John Wayne Net Worth

What Was John Wayne's Net Worth and Salary?

John Wayne was an American actor, director, and producer who had a net worth of $7 million at the time of his death in 1979. Contemporary probate filings valued his estate more precisely at $6.85 million, which is equal to roughly $32 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. The estate included approximately $1 million in real property and $5.75 million in personal property and investments. Those personal assets were generating around $100,000 per year in income at the time of his death, equal to roughly $460,000 per year today.

Wayne was one of the defining movie stars of the 20th century and one of Hollywood's most reliable box-office attractions for decades. Although he became synonymous with Westerns, his career also encompassed war films, romantic dramas, comedies, and historical epics. His best-known films include "Stagecoach," "Red River," "The Quiet Man," "The Searchers," "Rio Bravo," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and "True Grit." He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "True Grit" and was also nominated for "Sands of Iwo Jima." Beyond acting, Wayne became an increasingly powerful producer, eventually making films through his own Batjac Productions and directing "The Alamo" and "The Green Berets."

Early Life

John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. After his younger brother Robert was born, his middle name was changed to Mitchell. The frequently repeated claim that his birth name was Marion Michael Morrison originated later and was not his actual birth name.

The Morrison family moved to Southern California during Wayne's childhood, eventually settling in Glendale. His father, Clyde Leonard Morrison, worked as a pharmacist. Wayne attended Glendale Union High School, where he was a strong student and athlete, and later enrolled at the University of Southern California on a football scholarship.

He studied pre-law at USC and played tackle for the Trojans, but a bodysurfing injury ended his football career. After losing his scholarship, he left school and began finding work around the film industry.

(Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Early Film Career and "Stagecoach"

Wayne began working at Fox Film Corporation as a prop man, stagehand, extra, and occasional stunt performer. Director John Ford became an important early mentor, giving him small roles and introducing him to other filmmakers.

Director Raoul Walsh gave Wayne his first major starring opportunity in the expensive 1930 Western "The Big Trail." It was during the production that the young Marion Morrison was given the screen name John Wayne. Although the film was ambitious and visually innovative, it failed commercially, and Wayne spent much of the rest of the decade starring in low-budget Westerns and serial-style action films.

His career changed dramatically in 1939 when Ford cast him as the Ringo Kid in "Stagecoach." The film was a major critical and commercial success and elevated Wayne from B-movie cowboy to mainstream Hollywood star. It also began the most important creative partnership of his career. Wayne went on to appear in numerous Ford films, including "Fort Apache" opposite Henry Fonda, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," "Rio Grande," "The Quiet Man," and "The Searchers."

Hollywood Stardom

During the 1940s and 1950s, Wayne became one of America's biggest movie stars. His films included "Flying Tigers," "They Were Expendable," "Red River," "Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," and "Sands of Iwo Jima." His performance in "Sands of Iwo Jima" earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Wayne developed particularly memorable screen partnerships with several major stars. He appeared with Maureen O'Hara in films including "Rio Grande," "The Quiet Man," "The Wings of Eagles," "McLintock!," and "Big Jake." His 1952 collaboration with O'Hara and John Ford, "The Quiet Man," became one of the most acclaimed films of his career.

"The Searchers," released in 1956, later came to be regarded as one of the most influential Westerns ever made. Wayne followed it with another enduring classic, Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo," co-starring Dean Martin.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Producing, Directing, and Later Career

By the 1950s, Wayne had enough clout to exert much greater control over his films. He and producer Robert Fellows established an independent production company that eventually became Batjac Productions. Through Batjac, Wayne produced or helped develop numerous films starring himself and other actors.

His most ambitious project was 1960's "The Alamo," which he produced, directed, and starred in. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, giving Wayne an Oscar nomination in his capacity as a producer. He later directed and starred in the 1968 Vietnam War film "The Green Berets."

Wayne remained a major leading man as he entered his fifties and sixties. He starred opposite James Stewart in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," Robert Mitchum in "El Dorado," Kirk Douglas in "In Harm's Way" and "The War Wagon," and Rock Hudson in "The Undefeated."

In 1969, Wayne played one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." The performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, his only competitive Oscar win. He returned to the character opposite Katharine Hepburn in 1975's "Rooster Cogburn."

Wayne's final film was 1976's "The Shootist." He played an aging gunfighter dying of cancer, giving the role an added poignancy in light of his own history with the disease.

World War II

Unlike a number of his Hollywood contemporaries, Wayne did not serve in the armed forces during World War II. He initially received a 3-A draft classification based on family dependency and later remained in Hollywood as his career accelerated.

Wayne nevertheless participated in the war effort through bond drives and entertainment appearances and traveled to the South Pacific with the USO, visiting American troops, bases, and hospitals. He subsequently became closely associated with military roles on screen, starring in films including "Flying Tigers," "They Were Expendable," "Back to Bataan," "The Fighting Seabees," and "Sands of Iwo Jima."

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Personal Life

Wayne was married three times. He married Josephine Alicia Saenz in 1933, and they had four children before divorcing in 1945. His second marriage, to actress Esperanza Baur, lasted from 1946 to 1954 and produced no children.

In 1954, Wayne married Peruvian actress Pilar Pallete. They had three children and remained legally married until his death, although they separated in the 1970s.

Wayne had seven children in total. Several entered the entertainment business. His son Patrick Wayne became an actor and appeared in numerous films with his father, while Ethan Wayne also acted and later became involved in managing his father's estate and legacy.

Estate and Death

Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and underwent surgery that removed his entire left lung and several ribs. He continued acting for more than another decade.

John Wayne died from stomach cancer on June 11, 1979, at the age of 72. His will valued his estate at $6.85 million, consisting of approximately $1 million in real estate and $5.75 million in personal property. The bulk of the estate went to his seven children, while his first wife, Josephine, received income from a trust. His estranged third wife, Pilar, was not included in the will because she had already been provided for under a private separation agreement.

Wayne's stature continued to grow after his death. The American Film Institute ranked him #13 on its list of the greatest male screen legends in American film history. Congress authorized a Congressional Gold Medal for Wayne shortly before his death, and the medal was presented to his family in 1980. That same year, President Jimmy Carter posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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