He was a symbol of strength to a generation. Actor John Wayne, who passed in 1979, lives on in popular culture as the man who stood tall—honest, loyal, and true. A cowboy spirit. A rugged heart. A hero who reminded people what it meant to be decent, direct, and unafraid to stand for something.

Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, he was nicknamed “Duke” after his loyal Airedale dog. He played football at USC before the silver screen found him. His breakout role as the Ringo Kid in 1939’s Stagecoach launched a film career that spanned 153 movies—each stamped with grit, grace, and his unmistakable presence.

He wasn’t polished. He wasn’t perfect. But he was real. He loved his country, his friends, and his family. He preferred trucks to cars and steak to salad. And through it all, he carried a kind of steady courage—an everyday kind of bravery we still hunger for today.

His longtime friend Jimmy Stewart once said, “Few other men living or dead have ever portrayed the fine, decent, and generous American qualities as Duke did.”

Just months before his death, actress Maureen O’Hara asked Congress to honor him. “John Wayne is not just an actor,” she said passionately. “John Wayne is the United States of America.” Her words struck deep. A gold coin was minted, engraved simply: “John Wayne, American.”

For those who didn’t grow up with his films, he may feel like a myth. But behind the swagger was a man of values. And in the quiet promise of tomorrow, we can still learn from his way of walking through the world—with purpose, principle, and a weathered kind of grace.