9 Facts About John Wayne, the Cowboy Icon of Classic Cinema

John Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, was not born an actor. His nickname "Duke" came from his Airedale Terrier. After high school, he applied to the US Naval Academy but was rejected, attending USC on a football scholarship. A bodysurfing injury ended his college career, and he became a prop boy at Fox Studios. Director Raoul Walsh cast him in "The Big Trail" (1929), his first film as John Wayne. He avoided WWII military service with draft deferments, later making USO tours. Wayne was married three times: to Josephine Saenz (1933-1945), Esperanza Baur (1946-1954), and Pilar Pallete (until his death), fathering seven children. In a 1971 Playboy interview, he made racist and homophobic comments that resurfaced in 2019, sparking calls to rename John Wayne Airport. He starred in five films with Maureen O'Hara, including "The Quiet Man," where she whispered an unscripted line that left him genuinely surprised—the secret remains unknown. A heavy smoker, Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964, underwent surgery, and became an advocate for early cancer screenings with the American Cancer Society. He died of stomach cancer in 1979; his children founded the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.