Movie star John Wayne once expressed his positive thoughts toward Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill. He was known to be politically vocal, unafraid to express his support or disapproval of politicians. Here’s a look at why Wayne thought Churchill was the “most terrific fella of our century.”

Wayne was closely associated with his conservative Republican views. However, he didn’t always think that he aligned with the political party. In fact, Wayne considered himself a liberal before the world reminded him that he held very traditionalist, conservative views.

The Oscar-winning actor frequently expressed anti-communist statements, leaning back on his “super patriot” image. Wayne despised Hollywood figures behind the scenes who infused communist messaging in their filmmaking. High Noon screenwriter Carl Foreman was one of the folks at the top of the list, which largely had to do with why he turned down the lead role that he called “un-American.”

According to The Patriot Post, Wayne thought Churchill was “the most terrific fella of our century.” The movie star most frequently spoke about his opinion on American politicians, but he had plenty of wonderful things to say about this one from the U.K. Further, he said that he “could think of nobody that had a better insight or that said things concerning the future that have proven out so well” when it came to the subject of communism.
Wayne read the following quote from Churchill:
“I tell you–it’s no use arguing with a Communist. It’s no good trying to convert a Communist, or persuade him. You can only deal with them on the following basis … you can only do it by having superior force on your side on the matter in question–and they must also be convinced that you will use–you will not hesitate to use these forces if necessary, in the most ruthless manner. You have not only to convince the Soviet government that you have superior force–but that you are not restrained by any moral consideration if the case arose from using that force with complete material ruthlessness. And that is the greatest chance of peace, the surest road to peace.”
Wayne continued: “Churchill was unparalleled. Above all, he took a nearly beaten nation and kept their dignity for them.”
Wayne had political views beyond the Churchill quote that got him into quite a bit of trouble. He directed and starred in The Green Berets, where he played Col. Mike Kirby during the Vietnam War. However, the politics surrounding his take on patriotism landed the film on film critic Roger Ebert’s most hated movies of all time list.
Additionally, Wayne didn’t see eye-to-eye with many of his liberal peers. Nevertheless, his wit and charm still managed to reach them, as several were able to see beyond his political views, including Kirk Douglas.
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Although in 2012 she released a CD of songs she recorded years ago, since the early ’80s, the world’s favorite “girl next door” kept a low profile and lived on 11 acres in Carmel, California, where she devoted most of her time to her charitable organization.

Some speculated that she turned her attention to furry friends because of all the people who had disappointed her in her lifetime, though Day herself never publicly addressed the subject. Three of her four marriages ended in divorce, and her third husband (and manager) Martin Melcher died and left her broke until she sued to reclaim more than $20 million from his business partner.

Despite her immense popularity — by the early ’60s, she was the No. 1 box-office star on the planet — Day was often greatly underrated, and, blaming her fear of flying, turned down several awards and accolades, including (it was discussed) an honorary Oscar and the Kennedy Center Honor. One prize she never lost: the unbridled love of an adoring public.

Music and movies
Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, the daughter of a Cincinnati music teacher and a homemaker, the crystal-voiced pop soprano changed her name to Day when, as a teen, she began singing on the radio. After appearances with the Big Bands of Barney Rapp and Bob Crosby, she joined Les Brown’s Band and had her first hit with “Sentimental Journey.”
Going solo in 1947, she successfully auditioned for Warner Bros. the following year and was cast in the studio’s attempts to rival the romantic musicals that were the specialty of MGM.
By the mid-’50s came better roles at other studios. This included what even she considered her best film, 1954’s Love Me or Leave Me, a dramatic, though highly fictionalized, biopic of ’20s singer Ruth Etting, who lived under the thumb of her short-tempered, controlling husband. (Day played down parallels between the movie’s plot and her own life.) In 1956, for Alfred Hitchcock, she co-starred with James Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much, in which she introduced the Oscar-winning song that became her signature, “Que Sera Sera.”
In 1959 she was paired for the first time with Rock Hudson, in the racy romantic comedy Pillow Talk, which resulted in her one and only Best Actress Oscar nomination, and also her greatest box-office success.
Two more vehicles with Hudson (and sidekick Tony Randall) followed, as did similar comedies in which Day — sometimes as a career woman, but always squeaky clean — costarred with Cary Grant, James Garner, and Rod Taylor.
Loved to laugh
As the ’60s wound down, Day turned to TV, having been forced there by a contract signed by late husband Melcher without her knowledge. CBS’s 1968-73 The Doris Day Show never rose above the level of being a poor man’s Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Day herself was highly critical of it.
For Day, as she told PEOPLE in 2011, her greatest loss in life was the 2004 death (from melanoma) of her son, music producer Terry Melcher.
“I had him when I was [18], so we were like sister and brother,” said Day, who found his passing “really hard. But I keep him with me.”
The profile also pointed out that humor had always been Day’s secret weapon. “I love to laugh,” said the star who made so many others laugh and sing. “It’s the only way to live. Enjoy each day — it’s not coming back again!”
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John Wayne’s furious unearthed letter to Ronald Reagan over controversial Panama CanalThe western legend lashed out at the actor-turned-politician in a brutal dressing down over “misinformation”.

John Wayne, the Oscar-winning action hero, once became embroiled in a bitter war of words with Ronald Reagan, the Republican politician who led the US between 1981 and 1989. Though Wayne tried to steer clear of politics, his beliefs were often detailed due to his high-profile career, which culminated in his Academy Award win for Best Actor through his work on True Grit in 1969.

The man often referred to as Duke was known to be a conservative American, staunchly against Communism, beliefs which earned him universal praise from international leaders.

But Wayne was incensed with Reagan after he felt he was spreading lies to his supporters over the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, which saw conservative politicians lash out at the decision to “surrender” in the agreement.
Before becoming a Republican politician, Reagan and Wayne had crossed paths in the world of Hollywood, with the former serving as the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the acting world’s union that today represents around 160,000 people in the industry.
While leading the union, Reagan backed an actors’ strike in 1960, which came against major Hollywood studio executives over the residual pay system.
Reagan’s name was “dragged through the mud” as a result of his decision to back the strikes, and Wayne opted to support the SAG president by contacting his wife, Nancy Reagan, to voice his praise for the leader.
But in the years that followed, Wayne tore Reagan apart when it came to the Panama Canal Treaty.
The New York Times, reports show, noted how Wayne wrote a furious letter to Reagan over his decision to not back the treaty, which was signed by then US-President Jimmy Carter.
Wayne was expected to back the treaty, with many noting that his first wife hailed from Panama. Among his friends, it was also revealed, were the Panamanian leader Brig. Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera.
After learning of Reagan’s stance, Wayne wrote: “Now I have taken your letter, and I’ll show you point by goddamn point in the treaty where you are misinforming people.
“If you continue these erroneous remarks, someone will publicise your letter to prove that you are not as thorough in your reviewing of this treaty as you say or are damned obtuse when it comes to reading the English language.”
Wayne’s politics did sometimes impact the work he took on, including when it came to the war efforts. He starred, for example, in films such as Sands of Iwo Jima and The Green Berets, which outlined what an American hero should look like in his eyes.
As his career continued into its twilight, he became more forthright in his beliefs and outspoken as a result. He took part in a now-infamous Playboy interview in 1971, revealing the true extent of his politics.
During the interview he spoke of how he “believed in white supremacy,” before speaking bitterly about African-Americans, saying, “we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks”.
He also admitted to not feeling “guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves,” and added: “Now, I’m not condoning slavery.
“It’s just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and has to wear braces so he can’t play football with the rest of us.”
Another controversial moment in Wayne’s career came in 1973 when Sacheen Littlefeather delivered Marlon Brando’s winning Oscar speech after he was named Best Actor for his role in The Godfather.
Littlefeather, who was 26 at the time, rejected the award on Brando’s behalf, giving a speech instead to condemn Hollywood’s poor depiction of Native Americans.
At the time, Wayne reportedly attempted to wrestle Littlefeather off-set and had to be restrained when he approached her.
The activist recalled the event last year while speaking to Variety, describing it as the “most violent moment” in the history of the Academy Awards.
She said: “I found out that he had been restrained by six security men from assaulting me while I was on that stage. That was the most violent moment that had ever taken place at the Academy Awards.”
Reflecting on Wayne’s actions, she added: “He was never admonished by the Academy. It was never published in the press. But the most violent moments took place then and there at the Academy Awards by John Wayne.
“All I know is that… I don’t hold anger, hate or have any animosity toward anyone, including the Academy and the John Waynes of the world.
“I’m not a wealthy person. I’m a poor person. I don’t have much, but I do what I can. I try not to judge others. So, what other people want to do and what they feel in their hearts, they have to do.”
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