Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Who Is John Wayne? Meet The Iconic Cowboy of Western Films

Everything To Know About John Wayne
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

John Wayne’s actual name is Marion Robert Morrison. He’s nicknamed Duke in the entertainment industry and was an American actor and filmmaker. John was one of those late actors whose career started in the 1920s silent era and pioneered the Golden Age of Hollywood. Eventually, he was the forerunner of the American New Wave of film and television. The cowboy icon has appeared in an impressive total of 179 films and television productions. This has established him among the top box office draws in three decades.

Early Life

Born on May 26, 1907, at Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne’s birth was featured in Winterset Madisonian on page 4 of May 30, 1907 edition, where it was reported he weighed 13 lbs. (around 6 kg). The actor claimed that his middle name, Robert, was changed to Michael because his parents decided to name his brother Robert, but no legal documents supported his claim.

His grandfather was an American Civil War veteran named Marion Mitchell Morrison, while his father is Clyde Leonard Morrison, a pharmacist. Meanwhile, his mother’s name was Mary “Molly” Alberta Brown, who had Scottish, English, and Irish ancestry. He was raised in Presbyterian.

John Wayne initially wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy, but he was not accepted. Instead, he went to the University of Southern California (USC) and majored in pre-law. John went to play on the USC football team but lost his athletic scholarship when he got injured in a bodysurfing accident. Because of this, he had no funds for schooling, thus had to leave the university.

Acting Career

The unfortunate incident of his university life was the push John Wayne needed to start his career in entertainment. He was first hired as a prop boy and extra as a recommendation by silent western film star Tom Mix to his director John Ford. Later on, he moved to support roles in a movie when he established a longtime friendship with Ford. 

Moreover, the first time he was given on-screen credit as “Duke Morrison” happened in the 1929 film Words and Music under Fox Film Corporation. His first big break was in The Big Trail in 1930 when the director Raoul Walsh saw him moving furniture in the studio as a prop boy and cast him as a starring role. He did well on that project, and so, the Fox Studios chief Winfield Sheehan discussed his screen name. The actor suggested “Anthony Wayne,” but Sheehan rejected the idea because it sounded “too Italian.” The second suggestion was “John Wayne,” which was approved, and then his pay was raised to $105 a week.

Thanks to the Stagecoach film in 1939, John Wayne became a household name. The film, directed by John Ford, shot John in mainstream stardom. Even with the breaking out of World War II, John’s career soared, and he won several awards in the 1970 Academy Awards as Best Actor. 1953, 1966, and 1970 Golden Globe Awards gave him Henrietta Award, Cecil B. DeMille Award, and Best Actor for Motion Picture Drama, among other notable accolades.

Marriages And Personal Life

The actor was married three times and divorced twice. His first wife was Josephine Alicia Saenz, his second wife was Esperanza Baur, and his third wife, Pilar Pallete. He had seven children, four from Josephine and three from Pilar. According to reports, his first child Michael Wayne didn’t take his divorcing and new wives lightly because their relationship became harsh at some point. Several of John Wayne’s children worked in film and television. His children also contributed a lot to the productions.

Moreover, the biographer of John Wayne, Michael Munn, chronicled the actor’s drinking habits. This has affected his performance, and some shooting schedules were aligned to it. Sam O’Steen’s Cut to the Chase memoir wrote how the studio directors knew to shoot John’s scene before noon comes as he’s practically a mean drunk by the afternoon. Besides drinking problems, he had been a chain smoker of cigarettes since he’s a young adult and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964. Furthermore, he underwent successful surgery to remove his entire left lung and four ribs. Five years later, he was declared cancer-free.

Death

John Wayne was declared cancer-free, but then he still died of stomach cancer on June 11, 1979. His remains were buried in the Pacific View Memorial Park found in Newport Beach. According to Patrick Wayne and his priest grandson Matthew Munoz, Wayne converted to Roman Catholicism before he died.

Strangely, many cast and crew from the film The Conqueror in 1956 developed different forms of cancer at various times, including the stars like John Wayne, Agnes Moorehead, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, and director Dick Powell. It was shot in southwest Utah, to the east and downwind of recent US government nuclear weapons tests in southeastern Nevada.

John Wayne is an American actor who may have the ups and downs in life, but he’s still a Cowboy icon of Western films, no doubt.

Latest Stories

Kenny Chesney performs inside the Las Vegas Sphere surrounded by neon lights, tropical visuals, and underwater beach bar-themed projections celebrating his historic country concert.

Kenny Chesney Turned the Vegas Sphere Into a Beach Bar and Made Country History

Las Vegas has seen its share of wild nights, but it’s never seen anything quite like what went down when Kenny Chesney brought his barefoot hurricane to the Sphere. May ...

Priscilla Presley poses in a black ruffled blouse with dark red lipstick and auburn hair, attending a formal event years after her life with Elvis Presley, still carrying the legacy of their enduring love story.

Where Is Priscilla Presley Now and Why She Never Remarried After Elvis Presley

There are love stories, and then there’s Elvis and Priscilla. A whirlwind of fame, obsession, heartbreak, and a connection so deep it’s still pulsing five decades after it blew apart. ...

Jamey Johnson and his wife Brittney Eakins smile at each other in wedding attire by a scenic river, celebrating their unique love story that began with a proposal the day after they met.

Jamey Johnson Proposed to His Wife Brittney the Day After They Met and She Said Yes

Jamey Johnson doesn’t date. He decides. And apparently, he decided the moment he met Brittney Eakins because this outlaw son of Alabama met a woman, looked her dead in the ...

Beyoncé performs in a white rhinestone western outfit and cowboy hat during her Cowboy Carter era, drawing controversy after receiving country award nominations at the 2025 AMAs.

Beyoncé Got Two Country Nods at the 2025 AMAs While Real Country Artists Got Nothing

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Beyoncé just scored two country nominations at the 2025 American Music Awards, and half the artists actually living, breathing, and bleeding this genre didn’t get a ...

Breanna Nix hugs her young son backstage as she prepares for her Grand Ole Opry debut, radiating joy ahead of her biggest country music milestone yet.

Breanna Nix Will Make Her Grand Ole Opry Debut and She’s Bringing the Fire With Her

Third place? Nah. Breanna Nix didn’t come off American Idol with a consolation prize. She walked out with a calling. Just days after closing out Season 23 as the sleeper ...

John Foster performs onstage in a tan jacket and cowboy hat, holding a guitar and singing into a microphone under purple lighting.

John Foster Believes There Was a Bigger Reason He Came Second on American Idol

John Foster didn’t come in first on American Idol but let’s be real. The trophy ain’t what gets you to Nashville. It’s what you do after the cameras shut off ...

Dolly Parton stands on stage holding a microphone, wearing a white blazer and black gloves, speaking passionately with two pastel armchairs behind her under soft lighting.

Dolly Parton Reveals the Cost Behind the Career Everyone Thinks Is Perfect

Everyone wants the rhinestones. Nobody signs up for the grindstone. At 79 years old, Dolly Parton stood at the opening of her own Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit and ...

Tim McGraw and George Strait stand side by side onstage, smiling with arms raised and guitars in hand, sharing a moment of camaraderie and mutual respect during a live performance.

Tim McGraw Says He Passed on “Carrying Your Love With Me” Out of Respect for George Strait

Tim McGraw has never been short on hits. The guy basically owned the ’90s. But even legends have moments they look back on and think, “Damn, that one got away.” ...

Riley Green and Randy Houser perform with acoustic guitars onstage at Sand In My Boots Fest, honoring Toby Keith with fiery renditions of his classic songs.

Riley Green and Randy Houser Honor Toby Keith With His Classics at Sand In My Boots Fest

If you were down in Gulf Shores this weekend and didn’t feel the ground shake when Riley Green and Randy Houser tore into “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” check your pulse. ...

Tim McGraw speaks into a podcast microphone, reflecting on aging in country music and saying he's done singing about bikinis and tailgate parties at 58.

Tim McGraw Says He’s 58 Now and Done Singing About Bikinis and Tailgate Parties

Tim McGraw just reminded everyone in Nashville that growing older doesn’t mean growing irrelevant. It means growing up. On a recent episode of TL’s Road House with Tracy Lawrence, McGraw ...