As a result of his great career, John Wayne rose to become one of the most well-known movie actors in history. Before becoming the biggest cinematic star of his generation, the «True Grit» actor worked in a completely other field.
John Wayne was both a well-known movie star and a well-known family man. He is the father of seven children from three marriages. And it turns out that John Wayne was an outlier, because the children of other actors may remember not having their mother or father present when they were young.
Some of his children have made public declarations about him since his terrible death, revealing the truth for all to read. Here’s all you need to know about the iconic John Wayne, including his tragic death.
Some of his children have made public declarations about him since his terrible death, revealing the truth for all to read. Here’s all you need to know about the iconic John Wayne, including his tragic death.
Wayne’s family relocated to Glendale, California, when he was about nine or ten years old. Despite the family’s difficulties along the way, his father began working as a pharmacist there. Simply put, success in California proved to be difficult. Finally, John Wayne was exposed to a variety of situations that shaped his principles and character.
His attendance there was undoubtedly beneficial to him later in life for this reason alone.
«This small youngster and his ill father migrate to the western Mojave Desert in an attempt to produce.» Ethan, Wayne’s father, described his father’s upbringing as follows: «That’s a hard place to farm, and they fail, and he has a really hard, charging mother.»
«The father finds it difficult, and he is never satisfied.» They eventually settled in Glendale, which was then a separate little rural community. The mother was a bit of a taskmaster, but the father was more social. And I’m sure [John] took comfort in his contacts and his studies.
John attended Glendale High School, where he discovered his love of acting. He succeeded in school and, among other things, played football. He was also active in student theatre productions. He was the debate team’s captain, a member of the dance committee, and the school newspaper’s editor-in-chief.
Wayne captained the football team to a championship and a football scholarship to the University of Southern California. He was a good student at first, but the tuition was too much, so he dropped out to work. It wasn’t the only reason he didn’t go to college.
No, the young John Wayne appeared to be on his way to the National Football League. He was hurt in a bodysurfing accident in 1926, despite his ability and dedication.
Wayne quickly got work at a nearby film studio, where he appeared in a number of films as both an extra and a prop guy. He met several major personalities in the film industry there, most notably John Ford, who taught him a lot.
«I used to be a carpenter and a juicer.» I helped with the set construction and lighting rigging. Props were delivered. Furniture was relocated. According to Scott Eyman’s book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, Wayne stated, «I learned the ins and outs of filmmaking.»
Wayne first collaborated with the aforementioned Ford on the set of Mother Machree in 1928, where he was tasked with herding geese. He’d been at the studio for a long time and was well-known to many individuals. Raoul Walsh, the director who employed John when he was still known as Marion Morrison, was one such person.
Soon after, he was cast as the lead in the 1930 picture The Big Trail, and his name was permanently altered on the set. Studios preferred names that sounded somewhat classical at the time; ethnic names were not accepted.
According to Winfield Sheehan, chairman of Fox Studios, the name «John Wayne,» just sort of sprang up in conversations since it appeared to match with «Wayne.» The name «Wayne» is derived from the Revolutionary War commander «Mad Anthony» Wayne. It was completely symmetrical. Since then, Marion, also known as Duke by his family, has gone by the name John Wayne. It also marked the beginning of one of the most illustrious careers in film history.
Wayne then watched some great films. He made his film debut in the iconic 1939 film Stagecoach before going on to star in a succession of 1950s hits like The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo, and, later, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. True Grit, released in 1969, featured him.
Despite soon becoming the buzz of the town, John Wayne did not consider himself a celebrity. Instead, he was sure that «John Wayne» and «Duke Morrison» were two unique people, two personalities inhabiting the same body.
«The guy you see on TV isn’t me,» Wayne admitted in 1957. My name is Duke Morrison, and I have never been and will never be a movie star like John Wayne. I’m familiar with him. I’m one of his most devoted students. I have no choice. I rely on him to help me.
Many actors now seek to physically embody the character they will play in order to prepare for a part. When impersonating someone else, authenticity is essential; hence, any great actor will want to know their character totally and plainly.
For John Wayne, this was just part of the process. Eyman insisted on being addressed as Duke, his childhood moniker.
«In Wayne’s imagination, he was Duke Morrison,» Eyman says in his memoirs. As the Tramp was to Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne’s role enhanced but did not completely replace his own personality. «I’ve always been Duke, Marion, or John Wayne,» the actor declared in 1975. «John Wayne is a name that sounds like one word and fits together well.»
John also established himself as a successful actor and father. In contrast, his personal life had taken a number of unexpected turns.
He has four children with his first wife, Josephine Wayne, whom he married in 1933. Their names were Patrick, Mary, Michael, and Melinda. Wayne married his second wife, Esperanza Baur, twelve years after the couple divorced. They were married for eight years.
In 1954, Wayne married for the third time. Aissa, Ethan, and Marisa were his three children with Peruvian actress Pilar Pallet. They were married till he died.
Growing up with a well-known Hollywood actor as a father must have been an exceptional experience for his children. But Wayne never considered himself to be superior to anyone else.
In a 2017 interview, Patrick, one of his younger children, told Jeremy Roberts about his father.
«One of those people whose presence was amazing was my father. He could walk into a room and stop everything. Similarly, in about five minutes, he could make you feel completely at ease and comfortable. He seemed naturally pleasant and laid-back,» she noted.
The fact that Patrick’s father was the one and only John Wayne wasn’t a huge thing to his pals.
They knew who my father was and who I was. My father was also expanding and becoming more visible, he explained. «More and more prevalent. Everyone in my immediate circle was going through it.
Unfortunately, doctors delivered dreadful news to John Wayne just as his cinematic career was reaching its pinnacle.
In 1964, Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had his left lung and four ribs removed, and he was initially expected to recover entirely. The actor, on the other hand, continued to chew tobacco and smoke, which did not help. John Wayne appeared in The Shootist in 1976. In the end, it was his final film, and the actor’s health rapidly deteriorated in the years after its release. His daughter, Aissa, admitted she found it difficult to watch.
Wayne has perished in several previous flicks. The shooter, however, was not the same for Aissa.
Aissa remarked in her book John Wayne: My Father, «In this movie, he was dying of cancer, and that was extremely unsettling.»
«If not a family curse, the threat of cancer had never gone away for us.» Since my uncle Bob died of cancer by the time The Shootist was published, I’ve been terrified that my father may succumb to the disease as well. My father, I suppose, had similar anxieties when he penned The Shootist, despite the fact that his disease would not be found for another two years.
By 1978, John Wayne’s voice had failed him, and he was unable to perform. He tried all he could to hide the fact that his cancer had returned. John Wayne died on June 11, 1979, at the age of 79. According to History.com, stomach cancer was the official cause of his death.
When the illness was discovered, doctors judged that the actor was too fragile to begin chemotherapy or experimental treatment.
John Wayne died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. According to Outsider, he died while surrounded by relatives and spent his last days drifting in and out of consciousness.
Although John Wayne is often characterized as a large, menacing Western figure and a male role model, he also had a soft side.
Aissa, Wayne’s daughter, was in his bed when he died. When she held his father’s hand and inquired about his understanding of who she was, he spoke some nice final words to her.
«Of course, I know who you are. Girl, I adore you. Aissa remembers her father saying to her, «I love you.»
Wayne was put to rest at the Pacific View Memorial Park Cemetery in Newport Beach, California. Though the exact site was kept a secret for many years, it is located on a hillside with a breathtaking view of the ocean.
According to a Los Angeles Times report, the site of his tomb remained unclear for many years. Because of security concerns, fans were unable to attend his funeral; thus, his last goodbye remained a private affair. His grave stayed unmarked for 20 years.
