Born: May 26th, 1907 (Iowa)
Died: June 11th, 1979 (lung cancer)
Marriages: Josephine Alicia Saenz (1933-1945), Esperanza Baur (1946-1954) & Pilar Wayne (1954-His death).
Children: With Josephine, he had two boys and two girls: Michael Wayne, Patrick Wayne, Toni Wayne & Melinda Wayne. With Pilar, he had three other children: Aissa Wayne, Ethan Wayne & Marisa Wayne.
Awards: In 1970, Wayne received his first Oscar for the performance in True Grit. It had been a long road to that moment. He had been nominated twice before on performances in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) & The Alamo (1960). Though countless other performances were Oscar worthy, it was the one eyed fat man that gave him this golden statue. He had received twenty-five other awards for acting with thirteen additional nominations. Of these achievements, were Golden Globes, Golden Apples, Golden Boots, Laurel Awards, People's Choice, Photoplay, Walk of Fame and of course Western Heritage Awards.
Interesting Fact: Through the encouragement of his friends, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously by Jimmy Carter in 1980. The Medal read simply "John Wayne, American."
My Favorite Movie: It is impossible for me or my family to pick one film as their favorite of his. There are too many classics.
Patriotic, Majestic, Humble, what do those words mean to you. To me they mean, John Wayne, John Wayne, John Wayne. He is not only one of the greatest actors to have ever lived, he is also one of the greatest men to have ever lived. To me, he was a leader and an activist, though at a time when those who opposed his way of thinking were given these titles. He stood in the face of some of the biggest movements in this country and never batted an eye. His acting earned him the love of a nation because playing a hero wasn't that hard to do. Was he McLintock or Rooster Cogburn, Sgt. John M. Stryker or Col. Mike Kirby. The answer is... He was all of them, every last son of a gun.
Having a father named Wayne, it wasn't hard to appreciate this man. In fact, my dad looks and talks just like him. His album, "America, Why I Love Her," is played around the 4th of July like Christmas music during Christmas time by our family. Almost every member has it completely memorized. He represents what a man hopes to become, what a leader hopes to portray & what an American hopes to live. If another Mount Rushmore was to be made, it should include Ronald Regan, James Cagney, Johnny Cash & John Wayne. Each of these men stood up for what this country was lived and died for, "FREEDOM."
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE OF HIS?
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