John Wayne may be known as a legendary actor on screen, but meet his three sons who followed in their father’s footsteps.
After being married three different times, he is similar to Clint Eastwood with his many children that would rival the Brady Bunch.
John Wayne Marriages
The actor first married Josephine Saenz in 1933, when he was just 26-years-old. By 1945 the two called it quits, and a year later, Wayne tied the knot with Esperanza Baur.
Baur and Wayne stayed together for 8 years but ultimately broke things off in 1954. The same year, John married for the last time to Pilar Pallete. In 1973, the two moved into separate homes. However, they were never legally separated or divorce.
John Wayne has seven children, although two have unfortunately died.
With Josephine, Wayne had four children, including the late Michael and Mary Antonia ‘Toni’ Wayne. The other two children are Patrick and Melinda.
The actor did not have any children with Esperanza but had three more kids with Pilar Pallete. They include Aissa, John Ethan, and Marisa.
Let’s take a better look at the iconic cowboy’s sons.
Michael Wayne
John Wayne’s first child was Michael. He was born November 23, 1934, when John was 27-years-old. Like his father, Michael became a producer and actor. Although he didn’t go to college for acting or film, he first worked on set as a production assistant to his father’s friend’s movie The Quiet Man in 1951. Michael worked closely with his father and even produced many of his films.
In addition, Michael Wayne was the president and chairman of the John Wayne Foundation. He was also the founder and chairman of the board for the John Wayne Cancer Institute, which was created after John battled stomach cancer for over a decade.
Michael Wayne, unfortunately, died at the age of 68 due to heart failure from complications with lupus erythematosus.
Patrick Wayne
Patrick Wayne is the second son of Josephine and John, born July 15, 1939. He is also an actor with over 40 films under his belt. He worked with his father for eleven of them.
After creating movies, Patrick moved on to become a TV host for shows like The Monte Carlo Show in the 1980s and Tic-Tac-Dough in the 1990s.
He also made appearances on TV shows through the 1970 and 80s. Some include hit shows like Shirley, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Charlie’s Angels, Sledge Hammer!, and The Love Boat.
Patrick took over as the chairman of the John Wayne Cancer Institute after his brother died in 2003.
John Ethan Wayne
Finally, John Ethan Wayne was born February 22, 1962, as John and Pilar’s son. The Duke’s youngest son is known professionally as Ethan Wayne.
Like his half-brothers and father, Ethan worked in the entertainment industry. He was an actor and stuntman in major films like Scream and The Blues Brothers. His most recent movie was Red Slate in 2011, where he was a stuntman.
Ethan also appeared as a prominent cast member on the 1980s soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
The 58-year-old now managed John Wayne Enterprises. In addition, he serves as the director of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. Ethan also created its Team DUKE fundraising program.
Although the legendary actor died in 1979, we are sure he would be very proud of the talented and decorated actors he has raised.
