On June 11, 1979, John Wayne, an iconic American film actor
famous for starring in countless westerns, died at age 72 after
battling cancer for more than a decade.
He was born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset,
Iowa, and moved as a child to Glendale, California.
A football star at Glendale High School, he attended the
University of Southern California on a scholarship but
dropped out after two years.
After finding work as a movie studio laborer, Wayne befriended
director John Ford, then a rising talent.
His first acting jobs were bit parts in which he was credited as
Duke Morrison, a childhood nickname derived from the name
of his beloved pet dog.
Wayne’s first starring role came in 1930 with The Big Trail, a
film directed by Raoul Walsh.
John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison)
(May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)
