Stacker reports John Wayne, originally Marion Morrison, transitioned from football to iconic Western star, earning accolades like Best Actor for "True Grit."

Fifty-seven years ago, True Grit reached theaters and changed the story of John Wayne's career. Released in 1969, the western placed Wayne in the role of U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, a lawman hired by a young girl to track the man who killed her father.

John Wayne looking to the distance in The Searchers. Image via Warner Bros. John Wayne is the epitome of classic cinema and an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, who made a name for himself by starring in timeless Westerns and war films such as The Searchers ...

In 1977, Hollywood icon John Wayne was asked to name his five favorite movies ever made. The results were just as insightful and unexpected at the time as they are today; Wayne is generally considered a legend of the Western genre,

The legendary actor loved one celebrated Western so much that he honored its unforgettable hero in a deeply personal way.

Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has been writing professionally about pop culture for eight years. Luc's areas of interest are broad: he's just as passionate about psychology and history as he is about movies and TV.

John Wayne ended up shooting himself in the foot when he inadvertently torpedoed his own chances at winning the first Oscar of his career.