Fascinating Facts About John Wayne That Might Surprise You

John Wayne had a film career that spanned more than five decades and encompassed more than 175 films playing a range of characters from soldiers to athletes to a former boxer. However, it was his role as a cowboy that solidified his place in American history as an icon of film, a symbol of the West, the rugged hero who was considered a true patriot. It is an enduring legacy that remains strong. Yet, there are a few fascinating facts about John Wayne that may surprise you.

To create a list of fascinating facts about John Wayne that may surprise you, 24/7 Tempo consulted multiple outlets, including the official John Wayne website and biographies. Whether it's Wayne's childhood nickname or the question of whether he was actually a spy, there may be something on this list you did not know. (Take a look at his best and worst movies that were not Westerns.)

American actor John Wayne (1907 - 1979), circa 1950. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

John Wayne was his screen name, which he had no part in creating (it was director Raoul Walsh and the film studio who changed his moniker). His birth name was Marion Robert Morrison, and he was born on May 30, 1907. Wayne went by his nickname, Duke Morrison, during his early acting years. It wasn't until he starred in "The Big Trail" that he started using the screen name.

On average, babies weigh between five and eight pounds when they are born. However, at birth, Wayne, born to Clyde and Mary Morrison and the oldest of two children, weighed almost double, reaching 13 pounds. Since it was the early 1900s, it makes you wonder how tiring and difficult his birth may have been.

In the book "John Wayne: The Life and Legend," by Scott Eyman, the author writes that Wayne and his mother did not have a close relationship. Many people around them seemed to think Mary preferred spending time with her younger son and once claimed to a neighbor that she didn't care about Wayne. The book also noted that when her second son was born, she "took" the middle name she initially gave to Wayne and gave it to her second son instead, giving Wayne the middle name Mitchell.

During his long life, Wayne used the nickname "Duke." While it makes sense to think that the name derived from some old Western nostalgia, the origin of his nickname has nothing to do with the Old West but rather his childhood.

As a young boy, Wayne had an Airedale Terrier named Duke. They were close, walking to school together every day. In town, a local fireman took a liking to Wayne and his dog, and began calling the dog "Big Duke" and Wayne "Little Duke." The nickname stuck because Wayne liked it better than Marion, and when he starred in his first movie, he went by the screen name Duke Morrison until it was eventually changed to John Wayne.

Wayne was very active in high school and played on the Varsity football teams as a guard in addition to writing sports articles for the school newspaper. Since he excelled in academia and football, he earned a football scholarship to the University of Southern California. However, Wayne reportedly broke his collarbone during a bodysurfing accident, leading the college to remove the scholarship.

Wayne was married three times. His second wife, Esperanza Baur Diaz, was said to be his most challenging marriage. After his first marriage ended, Wayne married Baur in 1946. From the start, he stated that their marriage was riddled with drama. According to legend, one night, Baur was drunk and furious at Wayne.

She had accused him of cheating with Gail Russel; however, Gail and Wayne both denied the allegations. So Baur shot at him when he walked into the house. The two divorced a few years later.

By the time Clint Eastwood arrived on the scene, Wayne was well into his acting persona in the Western genre. In the 60s, the Western genre began to turn toward making spaghetti Westerns, a subgenre produced by Italian directors with low budgets. Wayne was not a fan of these Westerns or Eastwood's role in the grittiness the genre was taking. He believed that spaghetti Westerns negated the old romanticized view of Westerns.

Larry Cohen wanted Wayne and Eastwood to star together in "The Hostiles." However, Wayne declined to star with Eastwood, noting that the film goes against what he believed a Western should be. He also wasn't impressed with Eastwood's debut in "High Plains Drifter."

It was Wayne's college football coach who helped him find a job as a prop man in 1926. The movie director Wayne worked with was John Ford, who started to take a liking to Wayne. Throughout the next several years, Wayne began starring as an extra in several of Ford's movies, until 1930, when he starred in "The Big Trail," his first big film.

The first time Wayne starred in a movie as the leading role, with his iconic screen name John Wayne, it flopped, by no fault of his own. "The Big Trail" simply aired at the wrong time. This film was one of the first big-budget sound movies, and with this era came the need for a 70 mm widescreen. However, many theaters refused to buy the equipment to screen the movie.

Since his first film did so poorly, Wayne spent much time starring in lower-quality movies and spent this time learning the filmmaking industry inside and out. When the film "Stagecoach" was released, Wayne was ready for his fast launch to legendary status.

Before becoming the iconic cowboy he was later in life, Wayne was a singing cowboy. He starred as a singing cowboy in three movies, with his most popular character being Sandy Saunders. In these roles, Wayne would ride his horse, strum on his guitar, and sing songs like "The Desert Song." However, Wayne reportedly was not proud of his role in these films because he couldn't sing or play the guitar. His voice had to be dubbed, which embarrassed him.

Wayne was a stark patriot and anti-communist who bled the embodiment of the American spirit, which is why it seems rather strange for him to be labeled a "draft dodger" during WWII. Yet, there was good reason for the label. When the U.S. entered WWII, several actors quickly enlisted to serve in the military. Wayne was not on that list, which caused quite a stir and controversy.

At first, he was exempt because of his age and an old injury. Later, Republic Studios disapproved of him enlisting. Yet, critics claim Wayne didn't join because he loved his lavish lifestyle too much. No one but Wayne will ever know the real reason.

The Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, was the precursor to the CIA, and although Wayne did not serve in the military, he is thought to have helped the OSS during the war. (The OSS was disbanded by President Truman in 1945, and became the CIA in 1947.) Wayne applied for the OSS but did not officially work there.

Nevertheless, when he passed away, it has been stated that a document from William Donovan, who created the agency, was found thanking Wayne for his help during the war. How exactly Wayne helped the OSS is something we may never know.

Wayne was outspoken about his patriotic spirit, and actively worked with the USO, making multiple visits to the troops. He was also very outspoken about his anti-communism beliefs. Since he was such a famous actor with a strong voice, it has been rumored that Joseph Stalin wanted Wayne assassinated.

Allegedly, Stalin did order a hit on Wayne. However, the writer mentions that it may have just been a dark, humorous order. Wayne's stuntman, Yakima Canutt, seemingly corroborated this story with a fascinating tale, stating that the FBI, Wayne, and a friend were able to stop the hit men from completing their mission.

Wayne is a well-known actor for good reason. Throughout his career, according to John Wayne Enterprises, he starred in 175 motion pictures. Those films include the B-movies he starred in before his career launched him to stardom.

Maureen O'Hara and Wayne were big names in Hollywood. They starred together in five movies, growing close, and remaining best friends for 39 years. Wayne described her as his "only female friend" and "his kind of woman." Their relationship remained so close through the years that O'Hara testified in honor of John Wayne right before his death, asking the President to give Wayne a Congressional Gold Medal.

John Wayne was a family man, who was married three times and had seven children from those marriages. Several of his children followed in his footsteps and worked in the film industry. Wayne's second son, Patrick, entered the film industry by starring in many films with his dad, including 40 movies and several television shows. He was also a host on the game show, "Tic-Tac-Dough".

Wayne was also a rancher who owned a purebred Hereford cattle ranch in Arizona that stretched for 39 miles. He called it the 26 Bar Ranch and owned it with his friend Louis Johnson.

DURANGO MEXICO - 1973: L-R Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Rod Taylor, Ann-Margret and John Wayne on the set of 'The Train Robbers' directed by Burt Kennedy in 1973 in Durango, Mexico. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Before Wayne passed away from stomach cancer in 1979, friends and family gave testimony for him to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Among those friends who spoke on his behalf was Maureen O'Hara. The award was approved when Wayne turned 72 and was later presented to his family in March 1980. On the medal, the inscription says "John Wayne – American."

Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964, and he later stated that his advisors recommended he keep this diagnosis under wraps. They were concerned that it would negatively affect the image he worked hard to create for himself. However, he did go public with his diagnosis, saying, "There is a hell of a lot of good image in John Wayne beating cancer," which he did.

However, Wayne did lose a lung during his battle with this first bout of cancer. It was stomach cancer, that Wayne developed 15 years later, that took his life at age 72. (Also See John Wayne Said: 25 of the Most Memorable Movie Quotes from "The Duke")