The awards season often wasn’t very kind to Western film legend John Wayne. However, he earned a spot in the hearts of many moviegoing crowds around the world. The actor truly believed that Sands of Iwo Jima was finally his time to win, but it wasn’t in the stars. Wayne lost out on winning the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role to a film he turned down because he thought it “threw acid” on the American way of living.

John Wayne earned a Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar nomination for ‘Sands of Iwo Jima’

Sands of Iwo Jima follows Marine Sgt. John Stryker (Wayne), whose own men despise him as a result of his bad attitude and difficult training regimen. However, they begin to appreciate Stryker’s outlook on the war and his perspective on training as the war in the Pacific pushes forward. These men will need all of the help that they can get to survive the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Sands of Iwo Jima finally earned Wayne some attention at the Oscars for his work. The film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Wayne, Best Writing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Recording.

John Wayne was angry to lose the Oscar to ‘All the King’s Men’

John Farkis’ Not Thinkin’ … Just Rememberin’ … The Making of John Wayne’s The Alamo digs into more than the film in the book’s title. He explores Wayne’s career through multiple projects, including Sands of Iwo Jima. He had multiple brushes with the film awards season, but he wasn’t always very pleased with the outcome. In the case of Sands of Iwo Jima, Wayne unhappily lost the acting Oscar to Broderick Crawford in All the King’s Men.

“I guess that I am never chosen because the kind of acting which I do is not considered acting by anybody,” Wayne said. “They would say, ‘Well, it is only John Wayne being John Wayne. He is not acting.’”

Wayne originally turned down starring in All The King’s Men on the basis that the movie is “un-American.”

“I wouldn’t have minded losing so much if anyone else had won,” Wayne said. “[The film] smears the machinery of government for no purpose of humor or enlightenment … degrades all relationships … and threw acid on the American way of life.”

‘True Grit’ finally earned the Western star a win at the Academy

Wayne was very particular about what films he would attach his name to. He refused to take part in movies that he thought were “un-American” in any way. However, he had a strong understanding of his audience and what he felt they would want to see from him. That perspective would ultimately pay off for the actor.

Wayne didn’t go without an Oscar for the remainder of his career. He ultimately took home the statue for his iconic performance in 1969’s True Grit. However, he did previously earn another nomination for 1960’s The Alamo. Wayne is a legendary Western icon, who finally became an Oscar-winner for perhaps the biggest film of his entire career.

John Wayne was an iconic actor that sadly passed away after several bouts of cancer. His last role was very close to home as he played a gunfighter dying of cancer in The Shootist. His final public appearance was at the 1979 Oscars and he shared a touching speech.

He said, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That’s just about the only medicine a fellow could ever really need. Believe me when I tell you that I’m mighty pleased that I can amble down here tonight. Well, Oscar and I have something in common. Oscar first came to the Hollywood scene in 1928. So did I. We’re both a little weather-beaten, but we’re still here and plan to be around for a whole lot longer.”

Listen to John Wayne’s final public speech at the 1979 Oscars

Then, John announced the five nominees for the outstanding picture of the year. That year they were The Deer Hunter, Coming Home, Midnight Express, An Unmarried Woman, and Heaven Can Wait. He announced The Deer Hunter was the winner and helped hand out awards.

Unfortunately, a few months later he ultimately died of stomach cancer. He had been bravely going through trials to help scientists work on a vaccine. He was 72 years old at the time of death and was survived by his wife Pilar Pallete and his seven children. The kids now work together on a foundation to help cure cancer.

Watch John’s speech at the Oscars below and relive the moment that happened back in 1979. Then comment and tell us, what was your favorite John Wayne movie?

John Wayne and Robert Duvall reportedly almost got into a physical fight while filming True Grit. John was a very dedicated actor and was often very serious on and off the set. Robert was apparently known for his temper and would clash with the directors on the films he worked on.

While working on True Grit, Robert would argue with the director and disrupt the filming process. Eventually, John had enough and said he would punch Robert if he didn’t stop arguing with the director!

John Wayne almost punched Robert Duvall while working on ‘True Grit’

Even though they had a little spat while working together, Robert spoke very highly of John later in life. He said, “Wayne wasn’t as bad as some supposedly serious actors I’ve seen who trained at the Actors Studio and all that… Wayne was interesting to be around. He was pleasant and outgoing.”

Even though John was an iconic actor, he didn’t have all of the training that many others did. He wanted to be a football player but it didn’t work out. So eventually he worked as a prop boy and was discovered on the set of The Big Trail. His career took off and he became known for western films. Some of his best known films are The Alamo, Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and of course, True Grit. His final film was The Shootist in 1976.

Can you believe that John Wayne almost punched his co-star Robert Duvall? That would have been crazy! What’s your favorite John Wayne film?