Wayne starred in his final film, The Shootist in 1976, ending his acting career of 50 years, 169 feature length films, and various other television appearances or voice-overs.
Oscar winner John Wayne, better known as “The Duke” to his fans, starred in over 165 movies throughout his career, oftentimes playing the swaggering, macho hero of westerns and war epics.
Though somewhat overshadowed by his younger sister, Julia Roberts, and his up-and-comer daughter, Emma Roberts, Eric Roberts easily tops the list as the hardest-working actor in Hollywood, with more than 700 acting credits to his name including over 100 upcoming ones.
Originally called Marion Morrison, the actor used “John Wayne” as a stage name. Offscreen, he went by a nickname: Duke. Wayne's first leading role was in the 1930 western The Big Trail, playing a fur trapper guiding travelers on the Oregon Trail.
Who was JOHN WAYNE'S lifelong BUDDY AND BEST MAN, Ward Bond? A look into the great character actor and best friend of JOHN WAYNE, WARD BOND. How the friendship they shared was on a special level!
Wayne never enlisted and even filed for a 3-A draft deferment, which meant that if the sole provider for a family of four were drafted, it would cause his family undue hardship. The closest he ever came to World War II service was portraying the actions of others on the silver screen.
With production potential as seemingly endless as the region itself, Monument Valley continued to serve as a frequent home for John Ford and John Wayne's films for decades to come.
Following The Shootist, he planned to star in a new film with Ron Howard called Beau John, but health problems intervened. In January of 1979, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which led to his death in June of the same year.
Did John Wayne know he was dying while shooting The Shootist?
It is unknown if John Wayne was aware that he was dying of cancer when he agreed to film The Shootist; whatever the case, the film is a powerful valedictory to a remarkable man and a fabulous career.
John Wayne and Clint Eastwood never shared the screen in a Western film due to an off-screen feud initiated by Wayne, who did not hold favorable opinions of Eastwood.
Bottom line: Earp and Wayne never met. Anything Wayne knew about the real Earp came to him secondhand from Ford during their 25-year working relationship. Their encounter is only a charming Hollywood fable. Nonetheless, Earp and Wayne did share several qualities.
Odds are that when someone mentions John Wayne, they're either thinking about western movies or some old war film. The actor John Wayne never served in the U.S. military, but the classic "John Wayne" served through World War II, the Korean War and in Vietnam, right up until the early 1980s.
