Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison) (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed Duke, was an American actor and filmmaker. An Academy Award-winner for True Grit (1969), Wayne was among the top box office draws for three decades. Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne grew up in Southern California. He was president of Glendale High class of 1925. He found work at local film studios when he lost his football scholarship to the University of Southern California as a result of a bodysurfing accident. Initially working for the Fox Film Corporation, he appeared mostly in small bit parts. His first leading role came in Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail (1930), which led to leading roles in numerous B movies throughout the 1930s, many of them in the Western genre. Wayne's career took off in 1939, with John Ford's Stagecoach making him an instant star. He went on to star in 142 pictures. Biographer Ronald Davis said, "John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage. Eighty-three of his movies were Westerns, and in them, he played cowboys, cavalrymen, and unconquerable loners extracted from the Republic's central creation myth." Wayne's other well-known Western roles include a cattleman driving his herd north on the Chisholm Trail in Red River (1948), a Civil War veteran whose young niece is abducted by a tribe of Comanches in The Searchers (1956), and a troubled rancher competing with a lawyer for a woman's hand in marriage in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He is also remembered for his roles in The Quiet Man (1952), Rio Bravo (1959), and The Longest Day (1962). In his final screen performance, he starred as an aging gunfighter battling cancer in The Shootist (1976). He appeared with many important Hollywood stars of his era, and his last public appearance was at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979.

Filmography

• 2026Proust Palimpsesto: Pastiches e Misturas — Ethan Edwards (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2026Spiritual day in Minneapolis
• 2022John Ford and Throwing
• 2001The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
• 1993La Classe américaine — George Abitbol (archive footage)
• 1993The John Wayne Story: The Early Years
• 1992John Wayne's 'The Alamo' — Davy Crockett
• 1991John Wayne - Eine amerikanische Legende — (archive footage)
• 1990John Wayne: American Hero Of The Movies
• 1984Going Hollywood: The '30s — (archive footage)
• Western von gestern — John Wyatt aka John Allen (archive footage), Stony Brooke (archive footage)
• 1977This Little Bullet — Host
• 1976Bob Hope's Comedy Christmas Special
• 1976Bob Hope's World of Comedy — (archive footage)
• 1976Chesty: A Tribute to a Legend — Himself/Narrator
• 1976Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch — Jerry Mason
• 1976The Shootist — J.B. Books
• 1975Brannigan — Lt. Jim Brannigan
• 1975Rooster Cogburn — Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
• 1975Texaco Presents: A Quarter Century of Bob Hope on Television — (archive footage)
• 1974McQ — McQ, Executive Producer
• 1973Cahill: United States Marshal — J.D. Cahill
• 1973The Train Robbers — Lane, Executive Producer
• 1972The Cowboys — Wil Andersen
• 1971Big Jake — Jacob McCandles, Executive Producer
• 1970Chisum — John Chisum
• 1970No Substitute for Victory — Sekf
• 1970Rio Lobo — Col. Cord McNally
• 1969The Undefeated — Colonel John Henry Thomas
• 1969True Grit — Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn
• 1968Hellfighters — Chance Buckman
• 1968The Green Berets — Colonel Mike Kirby, Director
• 1967A Nation Builds Under Fire — Narrator
• Dateline: Hollywood
• 1967The War Wagon — Taw Jackson, Executive Producer
• 1966Cast a Giant Shadow — Gen. Mike Randolph
• 1966El Dorado — Cole Thornton
• 1965In Harm's Way — Capt. Rockwell Torrey
• 1965The Greatest Story Ever Told — Centurion at crucifixion
• 1965The Sons of Katie Elder — John Elder
• 1964Choice — Host
• 1964Circus World — Matt Masters
• 1963Donovan's Reef — Michael "Guns" Donovan
• 1963McLintock! — George Washington McLintock
• 1962Flashing Spikes — Marine Sergeant
• 1962Hatari! — Sean Mercer
• 1962How the West Was Won — William Sherman
• The Beverly Hillbillies — John Wayne (uncredited)
• 1962The Longest Day — Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
• The Lucy Show — John Wayne
• 1962The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance — Tom Doniphon
• Alcoa Premiere
• 1961The 10 from Texas — (archive footage)
• 1961The Comancheros — Jake Cutter
• 1960North to Alaska — Sam McCord
• 1960The Alamo — Col. Davy Crockett, Director, Producer
• 1960The Colter Craven Story
• 1959Rio Bravo — Sheriff John T. Chance
• 1959The Horse Soldiers — Col John Marlowe
• 1958I Married a Woman — Actor in a Movie (uncredited)
• 1958The Barbarian and the Geisha — Townsend Harris
• 1957Jet Pilot — Col. Jim Shannon
• 1957Legend of the Lost — Joe January
• 1957The Wings of Eagles — Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
• Wagon Train — Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
• 19567 Men from Now — Producer
• 1956Good-bye, My Lady — Producer
• 1956The Conqueror — Temujin
• 1956The Searchers — Ethan Edwards
• 1955Blood Alley — Capt. Tom Wilder, Producer
• Casablanca
• Gunsmoke — Self - Host, Introduction to the Series
• 1955Rookie of the Year — Mike Cronin
• Screen Director's Playhouse — Mike Cronin
• 1955The Sea Chase — Captain Karl Ehrlich
• 1954Ring of Fear — Producer
• 1954The High and the Mighty — Dan Roman, Producer
• 1954Track of the Cat — Producer
• 1953Hondo — Hondo Lane, Producer
• 1953Island in the Sky — Captain Dooley, Producer
• 1953Trouble Along the Way — Stephen Aloysius Williams
• 1952Big Jim McLain — Jim McLain
• 1952The Quiet Man — Sean Thornton
• 1951Bullfighter and the Lady — Producer
• 1951Flying Leathernecks — Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
• I Love Lucy — John Wayne
• 1951Operation Pacific — Duke E. Gifford
• 1951Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen — Producer
• The Red Skelton Show — John Wayne, Self (uncredited), Rooster Cogburn
• 1950Rio Grande — Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
• 1950Sands of Iwo Jima — Sgt. John M. Stryker
• 1950The Dangerous Stranger — Producer
• The Jack Benny Program — John Wayne
• 1949She Wore a Yellow Ribbon — Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
• 1949The Fighting Kentuckian — John Breen, Producer
• 19483 Godfathers — Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower
• 1948Fort Apache — Capt. Kirby York
• 1948Red River — Thomas Dunson
• 1948Wake of the Red Witch — Capt. Ralls
• 1947Angel and the Badman — Quirt Evans, Producer
• 1947Tycoon — Johnny Munroe
• 1946Desert Command — Tom Wayne
• 1946Desert Command — Tom Wayne
• 1946Without Reservations — Rusty Thomas
• 1945Back to Bataan — Colonel Joseph Madden
• 1945Dakota — John Devlin
• 1945Flame of Barbary Coast — Duke Fergus
• 1945They Were Expendable — Lt. (J.G.) 'Rusty' Ryan
• 1944Tall in the Saddle — Rocklin
• 1944The Fighting Seabees — Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan
• 1943A Lady Takes a Chance — Duke Hudkins
• 1943In Old Oklahoma — Daniel F Somers
• 1942Flying Tigers — Jim Gordon
• 1942In Old California — Tom Craig
• 1942Lady for a Night — Jackson Morgan
• 1942Pittsburgh — Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham
• 1942Reap the Wild Wind — Captain Jack Stuart
• 1942Reunion in France — Pat Talbot
• 1942The Spoilers — Glennister
• 1941A Man Betrayed — Lynn Hollister
• 1941Lady from Louisiana — John Reynolds
• 1941The Shepherd of the Hills — Young Matt Matthews
• 1940Dark Command — Bob Seton
• 1940Seven Sinners — Dan
• 1940The Long Voyage Home — Ole Olsen
• 1940Three Faces West — John Phillips
• 1939Allegheny Uprising — Jim Smith
• 1939New Frontier — Stony Brooke
• 1939Stagecoach — The Ringo Kid
• 1939The Night Riders — Stony Brooke
• 1939Three Texas Steers — Stony Brooke
• 1939Wyoming Outlaw — Stony Brooke
• 1938Overland Stage Raiders — Stony Brooke
• 1938Pals of the Saddle — Stony Brooke
• 1938Red River Range — Stony Brooke
• 1938Santa Fe Stampede — Stony Brooke
• 1937Adventure's End — Duke Slade
• 1937Born to the West — Dare Rudd
• 1937California Straight Ahead — Biff Smith
• 1937Hell Town — Dare Rudd
• 1937I Cover the War! — Bob Adams
• 1937Idol of the Crowds — Johnny Hanson
• 1936Conflict — Pat Glendon
• 1936King of the Pecos — John Clayborn
• 1936Sea Spoilers — Bob Randall
• 1936The Lawless Nineties — John Tipton
• 1936The Lonely Trail — Captain John Ashley
• 1936The Oregon Trail — Capt John Delmont
• 1936The Stagecoach Race — John Blair
• 1936Winds of the Wasteland — John Blair
• 1935Avenging Angel — John Mason
• 1935Cowboy G-Man — John Wyatt
• 1935Guns Along The Trail — John Wyatt
• 1935Lawless Range — John Middleton
• 1935On the Run — John Jones
• 1935Paradise Canyon — John Wyatt
• 1935Rainbow Valley — John Martin
• 1935Texas Terror — John Higgins
• 1935The Dawn Rider — John Mason
• 1935The Desert Trail — John Scott / John Jones
• 1935The New Frontier — John Dawson
• 1935Westward Ho — John Wyatt
• 1934'Neath the Arizona Skies — Chris Morrell
• 1934Bandits of the Badlands — John Carruthers
• 1934Blue Steel — John Carruthers
• 1934Claim Jumpers — Jerry Mason
• 1934Klondike Gold — Rod Drew
• 1934Next Of Kin — Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
• 1934Randy Rides Alone — Randy Bowers
• 1934Rodeo Rocketeers — John Weston
• 1934The Drifter — Randy
• 1934The Lawless Frontier — John Tobin
• 1934The Lucky Texan — Jerry Mason
• 1934The Man from Utah — John Weston
• 1934The Shadow Gang — U.S. Marshal John Travers
• 1934The Star Packer — U.S. Marshal John Travers
• 1934The Trail Beyond — Rod Drew
• 1934Vengence is Mine — John Tobin
• 1934West of the Divide — Ted Hayden aka Gat Ganns
• 1933Baby Face — Jimmy McCoy Jr.
• 1933Central Airport
• 1933College Coach — Football player (uncredited)
• 1933Fugitive — John
• 1933His Private Secretary — Dick Wallace
• 1933Riders of Destiny — Singin' Sandy Saunders
• 1933Sagebrush Trail — John Brant
• 1933Somewhere in Sonora — John Bishop
• 1933The Life of Jimmy Dolan — Smith
• 1933The Man from Monterey — John Holmes
• 1933The Telegraph Trail — John Trent
• 1933The Three Musketeers — Lt. Tom Wayne
• 1932Haunted Gold — John Mason
• 1932Lady and Gent — Buzz Kinney
• 1932Ride Him, Cowboy — John Drury
• 1932Running Hollywood — Emcee
• 1932Texas Cyclone — Steve Pickett
• 1932The Big Stampede — Deputy Sheriff John Steele
• 1932The Hollywood Handicap
• 1932The Hurricane Express — The Air Pilot
• 1932The Shadow of the Eagle — Craig McCoy
• 1932Two-Fisted Law — Duke
• 1931Arizona — Lt. Bob Denton
• 1931Girls Demand Excitement — Peter Brooks
• 1931Maker of Men — Dusty Rhodes
• 1931The Deceiver — Reginald Thorpe as a corpse
• 1931The Range Feud — Clint Turner
• 1931Three Girls Lost — Gordon Wales
• 1930Born Reckless — Extra (uncredited)
• 1930Cheer Up and Smile — Roy
• 1930Men Without Women — Radioman on Surface (uncredited)
• 1930Rough Romance — Lumberjack (uncredited), Props
• 1930The Big Trail — Breck Coleman
• 1929Salute — Midshipman Bill
• 1929Speakeasy — Extra
• 1929The Black Watch — Black Watch Soldier (uncredited)
• 1929Words and Music — Pete Donahue (as Duke Morrison)
• 1928A Home Made Man — Man on Stool
• 1928Four Sons — Property Master
• 1928Hangman's House — Horse Race Spectator / Condemned Man in Flashback
• 1928Noah's Ark — Flood Extra (uncredited)
• 1927Annie Laurie
• 1927Mother Machree — Property Master
• 1927The Draw-Back — Opposing Football Player
• 1927The Drop Kick — Football Player / Extra in Stands
• 1926Bardelys the Magnificent — Guard (uncredited)
• 1926Brown of Harvard — Yale LIneback Player
• 1926The Great K&A Train Robbery — Extra (uncredited)
• Rodeo Racketeers

Appearances as themselves (85)

• 2025Breakdown: 1975 — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Elway — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Naughty America: Guns & Stripes — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Atomic People — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Remembering Gene Wilder — Self (archive photo)
• 2024The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout — Self (archive footage)
• 2023John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons — Self (Archive Footage)
• 2022Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend — Self (archive footage)
• 2019Gérard Blain : adultes, je vous hais — Self (archive)
• 2019John Ford: The Man Who Invented America — Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
• 2019John Wayne - America at All Costs — Himself (archive footage)
• 2017The Fabulous Allan Carr — Self (archive footage)
• 2016John Wayne on Film — Himself
• 2013Dictator: One Crazy Job — Self (archive footage)
• 2013John Ford & Monument Valley — Self (archive footage)
• Talking Pictures — Self (archive footage)
• 2012Christmas Around the World with Perry Como — Self
• 2010Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff — Self (archive footage)
• 2010Nuke 'Em, Duke — Self (archive footage)
• 20091939: Hollywood's Greatest Year — Self (archive footage)
• Battleground — Self (archive footage)
• 2002Edith Head: The Paramount Years — Self (archive footage)
• 2001The Duke at Fox — Self (archive footage)
• 2000John Wayne-A Life on Film — Himself
• 1999Television: The First Fifty Years — Self (archive footage)
• 1998JOHN WAYNE - AMERICAN LEGEND — Himself
• 1998The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self - Roaster (archive footage)
• 1997The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender — Self (archive footage)
• 1993The John Wayne Story - The Later Years — Himself
• 1993The Making of 'Rio Grande' — Self (archive footage)
• 1993Young Duke: Making Of A Movie Star — Himself
• 1991Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire — Self (archive footage)
• 1991Movie Tough Guys — Self (archive footage)
• 1988Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Sacrée soirée — Self (archive footage)
• 1982Showbiz Goes to War — Self (archive footage)
• Hollywood — Self
• 1978Perry Como's Early American Christmas — Self
• 1977Johnny, weil Du Geburtstag hast — Self
• 1977That's Action — self
• 1976CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years — Self
• 1976Hooray for Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
• 1976It's Showtime — Self (archive footage)
• 1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)
• 1974Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Spécial cinéma — Self (archive footage)
• The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self
• 1973The Man Behind the Star — Self
• 1973The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks — Self (archive footage)
• 1973Wayne Train — Self
• 1972Cancel My Reservation — Himself (uncredited)
• Maude — Himself
• 1971Directed by John Ford — Self (1969)
• 1971The American West of John Ford — Self - Narrator
• 1971The Selling of the Pentagon — Self (archive footage)
• V.I.P. Schaukel — Self
• 1970Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo — Self
• 1970Raquel! — Self
• 1970Swing Out, Sweet Land — Self - Host
• The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour — Self
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In — Self (uncredited)
• 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archive footage)
• 1966The Victory Squad — Self - Host
• 1965The Making of A Movie — Himself
• Hollywood and the Stars — Self (archive footage)
• The Merv Griffin Show — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• 1961The Challenge of Ideas — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self (archive footage)
• 1958The Western: A Lost TV Special — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• Cinépanorama — Self
• Producers' Showcase — Self
• The Oscars — Self
• 1953Three Lives — Self
• 1953You're the Star — Self
• 1951The Screen Director — Self (staged 'archive' footage) (uncredited)
• The Bob Hope Show — Self - Cameo
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
• What's My Line? — Self - Mystery Guest
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee
• 1944Memo for Joe — Self
• Marlene Dietrich: Home Movies — Himself