John Wayne
Before He Was John Wayne, Marion Morrison Insisted People Call Him by His Dog’s Name
The name John Wayne still holds weight in Hollywood. It’s impossible to think about the Western genre without bringing up the iconic actor. However, John Wayne is not his real name. John Wayne also had another nickname that he went by based on the dog he had growing up.
John Wayne’s real name was Marion Michael Morrison
John Wayne | AS400 DB/Bettmann Archive
The book John Wayne: My Life With the Duke by Pilar Wayne and Alex Thorleifson reveals that John Wayne was initially named Robert Michael, printed on his birth certificate. However, his mother had a change of heart and changed his name to Marion Michael Morrison. His mother had a wealthy relative named Mary and wanted her child to gain a possible future inheritance.
Pilar and Thorleifson wrote about how Wayne was uncomfortable with his real name and the rough childhood that came with it. Wayne would supposedly get bullied by other kids due to his name.
“Being called Marion made me a target for every bully in town,” the actor once said. “They called me little girl–asked why my mother dressed me in pants instead of skirts–did everything they could to make my life miserable.”
John Wayne adopted a nickname based on his childhood dog
To combat the bullying he experienced due to his name, he adopted a nickname. Growing up, Morrison was very fond of his family’s Airedale Terrier, named Duke. According to Mental Floss, his family called the dog “Big Duke” and Marion “Little Duke.” Morrison later adopted the nickname of Duke Morrison, and many referred to him as “The Duke.”
While he would become known to the world as John Wayne, the actor said he preferred the nickname instead. He believed his real-life persona was not the one portrayed on screen.
“The guy you see on the screen isn’t really me,” Wayne said in 1957. “I’m Duke Morrison, and I never was and never will be a film personality like John Wayne.”
His stage name is based on one of his heroes
John Wayne came up with his stage name with help from western director John Ford. The two collaborated on many westerns, including Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Wayne, who went by the nickname Duke Morrison at the time, wanted a name similar to Ford. Ford came up with the name by asking Wayne who his hero was.
“Duke says, ‘I’d like to have a name pretty much similar to yours,” Ford once said. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t know any Fords who became famous except Henry. Who was your favorite American hero?’ This is before McArthur became famous, Douglas McArther. He says, ‘I’ve always liked Mad Anthony Wayne.’ I said, ‘That’s a good name, John Wayne.’ He says, ‘So be it.’”
Mad Anthony Wayne was a Revolutionary War General known for his notoriously bad temper. He led troops in the Battle of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Bull’s Ferry, Stony Point, Green Spring, and Paoli. Wayne did star in several war movies, in addition to his numerous westerns.
John Wayne
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John Wayne
Why John Wayne Turned Down the Chance to Work With Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are the two biggest legends in the history of Western movies, however, they never worked together. The duo did have the opportunity to work together once in the 1970s. Here’s why the film never came to fruition.
How John Wayne responded when Clint Eastwood tried to work with him
Firstly, a little background. According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, it all starts with Larry Cohen. Though Cohen is not a widely known director like Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino, he’s a huge name to fans of B movies. He directed famous B movies like The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive, and God Told Me To. He also wrote a script called The Hostiles shortly after Eastwood released his classic High Plains Drifter.
The Hostiles was about a gambler who wins half of an estate of an older man. The gambler and the older man have to work together despite the fact that they don’t like each other. Eastwood optioned the screenplay with the intent of playing the gambler alongside Wayne as the older man.
Eastwood sent a copy of the script of The Hostiles to Wayne. Although Eastwood felt the script was imperfect, he saw its potential. However, Wayne was not interested. Eastwood pitched the film to Wayne a second time and Wayne responded with a letter. Wayne’s letter complained about High Plains Drifter. Wayne was offended by the film and its portrayal of the Old West as a cruel, violent place.
John Wayne
Ann-Margret Refused to Call John Wayne ‘Duke’ While Introducing 1 of His Movies
Ann-Margret once starred in one of John Wayne’s lesser-known movies. However, she refused to call him by his popular moniker Duke. Here’s a look at the film they made together — and why she declined to call him by a nickname.
The one time Ann-Margret and John Wayne made a movie together
Ann-Margret is probably most known for her work in musicals, specifically Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, and The Who’s Tommy. However, she also dabbled in the Western genre. She starred alongside Wayne in the mostly forgotten movie The Train Robbers.
Wayne was also known as The Duke or just Duke. According to USA Today, the nickname was derived from his childhood dog. It stuck with him for many years. It continues to be used today — even on the box covers of the DVDs for his movies.
John Wayne | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
During an interview with Interview Magazine, Ann-Margret explained why she didn’t refer to the Rio Bravo star by this famous name. “When I came to this country, first of all, mother and I didn’t know English,” she said. “I would curtsey, then say, ‘Thank you,’ and then when I was leaving, curtsey. For example, we went to Dallas to introduce a film I did with John Wayne. And I never called him Duke. I just couldn’t. That’s the way I was raised. When you meet someone, you say either Mr. or Mrs. or Miss. You stand up.”
Ann-Margret revealed she treated other famous people in much the same way. For example, she worked with director George Sidney on Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas. She always called him Mr. Sidney.
What Ann-Margret thought about John Wayne
Ann-Margret refused to use Wayne’s most famous moniker. However, she had a positive view of the actor. During an interview with Fox News, she was asked what she expected when she met Wayne. “Oh, I didn’t know what to expect,” she revealed. “But when he hugged me, it’s like the world was hugging me. He was so big and wide with that booming voice.
“We were shooting in Durango, Mexico and my parents came down to visit me,” she added. “He was so great with my parents. So absolutely welcoming and gentle with them. And anybody who was great to my parents was on a throne in my eyes.”
How the world reacted to ‘The Train Robbers’
Wayne starred in many classic Westerns, including The Searchers, Stagecoach, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, The Train Robbers is mostly forgotten. It didn’t gain a cult following like Once Upon a Time in the West or Dead Man. It wasn’t a critical success either, garnering a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Ann-Margret had some fond memories of making the film — even if she refused to call Wayne by his famous nickname.
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