One of my favorite actors died on this day in 1979, John Wayne. The "Duke" was 72 years old when he left us, but fortunately for us he left over 150 films to keep his memory alive.

Here's a little background on John Wayne, according to Wikipedia:

"Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. An Academy Award-winner, Wayne was among the top box office draws for three decades and is the highest grossing film star of all time.

Among his best known later films are The Quiet Man (1952), which follows him as an Irish-American boxer and his love affair with a fiery spinster played by Maureen O'Hara; The Searchers (1956), in which he plays a Civil War veteran who seeks out his abducted niece, played by Natalie Wood; Rio Bravo (1959), playing a Sheriff with Dean Martin; True Grit (1969), playing a humorous U.S. Marshal who sets out to avenge a man's death in the role that won Wayne an Academy Award; and The Shootist (1976), his final screen performance in which he plays an aging gunslinger battling cancer."

Here's the video trailer from my favorite John Wayne film, 1959's "Rio Bravo", which co-starred Dean Martin.

 

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