Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed Duke, was an American actor and filmmaker. An Academy Award-winner for 'True Grit' (1969), Wayne was among the top box office draws for three decades.

Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne grew up in Southern California. He was president of Glendale High class of 1925. He attended the University of Southern California (USC), majoring in pre-law. He was a member of the Trojan Knights and Sigma Chi fraternities. Wayne also played on the USC football team under coach Howard Jones. A broken collarbone injury curtailed his athletic career; Wayne later noted that he was too terrified of Jones' reaction to reveal the actual cause of his injury, a bodysurfing accident. He lost his athletic scholarship, and without funds, had to leave the university.

Initially working for the Fox Film Corporation, he appeared mostly in small bit parts. His first leading role came in Raoul Walsh's widescreen epic 'The Big Trail' (1930), which led to leading roles in numerous B movies throughout the 1930s, most of them in the Western genre.

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