'The Duke' John Wayne was from Iowa. Where was the legendary Hollywood actor born?

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You've probably heard of Hollywood's most famous cowboy, John Wayne. Often referred to as "The Duke," Wayne starred in over 100 movies, many of them Westerns, over his 50-year career.

But did you know he was from right here in central Iowa?

The small city of Winterset, population about 5,000, is where Wayne was born in 1907. Back then, Winterset, roughly 35 miles southwest of Des Moines, was barely a name on the map, platted just around 50 years prior. Now, the Madison County seat and is home to the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum.

The museum has everything from costumes and scripts from Wayne movies to collectible mugs for Wayne enthusiasts. It also shows Wayne's films in a theater with seats originally from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, a Hollywood landmark.

Where was John Wayne born? Where did he grow up?

Wayne was born as Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in a small square home on the corner of South Second Street, right behind where the museum now stands on John Wayne Drive.

With a strange name for a young boy, Marion preferred to be called "Duke," and the nickname stuck for the rest of his life.

He and his family hopped from home to home while he was growing up, moving to Earlham, Des Moines, Keokuk and Brooklyn while father Clyde tried to find a steady job as a pharmacist.

The Morrisons ended up in Palmdale, California, in 1914, a rural town on the northern edge of what would become the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

How did John Wayne make it to the big screen?

Wayne went to the University of Southern California on a football scholarship and studied to become a lawyer, But after a surfing accident, he dropped out.

He had to go to work to stay afloat, so remembering that a friend had told him Fox Studios was looking for help, he applied to be a furniture mover.

That job didn't last long ― but led to a much better one. According to Brian Downes, the executive director of the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum, producers gawked at Wayne's good looks, build and height, and ended up putting him on the big screen.

The name Marion Morrison didn't look good on posters or the marquees, so the name "John Wayne" was drafted and it stuck.

After his big break in the 1939 movie "Stagecoach," Wayne ended up starring in around 140 movies and produced more than a dozen. His career would last 50 years, and according to Downes, "He was the greatest movie star that ever lived ... I'm a little partial, but it's just historical fact."

What movies was John Wayne in?

Some of the Duke's most popular films included:

'The Searchers'

In the 1956 film, Wayne plays a Civil War veteran who, accompanied by his adopted nephew, embarks on a mission to rescue his kidnapped niece from the Comanches, a Native American tribe of the southern Plains.

'Rio Bravo'

In the 1959 film, Wayne plays a small-town sheriff who, along with his deputies and a young gunslinger, defends the town jail against a gang led by a powerful land baron whose brother Wayne had arrested for murder.

'True Grit'

In the 1969 film, made near the end of his career and 10 years before his death at age 72, Wayne is a U.S. marshal who is hired alongside a Texas ranger by a teenage girl to track down the man who killed her father. This film won Wayne his first and only Academy Award as Best Actor as well as his third Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

'Red River'

The 1948 film features Wayne as a headstrong rancher who is strapped for cash. He and a slew of his workers butt heads on a journey to Missouri to sell cattle.

'Stagecoach'

The classic movie directed by John Ford started it all for Wayne. In the film from 1939, he plays an outlaw by the name of the Ringo Kid who accompanies a group of stagecoach passengers on their way to New Mexico, all the while the ever-present threat of an Apache attack looms over them.

What does the museum have to offer?

In addition to its theater, the 6,100 square-foot museum draws about 30,000 visitors a year, said Downes.

It has two galleries. One is dedicated to Wayne's film work and displays original posters from his films, costumes and more. The second contains a model set for Wayne's 1960 movie "The Alamo," which he directed and starred in. It also includes letters from fans and the car he owned when when he lived in Newport, California, a green 1972 Pontiac Grand Safari Wagon that was adjusted for his height.

In addition, it displays some of his clothes and even a fishing hat he would wear on his yacht, Wild Goose.

The museum houses a gift shop with everything from T-shirts and cookbooks to coffee mugs.

How to celebrate John Wayne's birthday

Every year, on or near May 26, Winterset celebrates Wayne's birthday. Look for information about the event at the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum website, johnwaynebirthplace.museum.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Want to know more about John Wayne? There's a place in Iowa to visit