John Wayne is a Hollywood actor, best known for his western roles and nicknamed the king of this genre. Winner of the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. The biography of John Wayne, his career and personal life - later in this article.
early years
Marion Robert Morrison, better known under the pseudonym John Wayne, was born May 26, 1907 in the city of Winterset (Iowa, USA). In 1916, the Morrison family moved to California. Even in elementary school, Marion began to introduce himself as Duke, because his real name seemed feminine, and Duke was called his beloved dog. He grew up as a very capable boy, showing success in his studies and in sports. In high school, he played for a school football team, participated in a debate club, was president of Latin society, and led a sports column in a school newspaper.
After graduating from school, Duke wanted to study at the US Naval Academy, but he was not accepted. Then he entered the University of Southern California, where he studied law. Unable to pay tuition, the young man continued to play football for the university team and received a scholarship for this. However, a collarbone injury in his second year deprived Duke of the opportunity to continue his studies.
Carier start
The first film works in the filmography of John Wayne were the roles of nameless footballers in the films Brown from Harvard (1926), Strike on the Fly (1927), Salute (1929) and many others.
In the credits of the first paintings he was only once indicated as "Duke Morrison." The novice actor was not even present when choosing his nickname - the bosses of the Fox studio just decided that the name John Wayne was suitable for him, and since then they have indicated it in the credits that way.
From 1930 to 1939, Wayne starred in more than 80 films, playing supporting roles in extras or tiny episodes. The first success came to him in 1939, when John Ford invited him to the main role in his picture "Stagecoach". The film received rave reviews from both critics and viewers, the commercial success was tremendous, and John Wayne instantly became a star in his image as Baby Ringo.
In 1941, Wayne avoided compulsory conscription to the front because of his age (34 years), but wanted to sign up as a volunteer. The studio kept him contracted and threatened with litigation, seriously fearing losing his rising star.
Success
The first color film of King Wayne John Wayne was the picture "Cowboy from the Hills" (1941), in which he played with his longtime extras friend Harry Carey. The following year, Wayne starred in the movie "Reap the Storm" with Ray Milland and Polett Godard. A role in this film was a rare case when an actor performed a character with dubious values.
One of the most popular films with Wayne was 1954's The Great and Mighty. His portrayal of the heroic co-pilot Dan Roman has received high marks and wide acclaim. The actor also turned to the image of a pilot in the films Flying Tigers (1942), Burning Flight (1951), Heavenly Island (1951), Eagles Wings (1957) and Jet Pilot (1957).
One of the most successful and complex roles of John Wayne is considered Ethan Edwards in the 1956 Western Seekers. The director of this film was John Ford, who at one time “discovered” the Wayne star and then shot it in more than 20 of his films, among which are the very popular “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), “The Quiet Man” (1952) and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Velance" (1962).
For the film "True Courage" (1969), Wayne received an Oscar in the nomination for Best Actor. He played Ruben Cogburn, a one-eyed marshal nicknamed Zadir, who helped an orphan girl track down her father’s killer. The film "True Courage" in 1969 is a classic western, and must be watched at the very beginning of acquaintance with the work of Wayne. The trailer for this picture can be seen below.
Late work
In the 70s, John Wayne continued to actively act in films, being already a true legend - films with his participation were doomed to success. One of the most popular films of the late period is the 1974 detective thriller McCue, in which the actor played the role of detective Lon McCue, his classic character - courageous, courageous, merciless to the "bad" and fair-natured to the "good." The last tape in the filmography of Wayne was the Western "Most Accurate" of 1976, telling about a cancer-sick arrow, whose past deeds prevent him from dying in peace and quiet.
Work on the radio
Like most Hollywood stars of the 1930s and 1940s, John Wayne was a frequent guest at various radio stations, where he mainly acted as an actor in the radio versions of his films. For six months, Wayne has been a reader of the dramatic role of Detective Dan O'Brien in the spy series Three Leaves in the Wind. This character pretended to be an alcoholic to reveal crimes under this mask. It was assumed that "Three sheets in the wind" will soon be released in the film version, but the shooting was never completed.
Personal life
In 1933, John Wayne married set-up partner Josephine Alicia Scientz. In this marriage, the actor had four children - son Michael was born in 1934, daughter Maria Antonia in 1936, son Patrick in 1939 and daughter Melinda in 1940. During this marriage, Wayne spent three years in a romantic relationship with actresses Marlene Dietrich and Merle Oberon.
After a divorce from Josephine in 1942, the actor continued to meet with Merle. In 1946, without ending this relationship, he married Mexican actress Esperanza Baur. A serious quarrel occurred between them in 1947, when the spouse, learning about Merle Oberon, tried to shoot her husband. After that, Wayne broke extramarital affairs and lived with Esperanza until 1954. The third and last wife of the actor was the actress Pilar Pallet. In this marriage, John Wayne had three more children. Daughter Aissa was born in 1956, son John Ethan in 1962 and daughter Marisa in 1966. John Wayne and his third wife Pilar Pallet in the photo below.
Despite the fact that Pilar Pallet remained the official wife of the actor until his death, in 1973 they began to live separately from each other. Wayne's last lover was his former secretary Pat Stacy, who was 34 years younger than him. After living with Pat for five years, John Wayne wanted to divorce Pilar and marry her, but alas, death prevented him from doing this, and Pilar remained the official widow of the actor.
Portrait of personality
Wayne was an avid drunkard, and could not spend a single day without alcohol. The studio managers always arranged his shooting day so that by noon it would end - because in the afternoon he would instantly get drunk to unconsciousness. Wayne also smoked a lot - his norm was six packs of cigarettes a day. Because of this, in 1964 he developed lung cancer. The actor successfully underwent surgery to remove the lung and several ribs. John Wayne's business associates persuaded him to keep the medical history secret, but he did not listen to them and openly announced his cancer, urging everyone to be examined.
One of the actor’s hobbies was riding his own yacht, which was called the Wild Goose. He also loved reading - his favorite authors were Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
Political Views
For most of his life, John Wayne was an ardent conservative and supporter of the Republican Party, supporting anti-communist positions. In 1936, he voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt and was delighted with his successor Harry Truman. Wayne took part in the creation of the Conservative Motion Picture Alliance, which advocated the preservation of American ideals, in February 1944 and was elected president of the organization in 1949. Wayne supported the war in Vietnam - the most striking example of this is the 1968 patriotic film Green Berets, in which, in addition to acting, he co-directed and produced.
Despite the widespread support of the Republicans, Wayne was not their blind follower. So, in the mid-70s, he supported the Treaty of the Panama Canal. The Conservatives wanted the United States to fully control the channel, but Wayne left the Panamanians right and in this issue adhered to the position of the Democrats. On this basis, the actor for the first time in his life received several bags of angry letters.
Death
King of Western died on June 11, 1979 of stomach cancer. He was 72 years old.