Wayne, John (1907-1979), an American motion-picture actor, became famous for his he-man roles in Westerns and action films. He won an Academy Award for True Grit (1969). Wayne made more than 150 movies.
Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. He later used the middle name Mitchell, and at times may have used Michael. While attending the University of Southern California, he worked as a prop boy, and occasionally as an extra or stuntman. He played his first role in Hangman’s House (1928). Wayne’s first leading role was in The Big Trail (1930), a box office failure. He then worked mostly in low-budget Westerns until the late 1930’s.
He became a star after director John Ford cast him in the classic Western movie Stagecoach (1939). Wayne’s other notable films include The Long Voyage Home (1940), The Spoilers (1942), Red River (1948), Sands of Iwo Jima and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (both 1949), The Quiet Man (1952), The Searchers (1956), Rio Bravo (1959), The Comancheros (1961), and The Green Berets (1968). Wayne died on June 11, 1979.
