John Wayne: An American Icon

An American Icon is the story of John Wayne's life. Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, he was nicknamed 'Little Duke' as a boy because he never went anywhere without big Duke - his huge Airedale Terrier. He took on the name 'The Duke' in later years. In a Harris Poll 20 years after his death, Americans identified John Wayne as their favorite movie star, the only deceased star to ever appear on the list and the only one who has appeared on the poll every year since it first began in 1994. John Wayne is also the biggest box office draw of all time. In the more than 200 films he made over 50 years, John Wayne became the iconic figure of America's greatest native art form, the western movie. His Westerns were some of the most defining stories of the American film, presenting a nostalgic eulogy to the early days of the enormous, untamed American frontier, with barely a recognizable borderline between civilization and the wilderness. His stories were fictional, but it resembled the world we know. When Wayne was gravely ill, his one-time co-star Maureen O'Hara and a number of other celebrities petitioned Congress to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. O'Hara made a suggestion, the award should simply read: 'John Wayne, American.' Congress did the sensible thing and followed her instructions. John Wayne - tough, fair, inspiring and larger-than-life. An American Icon is an unforgettable journey of a true legendary icon.

Actor: John Wayne