The Surfing Accident That Drove John Wayne To A Legendary Hollywood Career
One of the greatest leading men in movie history may have never taken up acting if not for an unfortunate injury
John Wayne epitomized what it means to be a movie star. The “Duke” headlined popular movies for decades, typically specializing in Westerns and war films. Given his success as an actor, it might be expected that he devoted his life to his craft from an early age. However, it turns out he may have never landed his career in Hollywood if it wasn’t for a surfing accident he suffered as a young college student.
In a 50-year career, Wayne had 181 acting credits to his name (which was changed from Marion Morrison after he began his new career). This included being nominated for an Academy Award three times and taking home the statue in 1970 for his role in True Grit. Instead of being classically trained, he was largely self-taught and enthralled audiences with his macho demeanor and patented slow drawl.
Instead of being into acting growing up, he was a talented athlete, particularly when it came to football. He was so skilled in the sport that he earned a scholarship to play for the University of South California (USC), where starting in 1925 he played lineman while studying in the school’s…
