1 / 23 photos John Wayne Photo Gallery

John Wayne was named Marion Robert Morrisson at birth, but when his brother was born in 1912, his middle name was changed to Mitchell so his brother could be named Robert.

John Wayne's first starring role was in the 1930 western 'The Big Trail'.

As a child, John Wayne was called 'Duke' after his pet dog. The nickname stuck: even after he became a celebrity, he was often referred to as 'The Duke'.

John Wayne married socialite Josephine Saenz on June 24th, 1933 at the home of actress Loretta Young.

John Wayne starred in 1939's 'Allegheny Uprising', portraying the historical figure American pioneer James Smith.

Claire Trevor played John Wayne's leading lady in the 1939 western 'Stagecoach'.

John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich starred in three films together: 'Seven Sinners' in 1940, 'The Spoilers' in 1942, and 'Pittsburgh' in 1942.

Director Howard Hawks shares a moment with John Wayne on set in 1948. Wayne starred in five of Hawks' films: 'Red River', 'Rio Bravo', 'Hatari!', 'El Dorado' and 'Rio Lobo'.

John Wayne married his third wife Pilar Pallete Weldy, the daughter of a Peruvian politician, on November 1st 1954, the day his divorce from his second wife became final.

John Wayne starred in the western 'Rio Bravo' with singers Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.

John Wayne and his four year-old daughter Aissa, by his third wife Pilar Pallete, in 1960.

John Wayne starred in the 1961 western 'The Comancheros', and directed the remainder of the film when director Michael Curtiz took ill.

John Wayne starred in 1962's 'The Longest Day', the epic retelling of the invasion of Normandy in World War II.

John Wayne and his third wife, Pilar Palette Weldy, with their newborn daughter, Marissa, in 1966.

John Wayne played a U.S. Marshall sent to track down a killer in the 1969 western 'True Grit', which earned him an Academy Award.

Bob Hope, John Wayne, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra attend a dinner in support of California's then governor, Ronald Reagan in 1970.

John Wayne starred in the film 'Big Jake' with his son Ethan playing the role of his grandson.

John Wayne first worked with the legendary director John Ford as an extra and a prop mover in 1928's 'Mother Machree' and went on to star in 23 more Ford films.

John Wayne supported Richard Nixon's presidential campaign and gave a speech at the 1968 Republican National Convention.

John Wayne attends a celebrity baseball game at the University of Southern California in 1977. Wayne had studied at USC, but was forced to leave when his football scholarship was not renewed.

John Wayne's gravestone bears his famous quote "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday."

John Wayne's sons and daughters - John Ethan, Patrick, Michael, Melinda, Toni, and Marisa - attend the dedication and renaming of Public School 380 in Wayne's honor in Brooklyn, New York.

One of the most popular film actors of the twentieth century, John Wayne remains an American icon to this day.