz Goes to War
(1982)
(archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(1984)
(archive footage)
Hollywood's Hidden Secrets
(1987)
(Archival Footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
(1988)
Self (archive footage)
John Wayne: American Hero Of The Movies
(1990)
John Wayne - Eine amerikanische Legende
(1991)
(archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire
(1991)
Self (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys
(1991)
Self (archive footage)
John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
(1992)
Davy Crockett
La Classe américaine
(1993)
George Abitbol (archive footage)
The John Wayne Story - The Later Years
(1993)
Himself
Young Duke: Making Of A Movie Star
(1993)
Himself
The Making of 'Rio Grande'
(1993)
Self (archive footage)
The John Wayne Story: The Early Years
(1993)
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
JOHN WAYNE - AMERICAN LEGEND
(1998)
Himself
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
(1998)
Self - Roaster (archive footage)
Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman
(1998)
Self (archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years
(1999)
Self (archive footage)
John Wayne - Ein Leben für den Film
(2000)
Himself
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
(2001)
The Duke at Fox
(2001)
Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
(2009)
Self (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
(2010)
Self (archive footage)
Nuke 'Em, Duke
(2010)
Self (archive footage)
John Ford & Monument Valley
(2013)
Self (archive footage)
Dictator: One Crazy Job
(2013)
Self (archive footage)
And the Oscar Goes To...
(2014)
Self (archive footage)
John Wayne on Film
(2016)
Himself
John Ford: The Man Who Invented America
(2019)
Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
John Wayne - America at All Costs
(2019)
Himself (archive footage)
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
(2023)
Self (Archive Footage)
The Conqueror (Hollywood Fallout)
(2023)
Self (archive footage)
Sly
(2023)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Crew
Production
Angel and the Badman
(1947)
Producer
The Fighting Kentuckian
(1949)
Producer
The Dangerous Stranger
(1950)
Producer
Bullfighter and the Lady
(1951)
Producer
Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen
(1951)
Producer
Hondo
(1953)
Producer
Island in the Sky
(1953)
Producer
The High and the Mighty
(1954)
Producer
Track of the Cat
(1954)
Producer
Ring of Fear
(1954)
Producer
Blood Alley
(1955)
Producer
7 Men from Now
(1956)
Producer
Good-bye, My Lady
(1956)
Producer
The Alamo
(1960)
Producer
Big Jake
(1971)
Executive Producer
The Train Robbers
(1973)
Executive Producer
McQ
(1974)
Executive Producer
Directing