Famous Smokers

Jimmy Stewart portraying a doctor who has to tell his character actor that he has cancer and ere is nothing they can do for him. Anyway who watched TV growing up saw many great movies with
John Wayne playing various tough guy roles. One thing that stood out was that he always seemed to show great integrity no matter what role he was in and for someone who acted in over 200 movies that's an incredible legacy. Tough guys are invincible and even the ones who smoked several packs of cigarettes a day and yet in the end it catches up to them.

Born Marion Robert Morrison May 26 1907 - June 11 1979 although we know him best as John Wayne. He work in an ice cream shop as a teen and attended Wilson Middle School in Glendale and was on their championship football team in 1924. Also went to USC and played football for Howard Jones but this collegiate career was cut short from a bodysurfing injury. Worked at the local studio's and
began to get bit parts in movies where his acquired his first starring role in "THE BIG TRAIL (1930). This is where his name was changed to John Wayne by director Raoul Walsh and studio chief Winfield
Sheehan and started to earn $105 a week.
It was in 1939 and the movies "STAGECOACH that finally brought Wayne to stardom. In all Wayne played the leading role in 142 of the plus 200 movies and appeared in the top ten money makers poll for
films covering 25 years which was more than Clint Eastwood. John was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964 and underwent surgery to remove his left lung and 4ribs. This was the result of over 30 years of chain smoking which he went public with and asked the public to get preventive examinations which he did at the request of his wife and attributed to a life saving test. Although he had one lung removed and would need supplemental oxygen to help him in his demanding physical roles he started chewing tobacco and smoke cigars until his death. Playing lead roles in most of his movies Waynes character was very constant playing a strong no nonsense tough guy who was always respectful to woman. You think portraying the same characteristics they would run out of roles for him but he was such a Trademark that no matter what the movie was called people loved to watch him in it. Truth be know the character and his real life personality were not that much different as he had strong values and stood proud for the American flag. Even facing anti-American critics during the Vietnam war to the

Chain Smoking