Born Marion Michael Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, the Duke was a USC football player when he made his first screen appearance in several late-'20s silent films. After being discovered by John Ford and changing his name, John Wayne appeared in many low-budget Westerns and serials before achieving stardom as the Ringo Kid in "Stagecoach". He would go on to make more than 80 films, his tough but justice-minded characters creating one of American cinema's most enduring and beloved personas.
His leading ladies over the coming years would include Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Maureen O'Hara, Katherine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall. In addition to working with directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks, he directed some of his own films, such as "The Alamo" and "The Green Berets." Wayne seems to be one of those rare actors that made at least one film that everyone loves. Whether it's the action packed "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" or a sweeping epic like "The Searchers," John Wayne was an actor that made people stand up and cheer.
Wayne finally won an overdue Academy Award in 1969 for his performance of Roster Cogburn "True Grit" and portrayed an aging gunfighter dying of cancer in his final film, "The Shootist." Three years later, at the age of 72, John Wayne died of cancer.
Critics' Choice Video is a John Wayne fan's dream--just look below to find a vast selection of his greatest films on Blu-Ray and DVD!