Profile America — Tuesday, May 26th. Today marks the 102nd anniversary of the birth of legendary movie star John Wayne. He was born in Winterset, Iowa, with the name Marion Morrison. His father’s ill health caused the family to move to Southern California. His first acting role came in 1930, but it was with “Stagecoach” in 1939 that he became a star. During his career, he made more than 200 movies. By the time of his death in 1979, his name had become synonymous with patriotism and courage. For his early roles, Wayne sometimes earned less than $100. Today, making movies is a more than $64 billion a year industry, providing jobs for 271,000 people.
