Summary: Amy Henderson, historian at NPG, discusses John Wayne. >One of the archetypal heroic figures of twentieth-century film, John Wayne conveyed a decisive, solitary, reverent screen persona that reflected traditional American values. Wayne's collaboration with director John Ford led to such classics as Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and The Quiet Man. During World War II, Wayne starred in several morale-boosting movies, including Flying Tigers and Back to Bataan. He finally won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969). About his long-lived popularity he said, "I play John Wayne in every part regardless of the character, and I've been doing okay, haven't I?" Recorded at NPG, June 17, 2010. Image: John Wayne / Harry Jackson / Polychromed bronze, 1969 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
