Family Tree Tuesday – John Wayne

John Wayne

American actor, director and producer John Wayne epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. His career spanned five decades, leaving his most lasting impression in American Westerns. In 1999, the American Film Institute named him one of the greatest screen legends of all time.

He was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. His father, Clyde Leonard Morrison, was a pharmacist. In 1906, he married Mary “Molly” Alberta Brown, a telephone operator. Wayne was born just eight months later, causing a stir.

Wayne’s paternal grandfather, Marion Mitchell Morrison, was a veteran of the American Civil War. After the war, he returned to Illinois and became a real estate agent.

When his younger brother was born, his parents changed his middle name so they could name their next son Robert. Robert Emmett Morrison would later enter into the entertainment industry and become a film producer.

Wayne was married three times and had a total of seven children. He married his first wife, Josephine Saenz, in 1933 and together they had four children. Their sons, Michael and Patrick, became film actors and producers as well.

After divorcing this second wife, Mexican actress Esperanza Ceballos, Wayne married Peruvian actress Pilar Pallete and together they had three children. Their son, Ethan, later became an actor and director of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.

Most recently, Wayne’s actor grandson, Brendan Wayne, appeared on the big screen in the film Cowboys and Aliens. While his granddaughter, Jennifer Wayne, is a member of the country music group Stealing Angels. The group is comprised of the descendants of famous relatives, including a direct descendant of Daniel Boone and the granddaughter of country music star Loretta Lynn.

Check out John Wayne’s family tree on Geni and see how you’re related!

John Wayne's family tree