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Born Patrick Wayne on 15 July 1939 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. The son of actor John Wayne, Patrick Wayne made his earliest film appearances at 14, playing bits in The Quiet Man 1953 and The Sun Shines Bright 1953, both directed by John Ford. The younger Wayne's first real film role was in Ford's The Long Gray Line 1955; the following year, as Lieutenant Greenhill, Wayne acted opposite his father in The Searchers 1956. After attending Loyola University, he was given an opportunity to co-star in The Young Land, a film which neither starred his dad nor was directed by John Ford. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't ready for stardom just yet, so it was back to supporting parts in Cheyenne Autumn 1965 and five of his fathers movies. On his own, Patrick Wayne played leads in the special effects-laden adventures People That Time Forgot 1977 and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger 1977, co-starred on the TV series The Rounders 1965 and Shirley 1979, and hosted the syndicated variety weekly The Monte Carlo Show 1980. Picture from McLintock.
Born Enos Edward Canutt born November 29, 1894 in the snake river hills near Colfax Washington. Yakima Canutt, Rodeo star and later became a stuntman, he doubled for most of the western hero's, including John Wayne. In the five years they worked together they became close friends, Wayne spent weeks studying the way Yak walked and talked. He noticed that the angrier he got, the lower his voice, the slower his tempo. He tried to say his lines low and strong, the way Yak did. One thing he did adopt in his westerns was the way Yak drew his gun, twirling it once as he pulled it from his holster, Yak appeared in thirty-one movies alongside his friend John Wayne. Yak died on 24 May 1986 in North Hollywood, California, USA..
Born Robert Ryan on 11 November 1909 in Chicago, Ilinios, U.S.A. As a college student at Chicago's Loyola and Dartmouth, he held the national collegiate boxing title for four years. After graduating, and working in a variety of odd jobs, Ryan studied drama at the Max Reinhardt Theatrical Workshop in Hollywood. His ring prowess enabled him to secure a part in Golden Gloves 1940, and his movie career was off and running; two years later, he was under contract to RKO. Although he appeared in some films during the war-The Skys the Limit 1943 and Marine Raiders 1944 among them-Ryan didn't achieve any real screen success until 194, when he snared an Academy Award nomination for his character role in Crossfire 1947. Craggy, gruff, and virile, Ryan played both heavies and heroes throughout his career, working in Westerns, war stories, and crime dramas. He was never a star in the Clark Gable sense of the word, but his name carried weight, and his presence counted in both main and secondary roles, Ryan appeared in two movies with Wayne, Picture from The Longest Day, Sadly Robert died on 11 July 1973 in New York, New York, U.S.A.
Born Henry Jaynes Fonda on 16 May 1905, in Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S.A, Raised in Omaha, the son of a printer, Fonda initially harboured ambitions of being a newspaperman and to that end became a journalism major at the University of Minnesota. He dropped out after two years to get a job, he eventually quit his office-boy job and worked full-time at the Omaha Community Playhouse , a local amateur theatre troupe directed by Dorothy Brando. His first major roles in Broadway include "The Farmer Takes a Wife". The play was transferred to the screen in 1935 and became the start-up of Fonda's lifelong Hollywood career. The following year he married Frances Seymour Fonda with whom he had two children: Jane and Peter Fonda . He first starred the actor in a colourful, colonial-era drama, "Drums Along the Mohawk" then cast him in the title role of "Young Mr Lincoln both 1939".Henry Fonda is considered one of Hollywood's old-time legends, he appeared in four films with John Wayne, Henry died on 12 August 1982, Los Angeles, California, USA and is greatly missed.
Born William Edgar Buchanan on 20 March 1903, in Humansville, Missouri, U.S.A, At the age of seven, he and his family moved to Oregon. After studying at the University of Oregon, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a dentist, graduating from North Pacific Dental College. He then moved his practice to Altadena, CA. Buchanan took up acting at age 36, joining the famous Pasadena Playhouse theatre group. He started in films in 1939, appearing in Westerns. He quickly establishing a reputation as a major character player. He delivered dialogue, generally from one side of his mouth, with a gravelly voice, peering suspiciously with squinty eyes. Adept at playing cowardly, corrupt officials and vicious bandits, he worked in more than 100 Westerns alone, and was particularly good in McLintock, Edgar appeared in two more movies with John, Picture from McLintock, Edgar died on 4 April 1979 in Palm Desert, California, USA. and is greatly missed.
Born Vera June Ralston on 23 August 1929 Boise City, Oklahoma, U.S.A ,Vera Miles attended school in Pratt, Kansas and Wichita, Kansas. Entering the beauty pageant circuit, she became "Miss Kansas" in 1948, and went to Hollywood soon after, changing her name to Vera Miles. She began landing small roles in minor films and television. After a few such roles, John Ford cast her as Jeffrey Hunter's spirited love interest in the classic western The Searchers 1956, more leading roles quickly followed. She appeared in two more films with John Wayne The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962 and The Hellfighters 1968. She also starred in Hitchcock and Disney films, Picture from The Hellfighters.
Born and raised in the Bluegrass Country of Lexington, Kentucky, Faulkner was trained as an industrial engineer. He then earned a degree in business before entering the United States Air Force. After his stint in the service, he returned to Lexington. At odds as to where to go from there, he abandoned the idea of pursuing a career in the construction and building supply business that his late father had succeeded in. Encouraged by a drama coach at the University of Kentucky, he instead decided to aim at a career in acting. By this time, Faulkner was already married to his wife, Barbara. Together now for over 45 years, these high school sweethearts had once shared the lead role. The "Duke" managed to find a place for an ex-fighter pilot from Kentucky who was striving for an even higher sense of adventure. Taking on acting as a profession was a challenge in itself, yet Edward Faulkner flew high and acted with the best of them. Although his roles early on consisted of background and bit parts, he was grateful to be working in Hollywood. "There are no small parts, only small actors," chuckles Faulkner. But when he played in a movie entitled The Undefeated, the 6'3" actor was a bit out-sized by the 6'4" of John Wayne, the 6'5" of Rock Hudson, the 6'5" of Merlin Olsen and the 6'7" of director Andrew McLaglen. Faulkner appeared in five more movies with John Wayne. Faulkner enjoyed his acting role, but even more, the camaraderie he shared with his co-workers, Picture from The Hellfighters.
Born Dana James Hutton on 31 May 1934 in Binghamton, New York, U.S.A. This gangly, boyish leading man was discovered by director Douglas Sirk, who saw him performing in Germany while the young actor was stationed there with the U.S. Army. Equally capable in both action and comic fare, Hutton appeared in Sirk's A Time toLove and a Time to Die 1958, his first film. Hutton found his services most in demand on the small screen as supersleuth Ellery Queen in the TV series of the same name 1975-76. He appeared in two films with John, Hellfighters and Green Berets. Sadly, he didn't live to see his son Timothy win his Oscar in 1981, Picture from The Hellfighters, Jim died on 2 June 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born James Aurness on 26 May 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A, James Arness became one of television's best-known heroes during the twenty years he spent on the series Gunsmoke 1955–75, playing Marshal Matt Dillon, a role for which he was recommended by John Wayne. Since Gunsmoke, Arness has appeared in four films with Wayne Big Jim Mclain1952, Hondo 1953, Island in the Sky 1953 and The Sea Chase 1955, he as also appeared in several Gunsmoke television movies. His younger brother, Peter Graves, is also an actor. Sadly James passed away on June 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Born on 30 June 1917 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. Susan Hayward was born Edythe Marrener the daughter of a transportation worker and his wife lived a fairly comfortable life as a child. The little precocious red-head had no idea of the life that awaited her. She attended public school in Brooklyn where she graduated from a commercial high school which was intended to give students a marketable skill. She had planned on becoming a secretary, but her plans changed. Her career began as a model for local photographers in the NYC area. She came to Hollywood for a screen test along with 100 other hopefuls for the part of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind but lost out to Vivien Leigh. In 1937 Susan began playing bit parts, but in 1939 Susan landed the role of Isobel Rivers in the mammoth hit Beau Geste. Susan appeared in three films with John Wayne, Reap the Wild Wind 1942, The Fighting Seabees 1944. and The Conqueror 1956, Susan past away on 14 March 1975 in Hollywood, California, U.S.A she is sadly missed by all her fans.
Born Forrest Tucker on 12 February 1919 in Plainfield, Indiana, U.S.A, Forrest Tucker began his acting career on a lark, coaxed into trying out for films while vacationing in California in 1940. He made his debut in William Wyler's "The Westerner" supporting Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan, and toiled as a contract player in many Columbia films (mostly Bs) of the early and mid 1940s. Tucker, a huge, solidly built man with wavy blond hair and inviting blue eyes, often played nasty, brutal heavies in Westerns and action films. (His most memorable: the Marine with a chip on his shoulder who squares off with John Wayne in 1949's "Sands of Iwo Jima" he also appeared in "Chisum". He starred in the TV series as the crafty Sergeant O'Rourke of "F Troop" 1965-67, he also appeared in many tele-films of the 1970s and early 1980s, he was re-teamed with "F Troop" partner Larry Storch for the Saturday morning kids' series "The Ghost Busters" 1975-76, Picture from Sands of Iwo-Jima. Forrest died on 25 October 1986 in Woodland Hills, California, U.S.A, and is greatly missed.
Born Claire Wemlinger on 8 March 1910 in New York, New York, U.S.A. A native New Yorker who studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before attempting a stage career, she got her first experience before the cameras acting in Vitaphone short subjects shot in Brooklyn. Trevor came to Hollywood under contract to Fox. For the next five years she worked exclusively at Fox, except for 1937 loan-outs to Samuel Goldwyn. She appeared in a lot of films before accepting the role of a sympathetic prostitute in John Ford's classic "Stagecoach" 1939, opposite John Wayne (but getting top billing). They re-teamed in "Allegheny Uprising" also 1939 and"Dark Command"1940, but her parts were much more conventional. Every casting director in Hollywood must have felt the same way about this hardboiled blonde, who played every conceivable type of "bad girl," from hooker to gun moll to showgirl to saloon girl. She was good at it, too, judging from the Oscar she won for her turn as Edward G. Robinson's floozy in"Key Largo"1948. She appeared again with Wayne in The High and the Mighty" 1953. sadly Claire passed away on 8 April 2000 and is greatly missed.
Born George Cleveland on 17 September 1885 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, George was a master at abrasive and intrusive old-codger roles, George Cleveland enjoyed a 58-year career in vaudeville, stage, movies and television. Spending his earliest professional days in his native Canada, Cleveland barnstormed around the U.S. with his own stock company until settling in New York. He came to Hollywood in 1934 for an assignment in the Noah Beery Sr. programmer Mystery Liner and remained in Tinseltown for the next two decades. At first appearing in small roles in serials and westerns, Cleveland's screen time increased when he signed with RKO in the early 1940s. In the Fibber McGee and Molly feature Here We Go Again, Cleveland essayed the "Old Timer" role played on radio by Bill Thompson (who also showed up in Here We Go Again in another of his radio characterizations, Wallace Wimple). Other choice '40s assignments for Cleveland included the role of Paul Muni's faithful butler in Angel on My Shoulder (1946). His more memorable assignment was his three-year gig as Gramps on the Lassie series, which kept Cleveland busy. George appeared in six movies with John Wayne, George passed away on 15 July 1957 in Burbank, California, USA.
Born Regis Toomey on 13 August 1898 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Pittsburgh-born and raised Regis Toomey studied drama at the university of his home town. One of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey, John Regis Toomey initially pondered a law career, but acting won out and he established himself as a musical stage performer. He was touring in "Little Nellie Kelly" in England when he developed an acute case of laryngitis. The problem forced a sincere rethinking of his career goals. With the birth of sound pictures, Toomey made an auspicious debut with Alibi (1929) starring Chester Morris where a climactic death scene sparked controversy...and a movie career that would include almost 200 pictures. His lead/second lead status opposite such stars as Clara Bow, Constance Bennett, Barbara Stanwyck and Evelyn Brent fell away within a few years, finding more work in streetwise character roles. Fast-paced crime action was his forte and he was prevalent throughout the 30s and 40s, but, with time, he moved further down the credits list. In the 50s he looked for employment on TV. Fellow one-time singer Dick Powell became a friend and Powell, having turned producer, saw to it that Toomey had involving roles on his TV series such as "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1957). Regis appeared in two movies with Wayne, Picture from Island in the Sky, Regis passed away on 12 October 1991 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.
Wally Cassell born on 3 March 1915 in Mississippi, USA, In films from 1943, pugnacious American character actor Wally Cassell was afforded star billing for the first time in The Story of GI Joe (1945). As Private Dondaro, Cassell spent half of his time searching for his ethnic roots in war-torn Italy, and the other half seeking out wine, women and more wine. His other war-related filmic efforts included Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and Flying Leathernecks (1951). He later appeared in westerns, then worked steadily during the late-1950s gangster-movie cycle, playing such raffish characters as Cherry Nose in I Mobster (1959). Wally Cassell was married to musical performer Marcy Maguire, Wally also appeared with Wayne in "Island In The Sky", Picture from Sands of Iwo-Jima. Wally passed away on 2 April 2015, Palm Desert, California, United States
Born Hal Fieberling on 10 December 1918, Character actor Hal Baylor made a career out of pummeling (or being pummeled by) heroes ranging from John Wayne to Montgomery Clift. The 6'3", 210-pound Baylor, born Hal Fieberling, was an athlete in school and did a hitch in the United States Marines before embarking on a boxing career. He moved into acting in the late '40s, initially by way of one of the most acclaimed boxing films ever made in Hollywood, Robert Wise's The Set-Up (1949), playing Tiger Nelson, the young fighter in the film, whose fresh good looks stood out from the pug-worn visages of most of the men around him. His first released film, however -- a short feature done after The Set-Up but released first -- was a very different kind of boxing movie, Joe Palooka in Winner Take All. He also appeared in Allan Dwan's 1949 The Sands of Iwo Jima, playing Private "Sky" Choyuski, which was where he first began working with John Wayne. All of those early appearances were credited under his real name, Hal Fieberling. But by 1950 the actor had changed his name to Hal Baylor. Whether in Westerns, period dramas, or war movies, Baylor usually played tough guys, and as soon as John Wayne began producing movies, he started using him, in Big Jim McLain (1952), in which Baylor played one of the two principal villains, a tough, burly Communist (just to show, from the movie's point of view, that they weren't all slimy-mannered, smooth-talking intellectuals) who is always getting in the face of Wayne's two-fisted investigator, and who is bounced all over the set in the film's climactic punch-up; Hal aslo appeared in Island in the Sky (1953), as Stankowski the engineer, Picture from Sands of Iwo-Jima, Hal passed away on 5 January 1998.
Jack Pennick born 7th December 1895 Portland, Oregon, USA. Originally a horse wrangler, he played small parts in many westerns. Was known to be an expert in the "manual of arms" for existing and some extinct military units. May have been former Marine or military man. Can be seen marching as "right guard" at the very beginning of Stars and Stripes Forever 1952 un-credited. Veteran of both WWI and WWII. Enlisting at the age of nearly 50, he received a Silver Star after being wounded in WWII. Jack 6' 4½" appeared in 17 films as a character actor with John Wayne, he also worked in nearly every sound picture directed by John Ford as part of Ford's "troop of players. Sadly Jack died on 16 August 1964 Manhattan Beach, California, USA. Picture from They Were Expendable.