Marion Robert Morrison was born on the 26th May 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, and died on the 11th June, 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, film producer and director known world-wide under the professional name John Wayne. The winner of three Academy Awards, John Wayne was one of the most popular actors for more than three decades. John Wayne accumulated his net worth being active in the cinema industry from 1926 to 1976.
How much was the John Wayne’s net worth? It has been estimated that at the time of his death, the wealth of the legendary actor, director and producer was as much as $50 million, earned during more than five decades in the film industry.
John Wayne Net Worth $50 Million
To give some background information, his parents were of Scots-Irish Presbyterian ancestry. His father Clyde Leonard Morrison was a chemist and mother Mary Albert Brown a housewife. He came into the world as Marion Robert, but his parents changed his middle name to Mitchell soon afterwards. Wayne helped his father in the pharmacy, delivered newspapers and sold ice cream in a pastry shop, whose owner also dealt with the shoeing of horses in the Hollywood film factories. Marion was educated at Wilson Middle School and Glendale High School, and played in the football team which won the league championship in 1924. He was going to study in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, but was not accepted and as a result (thanks to a sports scholarship) he enrolled at the University of Southern California (1925-1927). However, due to an injury suffered he lost his scholarship and had to interrupt his studies.
John Wayne’s career in Hollywood began in the late 20s as a fitter decorator in Fox Film Corporation. Then, he first appeared on screen as a warehouseman, driver, watchman and dummy, and adopted his stage name after a civil war general. The first main role John landed was in the film “The Big Trail” (1930) directed by Raoul Walsh. However, his was really noticed in the film “Stagecoach” in 1939, but he really rose to fame in 1940’s after World War Two, from which he was exempted from enlisting because of his age, but which the studio agreed with because of his acting worth, but which included touring US bases overseas.
Wayne then managed to keep his popularity for more than three decades, often being seen in military roles, or depicting cowboys. During his lengthy career John Wayne landed main roles in more than 142 films including the most popular ones: “Red River” (1948) directed by Howard Hawks, “The Searchers” (1956) directed by John Ford, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962) directed by John Ford, “El Dorado” (1966) directed and produced by Howard Hawks, “True Grit” (1969) by Henry Hathaway and many others. For the lifetime achievements John was awarded Henrietta Award and the Golden Glove Award.
John Wayne died on June 11, 1979 suffering from stomach cancer (also from lung cancer), And was buried in the California Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar. He was subsequently rewarded with the Congressional Gold Medal in 1979, and Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Concerning the personal life of the legendary actor, he was married three times. In 1933, he married Josephine Alicia Saenz who gave birth to four children, and of whom Patrick became an actor, however, they divorced in 1945. A year later, John Wayne married the actress Esperanza Baur Díaz, but they divorced in 1954, after which he soon married actress Pilar Pallete, who gave birth to three children. Wayne was also known to have had several well-published affairs. Politically, John Wayne was initially a prominent Democrat, but his strong anti-communist activities saw him drift to the Republicans later in life.
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