Movie star John Wayne closely followed the advice that he received from his father, Clyde Leonard Morrison. They’re rather blunt words, but they’re perfectly fitting for the actor. Additionally, the advice gives a lot more context regarding how Wayne lived his life. He certainly had his own values that he held dear and close to his heart, which guided him through the ins and outs of Hollywood without losing himself in the process of his stardom.
John Wayne admired his father, Clyde Leonard Morrison
Wayne’s birth name was Marion Robert Morrison before he changed his name to better fit the image of a movie star. He was relentlessly bullied for his real name growing up, becoming a growing insecurity for him. However, things weren’t always better back at home. Wayne had a difficult relationship with his mother, Mary “Molly” Alberta Brown, which didn’t get much better into adulthood. He even paid for her to take an around-the-world vacation, only to receive criticism for the gesture.
However, Wayne admired the advice and life lessons that he learned from his father. The movie star looked up to him even though his parents’ marriage was incredibly unstable, creating a difficult environment for the actor to grow up in. Nevertheless, Wayne learned a lot about how to carry himself through the toughest times of his adolescence.
John Wayne always followed advice from his father
The official Wayne Twitter account wrote about some of the greatest pieces of advice that he received over the course of his lifetime. Therefore, his longtime fans have the opportunity to learn more about the perspective that carried him through life. In this case, Wayne received a piece of blunt advice from his father that he always followed closely.
“I’ve always followed my father’s advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally,” Wayne said. “If I insult you, you can be goddamn sure I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble.”
Wayne fans commented under the tweet in agreement, one of which wrote one of his iconic phrases, “That’s right, pilgrim.” They recognized that the actor truly stayed true to these words to the best of his ability, often charming his film co-stars along the way.
He upheld his ethics on the silver screen
Wayne also took this advice to the silver screen. The movie star became known for his association with the Western and war genres, but his tough cowboy image was what truly stuck with audiences. Wayne refused to compromise on his image, going as far as to demand reshoots on movies like The Shootist after his character shot another in the back. He found the act cowardly, and wouldn’t have that be his legacy.
The actor developed a close friendship and working relationship with legendary filmmaker John Ford. Together, they made classics such as Rio Bravo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Quiet Man. Ford had a strong understanding of Wayne, as well as his ethics and values. As a result, he upheld the actor’s image that he worked so hard to develop over his many working years.