In 1939, director John Ford cast John Wayne in his movie 'Stagecoach', and from there, a legend was born. Welcomed to the ranks of A-list actors, he made a series of western and adventure films during World War II and became the idealized American hero. In a career spanning more than five decades, Wayne epitomized the straight-talking, no-nonsense characters that made him a true Hollywood legend both on and off the silver screen.