By name like Johnon Wayne, it may seem like it is just a matter of time before a man becomes a legend on the screen. But as most know, this was not the original name of the actor. The Duke spoke of his name in the Bi -Bi movie in 1969, "Johnon Wayne and his films", where he discovered that Monon Wayne Moniker came from executions in the studio. "My real name is Marion Michael Morrison," he said, "and the studio decided that an American boy was not enough to play Breckenridge Coleman in the" big track "in 1929. So, the studio's heads were gathered and they came out with the name Johnon Wayne. "

"The Great Trail" (which was largely doomed with the latest camera technology and great depression) Wayne's first lead role was. After appearing in small parts in the background in the late 20s, Wayne was thrown by director Raul Walsh in his epic west. According to documentary Richard Shikel, who showed Walsh in his series "The men who made the movies", it was actually the director who gave Wayne his stage name. In an interview with Real westShikel recalled how Walsh and director Johnon Ford and both felt a sense of ownership about the start of the young Starwar's career. "(Walsh) was very proud, as he felt - I think it was a source of dispute between he and Ford (laughs) - that he found Johnon Wayne," he said. "Raul believed he gave his name to Wayne. He said he was reading a book about the American revolutionary General" Crazy "Anthony Wayne; He thought Wayne would be a good name for Marion Morrison. That's how the name emerged. "

It does not match Wayne's own memory, but it seems that at least his stage name comes from people in the industry, whether it is Walsh, studio executions or a combination of both. Nor could he seek credit for Wayne's famous nickname: Duke.

One year before Johnon Wayne landed his first lead role in "The Great Path" - you probably never saw - He presented himself in the Music Comedy of the Jameses Tingling "Words and Music". Wayne was played by Pete Donahu, one of the two college students competing for Lois Moran's Mary Brown's favors and was credited with the first and only time as Duke Morrison. One year before giving him the Johnon Wayne monitor, he briefly used his lifelong nickname as a screen name. But where did the "Duke" come from?

Wayon Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa in 1907 and grew there before his family moved to California in 1914. Then he will get his lifelong nickname in the Golden State. In 1916, the Morrison family moved to Glendale only north of Los Angeles, along with their dog: Duke. Terrier Airale became Marion's best friend, and often accompanied him for walks at school, during which they would spend the local fire house. Firefighters met Duke and began to refer to Marion himself with the same name. Wayne talked about this genesis in "Johnon Wayne and his films", saying:

"Long before I had the name Johnon Wayne, I went to school in Glendale and had a dog named Duke. The dog would follow me as much as a fire station on the road to school in the morning and waited for the fire station to get back in the evening, and the firefighters did not know the dog. "

Since then, Wayne has remained Duke, retaining the nickname next to his death in 1979. As a huge Starwar as he has become, and no matter how complicated his legacy is, this little piece of his childhood has remained constant throughout his life - a small reminder of his surprisingly calm origin.