Very few actors have managed to stay on top of Hollywood’s popularity for as long as John Wayne (1907-1979) did. With more than three decades of successful films, this acclaimed American film star became one of his country’s most important figures. Here we present the John Wayne net worth and biography with a journey through the life of the man who left an indelible legacy in the history of the seventh art.
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ToggleBorn Marion Robert Morrison, on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, he was the first child of Mary Alberta and Clyde Leonard Morrison, who shortly after decided to change the child’s name to Marion Mitchell Robinson, to name their second son Robert. He attended Glendale High School during his teens, where he stood out for his excellent grades and athletic performance. Likewise, he participated in different theater productions at the school level.
While studying at the University of Southern California, he ventured into cinema by appearing as an extra in The Student and The Big Play, two films of the time. Two years after entering the institution, John Wayne suffered an injury that would prevent him from playing football, for which he lost the scholarship that kept him in college. With no other options, John Wayne devoted himself to pursuing his other passion: acting.
John Wayne net worth
John Wayne was married three times: to Josephine Saenz in 1933, to Esperanza Baur in 1946, and to Pilar Pallete in 1954. He had a total of seven children, four with Josephine and three with Pilar. John Wayne’s net worth was about 50 million dollars and could not participate in World War II at the time due to his age and also because he was the sole financial supporter of his family. This represented a great frustration for the actor, who was a highly patriotic man.
After working as an extra in several feature films, director Raoul Walsh offers him a lead role in the western genre film The Big Day. Unfortunately, the feature film was not commercially successful. This failure led John Wayne to only land roles in low-budget projects for the next several years. However, Wayne devoted himself to studying and improving his character as an actor.
John Wayne would have another chance to shine with a supporting role in Stagecoach in 1939. The film was a colossal success and garnered seven Oscar nominations. He would receive applause again for his performance in Hombres del mar ( Intrepid Men ).
John Wayne was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Sands of Iwo Jima ( Bloody Sands ). He returned to the western genre with two films that became classics: The Invincible Legion and the Rio Grande. After these last projects, he put aside the role of action hero to star in The Quiet Man, a film in which many consider him to have had his most prominent romantic role.
John Wayne made his film directorial debut in The Alamo in 1960, a feature film in which he also starred. The film is considered one of the most important of the decade and won several Oscar nominations, despite the fact that critics had polarized opinions. He had a new globally acclaimed performance in One-Shot in the Night ( The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance ).
Four years later, John Wayne underwent a surgical operation in which a lung and several ribs were removed while battling lung cancer. Despite the illness, the actor decided to continue working.
In 1964 he returned to the director’s chair in Green Berets, a film that he also produced and starred in. Being the only film of the time that supported the Vietnam War, the feature film served as a reflection of John Wayne’s deep patriotism.
In 1969, John Wayne starred Temple Steel ( True Grit ). Dealing with a moody director (Henry Hathaway) and an inexperienced actress (Kim Darby), he took the film’s reins and made it a hit. His effort would be rewarded that same year when he won the Oscar for best actor for the role played.
In his films, John Wayne is a true reflection of who he really is: simple and direct. Those are qualities that make it very easy to work with. Henry Hathaway. The Last Gunman – a film he starred alongside Lauren Bacall – would be his last feature film, as he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1978. John Wayne died on June 11, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. His legacy includes a place in the California Hall of Fame, an airport named after him, and a foundation dedicated to fighting cancer.