John Wayne, whose career spanned from the late 1920s to the mid-1970s, is the most visually recognizable actor in the history of American film. Despite appearing in a great number and wide variety of films, as an actor he is most closely identified with Westerns (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2). His roles in a series of Westerns helped make Wayne an American icon who was thought by many to represent the American spirit.

For a ten-year period, Wayne appeared primarily in low-budget Westerns. In 1939, Wayne's long affiliation with director John Ford (1894–1973) began when Wayne played the Ringo Kid in Stagecoach. He went on to star in some of Ford's best films, including Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). He also starred in the Westerns directed by Howard Hawks (1896–1977)—Red...