JOHN WAYNE

Marion Robert Morrison, known by his professional name as John Wayne, nicknamed Duke, is an American actor and film producer. In 1976, Maureen O’Hara awarded him the “People’s Choice Award” for the most popular film actor. John Wayne, one of the most popular film actors of the 20th century, remains a popular American icon to this day. John Wayne was born May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. He received his first leading film role in The Big Trail (1930). Working with John Ford, he got his next big break in Stagecoach(1939).

His career as an actor took another leap forward when he worked with director Howard Hawks in Red River (1948). Wayne won his first Academy Award in 1969. His last public appearance was at the 51st Academy Awards (1979) when he awarded the Best Picture Oscar for “Deer Hunter” (1978). This is not a movie that Wayne likes, because it shows a very different view of the Vietnam War from his own movie “Green Beret” (1968) ten years ago. He died in 1979.