In a genre of Westerns, tough guys and quiet men, one cowboy stands alone. John Wayne, the no-nonsense American hero of more than 200 films, has enduring appeal, largely because “he speaks for a character set or value set,” says Ethan Wayne, his 55-year-old son, who grew up on film sets including El Dorado and True Grit. “The American archetype that he represented was a person who decided to do the right thing whether someone was looking or not.” In celebration of what would have been the star's 110th birthday (May 26), USA TODAY looks back on the Duke's life off-camera with personal photos shared by his family.
Life on the set
Ethan Wayne, who was 17 when the screen legend died in 1979, has warm memories of life on the road with his actor father (a dad of seven) and mother Pilar (Wayne's third wife).
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