John
Wayne was born with the name Marion Robert Morrison. When John Wayne's
brother was born the name Robert was given to him. Duke's name was changed
to Marion Michael Morrison. His nickname was Duke
He was born May 26, 1907 Winterset, Iowa
His parents were Clyde Morrison & Mary Brown
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Duke was 6'4'' and had brown hair and blue eyes and wore a size-11 boot.
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John Wayne went to school at Glendale High School, California and later attended the University of Southern California where he played football. Duke joined the Sigma Chi fraternity while at USC.
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John Wayne's first job relating to movies was as a prop man for Tom Mix.
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There is much debate on which movie to credit as his first, but most sources will agree that "Words and Music" - 1929 was his first on screen credit under the name of Duke Morrison.
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John Wayne's role as Ringo Kid in the 1939 movie "Stagecoach" was the one that made him a star. In this movie, directed by John Ford, he shared top billing with co-star Clair Trevor.
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The last movie Duke made was "The Shootist" - 1976
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John Wayne was nominated for 2 film awards (Sands of Iwo Jima and True Grit) but he finally won an Oscar for the part of Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit-1969"
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John Wayne died on June 11,1979 at the age of 72. He is buried at the Pacific View Memorial Park, Newport Beach, California.
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On June 11,1979, the date of John Wayne's death, the flame of the Olympic Torch at the Coliseum in Los Angeles was lit to honor his memory. The airport in Orange County, California was renamed shortly after his death to John Wayne Airport.
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John
Wayne, when asked how he wanted to be remembered, replied: 'Feo, Fuerte
y Formal" - Spanish proverb meaning
"He was ugly, strong and had dignity"
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John Wayne ... There Rode a Legend
Biography
Ronald
Reagan tribute to his long time friend, John Wayne.
John
Wayne - Patriot
John Wayne
works with the USO, visits the troops and is honored by the military
with a Army RAH-66 Helicopter named the "Duke."
The
Bracelet
The story
behind John Wayne's POW and Montagnard bracelets.
In
the News
John Wayne
was often in the news. Here are some little known news events.
Congressional
Gold Medal
The United
States honors John Wayne with a gold medal.
Duke's
Military Films
John Wayne
represented all branches of the Armed Forces in his movies.
John
Wayne Facts
Are you
wanting to know how tall John Wayne was, where he was born, where he
went to school... Check out this quick fact sheet on the Duke.
Memorable Moments
Special
scenes and quotes in the film career of John Wayne.
John
Wayne Trivia
Fun and
interesting trivia in the life and film career of John Wayne.
John
Wayne Tour
There
are lots of "Duke" places to visit in California. Read our
humorous account of "the John Wayne" tour.
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