John Wayne Had No Say in His Stage Name

While Hollywood’s simultaneous desires to produce risky, artistically-minded films and develop a superficial celebrity culture surrounding its most prominent acting talent may seem counterintuitive, the two seemingly different ambitions are quite closely linked. It’s often that loyal film fans will go to see any new work based on the name of the star attached. If the actor in question is one that often pushes themselves creatively to do the best work possible, then the attention that their personal activities earn may end up helping the industry in the long run. While the era of “movie stardom” that truly peaked during the Golden Age of Hollywood produced many iconic acting talents, John Wayne was a star like no other. Although he had a long and successful career, earning a loyal battalion of fans, Wayne was not given any input on choosing his iconic name.