John Wayne

Exclusive John Wayne photos reveal personal side of the Duke

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In celebration of what would have been the star’s 110th birthday (May 26), USA TODAY looks back on the Duke’s life off-camera with a glimpse at private family photos. Here, John Wayne and his son Ethan relax on set (with Dean Martin in background) during filming for the 1965 film, ‘The Sons of Katie Elder.’
Careful! John Wayne pretends to toss son Ethan (age 3) into the river during production of ‘Katie Elder.’
Now that’s a vacation. In 1954, John Wayne went scuba diving off an outrigger in Hawaii. The actor was an avid waterman and most of his time away from movie sets was spent on a boat or on a beach. He loved to free dive for abalone and lobster.
He loved to fish, too. John Wayne fishes off his friend’s boat in Mexico.”As he became more well-known, the boat was really a place where he could get away,” says his son Ethan, now 55.
John Wayne and wife Pilar on their boat, ‘The Norwester.’
The couple married in 1954, and were together until the actor’s death in 1979.
John Wayne relaxes in his trailer.
John Wayne with wife Pilar in Panama. “They were very close,” says their son, Ethan.
John Wayne pictured with his first wife, Josephine, and their son Michael on a dock in Newport Beach, Calif. They were married from 1933 to 1945.
Now that’s a picture. The 6-foot-four actor hopped on a Benelli minibike on the airstrip in Mulege, Mexico along the Sea of Cortez.
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Time for a break: John Wayne and wife Pilar are pictured playing cards with Dean Martin during filming of ‘The Sons of Katie Elder.’
John Wayne and Pilar were “very social,” says son Ethan. His father “was always playing gin rummy or bridge, or whatever the game of the day was.”
The actor relaxes in Africa during the 1962 filming of ‘Hatari.’
John Wayne had three wives and seven children. Here, he’s seen with his son Patrick (also an actor) on the set of the 1957 film ‘The Wings of Eagles.’ Patrick made 11 movies with his father.
John Wayne watched over his son Ethan (age 3) on horse with during a break filming ‘Katie Elder.’ “He always made time for me as a little boy to come in and get a hug or sit on his lap,” says Ethan.
Aloha! John Wayne and son Michael, right, boarded a cruise ship bound for Hawaii in 1954.
In 1957, John Wayne headed to Greece while travelling overseas to film ‘Legend of the Lost’ with Sophia Loren. A previous version of this image incorrectly identified the location.
The Duke and his wife, Pilar, take a break together in 1956 on the set of ‘The Searchers.’
A sweet shot: John Wayne and son Ethan wore matching hats on the set of the screen legend’s 1966 film, ‘El Dorado.’
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