John Wayne Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Actors

Eva Birthistle, who installed a cold plunge pool at home after Forty Foot swims on 'Bad Sisters,' in 2024

‘Bad Sisters’ Star Eva Birthistle Loves This Part of the Show so Much She Replicated It at Home

“I really didn’t like it at the time. But now, two years on, I’m a convert," Eva Birthistle said of cold swims at Forty Foot for 'Bad Sisters.'

by Mandi Kerr

Published on December 22, 2024

3 min read

Taron Egerton, who didn't want to go 'full on Tom Cruise' in 'Carry-On,' runs in a scene from the Netflix movie.

Movies

Taron Egerton Didn’t ‘Want to Go Full Tom Cruise’ in ‘Carry-On’

Taron Egerton stars in Netflix's new Christmas thriller/action movie, 'Carry-On.'

by Mandi Kerr

Nathan Fillion posing in 'One Life to Live' promotional photo.

Celebrity

Nathan Fillion Stormed out the Room After His Worst Audition

Nathan Fillion recalled what happened when someone pushed him to his limits in one of the actor’s worst audition stories.

by Antonio Stallings

Ryan Reynolds Kept Forcing Dwayne Johnson to Break Character While Filming ‘Red Notice’: ‘I Was Bent Over Laughing so Hard at Him’

Ryan Reynolds was so funny in 'Red Notice' that Dwayne Johnson was forced to break character.

by Christina Nunn

Published on November 26, 2021

3 min read

Movies

RuPaul’s ‘Drag Race’ Cast in ‘The B*tch Who Stole Christmas’: Everything We Know About the Movie

RuPaul is set to release a scripted holiday movie on VH1, and it promises to be everything 'Drag Race' hope it to be.

by Kourtnee Jackson

Movies

‘The Goonies’: John Matuszak’s Makeup Took 5 Hours to Complete and Used a Remote Control Eyeball

'The Goonies' went a long way to get its look right with one star undergoing five hours of makeup.

by Produced by Digital Editors

John Wayne Revealed Why He Learned to Talk so Slow for His Movies

John Wayne starred in a wide variety of Western and war movies, where he learned how to speak slower for a very particular audience-focused reason.

by Jeff Nelson

'Cheers': Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) sits at the bar drinking a beer

‘Cheers’: John Ratzenberger Once Compared Cliff Clavin to John Wayne

John Ratzenberger discusses his 'Cheers' role as Cliff Clavin and the surprising parallels to John Wayne he notices over 11 seasons of the show.

by Fred Topel

John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke and Maureen O'Hara as Mrs Kathleen Yorke in a black-and-white picture. Wayne is holding his pistol out and O'Hara is holding onto his shoulder.

Movies

Maureen O’Hara Explained Why She Was the Only Woman ‘Tough Enough’ to Act With John Wayne

'The Quiet Man' actor Maureen O'Hara once said that no other leading women were 'tough enough' to star alongside movie star John Wayne.

by Jeff Nelson

'Stagecoach' actor John Wayne in a black-and-white portrait smiling.

Movies

John Wayne Was ‘so Goddamn Mad’ John Ford Took Credit for His Major ‘Stagecoach’ Discovery

'Stagecoach' actor John Wayne had a major idea for the film, which John Ford took credit for. It made Wayne 'so goddamn' mad in the process.

by Jeff Nelson

'Red River' John Wayne as Thomas Dunson, Montgomery Clift as Matthew Garth and Walter Brennan as Groot Nadine in a black-and-white picture. Brennan is pointing at Wayne, while Clift is staring at them from behind.

Movies

‘Red River’: John Wayne Refused to Ever Let His Character ‘Cringe’

'Red River' actor John Wayne understood what the audience wanted in his character, so he refused to let Howard Hawks convince him to 'cringe' in the film.

by Jeff Nelson

'The Long Voyage Home' John Wayne and Mildred Natwick. Natwick is holding a basket of fruit with her face against Wayne's face.

Movies

John Wayne Was Terrified His Swedish Accent in ‘The Long Voyage Home’ Would Make Audiences Laugh at Him

Movie star John Wayne didn't want to use a Swedish accent in 'The Long Voyage Home' in fear of the audience potentially laughing at him for it.

by Jeff Nelson

John Wayne (1907 - 1979), US actor wearing a tan leather waistcoat, a pink shirt and a white neckerchief, in a studio portrait, against a light blue background, circa 1970

Celebrity

John Wayne Wore a Hairpiece and 9 Other Interesting Facts About ‘The Duke’

Over his career, John Wayne starred in 176 motion pictures, including 83 westerns.

by Perry Carpenter

'True Grit' John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn smiling, holding up a bottle of booze. He's wearing a cowboy hat and wearing an eyepatch over his eye.

Movies

John Wayne Called His ‘True Grit’ Casting an ‘Accident’ the Author Didn’t Want

Movie star John Wayne said he was 'accidentally' cast in 'True Grit' against what the novel's author originally wanted for the film.

by Jeff Nelson

John Wayne and James Arness. They're smiling and wearing tuxes with Arness holding an award.

John Wayne Asked ‘Gunsmoke’ Actor James Arness 1 Question He Didn’t Want to Answer Before Working With Him

Oscar-winning actor John Wayne interviewed James Arness and asked him 1 question that the 'Gunsmoke' actor didn't want to answer honestly.

by Jeff Nelson

'Stagecoach' John Wayne as Ringo Kid and Louise Platt Mrs. Lucy Mallory in a black-and-white picture of them riding inside of the stagecoach

Movies

‘Stagecoach’: John Wayne Endured ‘Punishment’ to Capture 1 of Hollywood’s Greatest Scenes

Movie star John Wayne earned major star power after 'Stagecoach,' but John Ford put him through a lot of 'punishment' to get the movie's best scene.

by Jeff Nelson

'Tall in the Saddle' John Wayne and Ward Bond. They're looking at each other in the eyes wearing Western costumes in front of a bookcase

Movies

John Wayne Once Lit Ward Bond’s Chest on Fire, Got Banned From Drinking While Filming ‘The Fighting Seabees’

John Wayne and Ward Bond had a long-lasting friendship that survived many dangerous antics, such as when Wayne lit his friend's chest on fire.

by Jeff Nelson

John Wayne, whose works have been called queer 'erotic spectacle.' He's shirtless in a black-and-white picture, holding onto a rope.

Movies

Religious Blogger Argues John Wayne’s Movies and Characters Are ‘Queer Erotic Spectacle’

Movie star John Wayne represented a heterosexual ruggedness, but a religious blogger wrote about his movies and the characters he played as queer 'erotic spectacle.'

by Jeff Nelson

'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' actor John Wayne, who 'Family Guy' teased. He's wearing a cowboy hat and holding a gun in a black-and-white picture.

Never Forget ‘Family Guy’s John Wayne Thanksgiving Joke That Fans Couldn’t Stop Repeating

'Family Guy' had a running joke about 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' star John Wayne that fans can't stop saying around the Thanksgiving holiday.

by Jeff Nelson

'Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In' Dan Rowan, John Wayne dressed as a bunny, and Dick Martin. The hosts are looking at Wayne, who is mid-speech in the costume.

John Wayne Once Wore a Giant Bunny Costume in a Hilarious ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’ Sketch

Oscar-winning actor John Wayne once dressed up as a bunny, which offered a total contrast to his usual tough cowboy image.

by Jeff Nelson

'Paradise Canyon' John Wayne and actor, stunt double Yakima Canutt. They're standing around a table wearing Western clothing looking tense.

Movies

John Wayne Sought Revenge on His Stunt Double for Convincing Audiences He Had a Bald Spot

'Paradise Canyon' star John Wayne got revenge on his co-star and stunt double for not doing a better job of hiding his bald spot in a fight sequence.

by Jeff Nelson

John Wayne Revealed Why He Didn’t Like TV Westerns

'True Grit' movie star John Wayne once revealed that he didn't like Westerns on television compared to motion pictures for very specific reasons.

by Jeff Nelson

Martin Scorsese and John Wayne. Scorsese is smiling in front of a purple step-and-repeat. Wayne is wearing a Western costume from 'The Searchers' in a black-and-white photo holding a gun.

Movies

Martin Scorsese Revealed Why He Loved John Wayne Despite His ‘Brutally Insensitive’ Politics

'Taxi Driver' filmmaker Martin Scorsese once explained why he had such an admiration for movie star John Wayne, even despite his polarizing political views.

by Jeff Nelson

Hero movie star John Wayne in a black-and-white picture wearing a Western jacket with tassels.

Celebrity

John Wayne Once Tore a College Professor to Shreds Over the Definition of a Hero

Movie star John Wayne once got into a heated argument with a college professor over the definition of a hero after talking about 'The Alamo.'

by Jeff Nelson

Actor John Wayne, who got in a fight with director Budd Boetticher. A black-and-white picture with him holding up his fist, wearing a button-up shirt under a jacket.

Celebrity

John Wayne Punched a Refrigerator so Hard in a Fight With a Director, His Fist Was Permanently ‘Implanted’

'Bullfighter and the Lady' producer John Wayne got into a fistfight with director Budd Boetticher and 'implanted' his fist into a refrigerator as a result.

by Jeff Nelson

John Ford and John Wayne standing next to each other in a black-and-white photograph. Wayne is in-costume to start filming 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'

Movies

John Ford Refused to Speak With John Wayne for Years After His First Box Office Failure

When John Wayne had his first box office disaster, mentor and filmmaker John Ford refused to speak with the actor for 3 years.

by Jeff Nelson