About John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons

John Wayne was a legendary actor and an embodiment of America itself. But he also spent much of his life quietly tormented desperately trying to measure up to the towering Hollywood persona he had crafted. While he played men who always do the right thing on camera his real life is far more complicated. With a storied career spanning nearly five decades in the movie business Wayne experiences Hollywood’s lowest lows and highest highs from box office bombs to winning an Academy Award® for Best Actor in a Leading Role for True Grit. But the bigger Wayne became on screen the more he grapples with feeling like an imposter. Through all of the emotional and identity turmoil Wayne uses his experiences to build a heroic character that inspired himself and entire generations of audiences. Sharing their personal stories of Wayne are The Shootist co-star Ron Howard, commentator Dennis Miller, director Peter Bogdanovich, biographer Scotty Eyman and his son Ethan Wayne who shares his favorite memories of his father as well as stories of working with him on the movie Big Jake.