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John Wayne is known for his natural swagger and portrayal of the American Western cowboy and the US soldier in movies, also later directing and producing.[1][2]
Marion Robert Morrison was born 26 May 1907 in Winterset, Iowa, to parents Clyde Leonard Morrison and Mary Alberta Brown.[3][4][5][2] An interesting tidbit about Marion's middle name is that his parents changed it to Mitchell upon deciding that they wanted to name their next son Robert.[citation needed]
The world knows Marion better as John Wayne, the famous actor, director and producer.[2] He started using the name upon the suggestion of the studio where he got his first big film role.[2] John also carried the nickname "The Duke" with him throughout his life, a nickname that stemmed from his childhood, given to him by a local fireman he passed every day on his way to school who called him "Little Duke" because he never went anywhere without his large Airedale Terrier named Duke.[2] John attended Glendale High School, and his football career there led to a scholarship to University of Southern California.[2]
On June 26th, 1933, John married college sweetheart Josephine A Saenz in Los Angeles.[6] Their children were Michael Anthony, Mary Antonia, and Patrick John.[7] He married two more times to Esperanzo Bauer and Pilar Palette, and had four more children, Melinda, Marissa, Aissa, and Ethan.[2]
John was young when his family moved from Winterset, Iowa to Los Angeles.[8][2] Later, after losing a football scholarship due to an injury from a body surfing accident, he was able to get odd jobs at local film studios.[2] John played small bits for awhile until his first leading role came in the 1930 movie The Big Trail.[2] From there John would go on to star in 142 films (he had participated in some form in over 200), primarily Westerns, though some of his most beloved films were The Quiet Man and True Grit, which he won an Oscar for in 1969.[2]
John was among the top box-office draws for three decades and was an Academy Award winner.[2] The actor was the epitome of rugged masculinity and easily distinguishable by his demeanor, his calm voice, his walk and his height (6 ft 4 inches).[2]
John Wayne died on 11 June 1979 after a battle with stomach cancer.[9][2][10][11] John had battled lung cancer earlier in life, as well.[2] He requested that his headstone read "Feo, Fuerte y Formal", a Spanish epitaph translated as "ugly, strong, and dignified".[12] His headstone went unmarked for 20 years but now bears this quote from his controversial 1971 Playboy interview: "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." His grave overlooks the Pacific Ocean, where Wayne spent many weekends sailing and fishing.[13]
In June 1999, the American Film Institute named John Wayne the 13th Greatest Male Screen Legend of All Time.[14] Posthumously, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[2] John's legacy also lies in the work he did to influence the US support of the Panama Canal Treaties.[2] Most notably, John lives on in the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, created in 1985.[2]
Originally named Orange County Airport, the Orange County California Board of Supervisors renamed the airport in 1979 in honor of actor John Wayne, who lived in neighboring Newport Beach and died that year. A bronze statue of John Wayne was installed at the airline terminal in 1982.[15]
See also:
This week's featured connections are New York architects: Marion is 13 degrees from Daniel Burnham, 18 degrees from David Childs, 25 degrees from Frank Gehry, 15 degrees from Cass Gilbert, 16 degrees from Henry Hardenbergh, 30 degrees from Maya Ying Lin, 15 degrees from Frederick Olmsted, 23 degrees from I. M. Pei, 18 degrees from John Roebling, 16 degrees from Stanford White, 15 degrees from Frank Wright and 23 degrees from Minoru Yamasaki on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
M > Morrison > Marion Robert Mitchell Morrison
Categories: Actors | Featured Connections Archive 2022 | Golden Globe Winners of the 20th Century | Example Profiles of the Week | Academy Award Winners of the 20th Century | Congressional Gold Medal | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Los Angeles, California | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Sperry's of Connecticut | This Day In History May 26 | This Day In History June 11 | Winterset, Iowa | Featured Actors | Converts to Catholicism | Catholics | Persons Appearing on US Postage Stamps | Iowa Project-Managed | Iowa, Notables | Notables
If you go to the official John Wayne website it states May 26 1907 Marion Robert Morrison is born. It then states in 1912, a mention about his brother Robert Emmet, so his name was changed prior to that, which is what the bio in the profile states.
There is nothing in the sources in this profile that has Michael. What source have you found with Michael being used?
John's other children Michael died April 2, 2003, Mary Antonia died December 6, 2000, Melinda Wayne Munoz died April 13, 2022, could also have open profiles, if they have one of those listed as "private" (although it may be a little soon to fully open Melinda's).
Thanks for your consideration.
From the last interview before her passing: “I found out that he had been restrained by six security men from assaulting me while I was on that stage,” she told Variety. “That was the most violent moment that had ever taken place at the Academy Awards.”
Bottom line: This is a great story, and one that apparently has become part of the mythology of John Wayne, but it appears that it isn't true. It possibly should be viewed as a lesson in how mythologies regarding our ancestors (notable or otherwise) can arise.
We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.
Thanks!
Abby
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Wayne_graumans.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80vhQ1fypOU
Rubbing a tear from his right eye John said that "if I'd known that I'da put that patch on 35 years earlier." His acceptance speech was short and humble. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQhODwivLU
http://moharamagazine.com/congress.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batjac_Productions