How old was john wayne when he died

By Variety Staff. Follow Us on Twitter.

In the last 15 years of his life, John Wayne suffered from serious health problems. A heavy smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in the mid-sixties, resulting in having one of his lungs and a couple of ribs removed. Determined to maintain his macho image, Duke often still insisted on doing his own stunts in his movies and continued to puff on cigars despite giving up cigarettes. Wayne, who kept playing parts he was too old for, would wear a toupee and secretly relied on an oxygen tank. His lead role as JB Books was a man dying from cancer, a disease which would kill Duke in real life just three years later.

How old was john wayne when he died

The actor, whose screen portrayals of men of duty, honor and courage, coupled with his own off-camera brand of personal true grit, endeared him to nearly three generations of Americans, succumbed to cancer at p. He was 72 on May 2. Wayne lapsed into a coma Sunday and never regained consciousness, hospital administrator Barney Strohm said. In terms of longevity and popular appeal, both in the United States and elsewhere, there simply never was an actor like him. He appeared in at least films some experts estimate as many as , but not even Wayne himself knew for sure. From through , Wayne had been ranked as either the No. Gary Cooper and Clark Gable, the No. The poll was discontinued after He was, like one the giant faces on Mt. His name and face, years ago, had become among the most recognizable in the world; his public and private support on political issues often was sought by government leaders, and, unlike most other stars, his popularity as an actor seemed to grow, rather than diminish, with the passing years.

Retrieved February 1, Michael Curtiz. Wayne lapsed into a coma Sunday and never regained consciousness, hospital administrator Barney Strohm said.

Working with John Ford, he got his next big break in Stagecoach His career as an actor took another leap forward when he worked with director Howard Hawks in Red River Wayne won his first Academy Award in for his role in True Grit. One of the most popular film actors of the 20th century, Wayne remains an American film icon to this day. The family moved again a few years later after Clyde failed in his attempt to become a farmer. Settling in Glendale, California, Wayne received his distinctive nickname "Duke" while living there.

By Variety Staff. Follow Us on Twitter. He was Wayne died at p. Following that surgery , during which doctors, for the second time this year, found more cancerous tissues, the actor agreed to undergo experimental treatment. Doctors were trying to build up his physical condition and, as late as 10 days ago, Wayne was walking about the hospital. Wayne had been plagued with medical problems for 15 years. In , he underwent surgery for lung cancer. Last year he had open-heart surgery in Boston. This year he was hospitalized three times.

How old was john wayne when he died

Marion Robert Morrison [1] [a] May 26, — June 11, , professionally known as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne , was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age , especially through his starring roles in Western and war movies. His career flourished from the silent era of the s through the American New Wave , as he appeared in a total of film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, [3] [4] and appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In , the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema. Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa , but grew up in Southern California. After losing his football scholarship to the University of Southern California from a bodysurfing accident, [6] he began working for the Fox Film Corporation. He appeared mostly in small parts, but his first leading role came in Raoul Walsh 's Western The Big Trail , an early widescreen film epic that was a box-office failure. He played leading roles in numerous B movies during the s, most of them also Westerns, without becoming a major name. John Ford 's Stagecoach made Wayne a mainstream star, and he starred in motion pictures altogether.

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With Philip Dorn. Even after their physical relationship ended, the pair remained good friends and co-starred in two more films, Pittsburgh and The Spoilers Actor producer director. Lawless Range. John Wayne Ray Kellogg. Between and , the traditional Wayne character took vivid form and he continued to make films at breakneck pace, often completing five or seven in a single year. Retrieved June 12, Bilicke Among the Dead. Page Talk. Bath : Chivers.

On this day in , John Wayne, an iconic American film actor famous for starring in countless westerns, dies at age 72 after battling cancer for more than a decade.

As a teen, he worked in an ice-cream shop for a man who shod horses for Hollywood studios. A larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of Wayne atop a horse was erected at the corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California , at the former offices of the Great Western Savings and Loan Corporation, for which Wayne had made a number of commercials. Son Ethan was billed as John Ethan Wayne in a few films, and played one of the leads in the s update of the Adam television series. Brown of Harvard. In , Wayne recorded radio advertisements for Reagan's first attempt to become the Republican presidential candidate. Expand the sub menu Global. Remade as Unmarried with Buster Crabbe in Wayne's role. Based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey. Robert Aldrich , president of the Directors Guild of America , made a particularly notable statement:. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.