John Wayne in The Shootist
John Wayne (1907 - 1979)
"You cannot kill John Wayne" is a quote that usually held true, but in a few of the many films in his long acting career, his character did not survive.
Film Deaths[]
- Noah's Ark (1928) [Uncredited Extra/Stuntman]: Drowned in the great flood.
- The Deceiver (1931) [Reginald Thorpe's Corpse]: Stabbed to death (off-screen) by Sidney Bracey. (This part was actually played by Ian Keith during the "living" scenes; John only served as a stand-in when the body is discovered.)
- Central Airport (1933) [Co-Pilot in Wreck]: Killed when his plane crashes into the ocean.
- West of the Divide (1934) [Ted Hayden/Gat Ganns] Playing dual roles of both 'Ted Hayden' and 'Gat Ganns'. Gat Ganns dies after drinking from a poisoned water hole. Ted Hayden survives.
- Reap the Wild Wind (1942) [Captain Jack Stuart]: Killed by a giant squid while deep-sea diving in an old shipwreck
- The Fighting Seabees (Donovan's Army) (1944) [Wedge Donovan]: Shot in the chest by a Japanese soldier while driving his jeep towards an oil refinery tank. He succeeds in his intended mission when the jeep crashes into the tank and causes an explosion.
- Wake of the Red Witch (1948) [Captain Ralls]: Drowns after being trapped beneath debris while attempting to recover sunken treasure.
- Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) [Sgt. John M. Stryker]: Shot by a Japanese soldier while ascending Mount Suribachi.
- The Sea Chase (1955) [Captain Karl Ehrlich]: Drowned (off-screen) with Lana Turner when their lifeboat is sunk. (Although his IMDB trivia states death is undetermined, he and Lana may have made it to shore).
- The Alamo (1960) [Col. Davy Crockett]: Stabbed in the chest with a lance by a Mexican soldier and blown up in the Alamo's arsenal when he sets off a massive explosion. (it's known that in real-life, Crockett's body was found whole and did not blow up in a gunpowder explosion).
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) [Tom Doniphon]: Dies (off-screen) of natural causes. His coffin (but not body) is shown when James Stewart arrives at the funeral home, and the rest of the movie takes place in flashbacks set years earlier.
- The Cowboys (1972) [Wil Andersen]: Shot in the chest and stomach by Bruce Dern (after first shooting him in the arm, leg and shoulder); he dies shortly after the teenage cowboys carry him back to their camp.
- The Shootist (1976) [John Bernard Books]: Mortally wounded (on top of terminal cancer) in the saloon gunfight; he dies moments later at the end of the shoot-out with Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brian, and finally Charles G. Martin, with Ron Howard at his side after being shot in the back.
TV Deaths[]
- None known
Gallery[]
John Wayne in The Fighting Seabees
Notable Connections[]
- Father of Patrick Wayne, Ethan Wayne, and Aissa Wayne.
- Grandfather of Brendan Wayne.
- Grandfather-in-law of Sara Arrington.