Michael Anthony Morrison (November 23, 1934 – April 2, 2003), known professionally as Michael Wayne, was an American actor and film producer. He was best known as the eldest son of the actor

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

Early life

Michael Anthony Morrison was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, on November 23, 1934, as the eldest child to

, an

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, and his first wife, Josephine Alicia (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Saenz), the daughter of Panama's

Consul General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

to the United States. He had three younger siblings: Mary Antonia "Toni" Wayne LaCava, Patrick Wayne, and Melinda Ann Wayne Munoz, and three half-siblings: Aissa Maria Wayne, John Ethan Wayne, and Marisa Carmela Wayne, from his father's marriage to his stepmother, Pilar Pallete, a Peruvian former actress. Wayne graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1956, with a business degree. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Career

Wayne began his film career as a production assistant on the set of the

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

romantic

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film '' The Quiet Man'' in 1951. He adopted his father's stage surname, Wayne. He joined his father's film production company, Batjac Productions, for '' The Alamo'' (1960). He became line producer for '' McLintock!'' (1963) and producer on many other

vehicles, including '' Big Jake'' (1971) and '' Cahill U.S. Marshal'' (1973). Wayne served on the board of the Motion Picture & Television Fund. He was The John Wayne Foundation's president and chairman of the board. He was also the founder and chairman of the board of the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center.

Personal life

Wayne married Gretchen Ann Deibel in

, California, on August 30, 1958. They had five children together: Alicia Maria Wayne (born 1959), Teresa Ann Wayne (born 1960), Maria Utilla Wayne (born 1962), Josephine Michele Wayne (born 1965), and Christopher Michael Wayne (born 1967). His sister-in-law, Kathryn Deibel, married

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...

on January 19, 1963, and they had eight children together. He was the uncle of Jennifer Wayne from the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

group Runaway June. Wayne was 44 years old when his father died from stomach cancer on June 11, 1979. His father left an estate worth

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

6.85M, of which he received US$220,000. Wayne died from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

with complications resulting from lupus erythematosus in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, on April 2, 2003. He was 68. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

Filmography

As himself

As an actor

As a producer

Source(s):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wayne, Michael 1934 births 2003 deaths American film actors 20th-century American male actors American film producers People with lupus Deaths from lupus Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)