The only times John Wayne ever died on screen
As Hollywood movie stars go, few have ever made such an indelible mark on American culture as John Wayne, the iconic hero of the western genre. Comparable only to such names as Clint Eastwood, James Stewart and Gary Cooper, Wayne collaborated with some of the greatest filmmakers of the time, including John Ford, Don Siegel, Howard Hawks and Henry Hathaway.
Whilst he was adored throughout the 20th century, in contemporary culture, Wayne is seen as something of a complex figure, held to account for his racist and homophobic views. Fellow filmmaker Spike Lee isn’t a fan of his, for example, once stating: “I’ve never been a fan of John Wayne and John Ford and that cowboy bullshit. I hate them: Native Americans depicted as savages and animals…Fuck John Wayne and John Ford”.
Framed as a hero in every one of his stories, it was rare that Wayne would die on screen, often being the grand winner of any given tale, walking away triumphant with a woman in hand, usually after having killed multiple bandits.
However, the first time he met his demise on screen came back in 1942 during the movie Reap the Wild Wind by Cecil B. DeMille. Set in the 1840s, the movie tells the story of a group of salvagers who become criminals in their own field of work, destroying ships rather than going through their wreckages. Meeting his demise in quite a creative way, Wayne’s captain sees his end after a rather violent and slippery octopus attack.
Wayne also passed away in the iconic 1962 John Ford flick The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The only instance in his entire filmography that depicted Wayne passing away from natural causes, in the movie, he plays Tom Doniphon, a man whose funeral attracts Senator Stoddard (James Stewart), with much of the film taking place in a flashback that establishes the pair’s relationship.
Meanwhile, the final time Wayne would meet his demise on screen would be in 1976’s The Shootist, the fateful final film from the Hollywood icon. Dying of a gunshot wound in the movie, which is one of Wayne’s all-time greats, the actor plays a retired gunslinger who has to contend with his life coming to an end.
Check out the full list of movies where Wayne dies on-screen below.
The only times John Wayne died in movies:
- The Alamo (John Wayne, 1960)
- The Cowboys (Mark Rydell, 1972)
- The Fighting Seabees (Edward Ludwig, 1944)
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
- Reap the Wild Wind (Cecil B. DeMille, 1942)
- Sands of Iwo Jima (Allan Dwan, 1949)
- The Shootist (Don Siegel, 1976)
- Wake of the Red Witch (Edward Ludwig, 1948)
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