by Scott Eyman
First published 2014
Scott Eyman presents John Wayne as both Hollywood legend and complex individual. The author conducted personal interviews with Wayne before his 1979 death and spoke with over 100 family members, costars, and associates. Eyman separates fact from fiction in Wayne's carefully constructed public image. The Duke claimed he stumbled into acting by chance, but he actually studied drama and pursued the craft from youth. He married three Latina women and carried on a surprising affair with Marlene Dietrich. Wayne became more than an actor. He embodied America itself, especially through Western films. His conservative politics made him a hero to some Americans and a villain to others, though unlike Ronald Reagan he avoided political office. Eyman traces Wayne's rise from childhood through his breakthrough in Stagecoach and examines his crucial partnership with director John Ford on classics like The Searchers and The Quiet Man. The biography draws on unpublished memories from Wayne's circle and documents from his production company. Wayne once admitted he played the kind of man he wished he had been. Eyman captures both that idealized screen persona and the real person behind it.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, film
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: real-person-fiction
Setting: America
Period: 1979
672 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster