Мериън се ражда на 26 май 1907 г. в Уинтърсет, Айова, но след като родителите му решават да кръстят следващия син Робърт, името на бъдещия актьор става Мериън Майкъл Морисън. Семейството му се мести в Глендейл, Калифорния, през 1911 г.
Дебютира официално в киното през 20-те години на миналия век, след като режиьорът Джон Форд го забелязва и го препоръчва на свои колеги. Още тогава Форд му дава и прякора - Джон Уейн.
Звездата му изгрява на хоризонта едва в края на 1939 година с ролята му в "Дилижанс" именно на Форд. Оттук насетне образът му е свързван именно с класическия мъжки герой - каубой, борещ се срещу несправедливостта. До края на кариерата си Уейн така и не успява да излезе от това амплоа.
През 1969 година получава и най-ценното филмово отличие - "Оскар" за изпълнението си в "Истинска доблест" на Хенри Хатауей, в който играе шериф с недъг. Последната му роля е в "Стрелецът" (1976).
Умира три години по-късно - на 11 юни 1979 г. в Лос Анджелис след рак на стомаха и на белия дроб.
Личен живот:
Женил се е три пъти, като само от първата си съпруга Жозефин има 4 деца. Вторият му брак трае едва 8 години - от 1946 до 1954 година (Есперанса). От третата си жена - Пилар има още 3 деца. Именно тя е и до смъртния му одър през 1979 г.
Филмография:
- The Shootist (1976) .... John Bernard Books
- Rooster Cogburn (1975) .... Rooster Cogburn
- Brannigan (1975) .... Lt. Brannigan
... aka Joe Battle - McQ (1974) .... Det. Lt. Lon McQ
- Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973) .... U.S. Marshal J.D. Cahill
... aka Cahill (UK)
... aka Wednesday Morning - The Train Robbers (1973) .... Lane
- The Cowboys (1972) .... Wil Andersen
- Big Jake (1971) .... Jacob McCandles
- Rio Lobo (1970) .... Col. Cord McNally
... aka San Timoteo - Chisum (1970) .... John Simpson Chisum
- The Undefeated (1969) .... Col. John Henry Thomas
- True Grit (1969) .... Marshall Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn
- Hellfighters (1968) .... Chance Buckman
- The Green Berets (1968) .... Col. Mike Kirby
- The War Wagon (1967) .... Taw Jackson
- El Dorado (1966) .... Cole Thornton
- Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) .... Gen. Mike Randolph
- The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) .... John Elder
- In Harm's Way (1965) .... Capt. Rockwell Torrey
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) .... Centurion at crucifixion
... aka George Stevens Presents The Greatest Story Ever Told (USA: complete title) - Circus World (1964) .... Matt Masters
... aka Henry Hathaway's The Magnificent Showman (UK: complete title)
... aka Samuel Bronston's Circus World
... aka The Magnificent Showman (UK) - McLintock! (1963) .... George Washington McLintock
- Donovan's Reef (1963) .... Michael Patrick 'Guns' Donovan
- How the West Was Won (1962) .... Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
- "Alcoa Premiere" .... Sergeant-Umpire in Korea (1 episode, 1962)
- Flashing Spikes (1962) TV episode .... Sergeant-Umpire in Korea - The Longest Day (1962) .... Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
- Hatari! (1962) .... Sean Mercer
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) .... Tom Doniphon
- The Comancheros (1961) .... Ranger Capt. Jake Cutter
- "Wagon Train" .... General William Tecumseh Sherman (1 episode, 1960)
- The Colter Craven Story (1960) TV episode (as Michael Morris) .... General William Tecumseh Sherman - North to Alaska (1960) .... Sam McCord
- The Alamo (1960) .... Col. Davy Crockett
- The Horse Soldiers (1959) .... Col. John Marlowe
- Rio Bravo (1959) .... Sheriff John T. Chance
... aka Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo (USA: complete title) - The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) .... Townsend Harris
- I Married a Woman (1958) (uncredited) .... John Wayne / Leonard
- Legend of the Lost (1957) .... Joe January
- Jet Pilot (1957) .... Col. Jim Shannon
- The Wings of Eagles (1957) .... Frank W. 'Spig' Wead
- The Searchers (1956) .... Ethan Edwards
- The Conqueror (1956) .... Temujin, later Genghis Khan
... aka Conqueror of the Desert - "Screen Directors Playhouse" .... Mike Cronin (1 episode, 1955)
- Rookie of the Year (1955) TV episode .... Mike Cronin - Blood Alley (1955) .... Capt. Tom Wilder
... aka William A. Wellman's Blood Alley (UK: complete title) (USA: complete title) - The Sea Chase (1955) .... Capt. Karl Ehrlich
- The High and the Mighty (1954) .... Dan Roman
- Hondo (1953) .... Hondo Lane
- Island in the Sky (1953) .... Capt. Dooley
- Trouble Along the Way (1953) .... Stephen 'Steve' Aloysius Williams
... aka Alma Mater - Big Jim McLain (1952) .... Jim McLain
... aka Jim McLain - The Quiet Man (1952) .... Sean Thornton
- Miracle in Motion (1952) .... Narrator
- Flying Leathernecks (1951) .... Maj. Daniel Xavier Kirby
- Operation Pacific (1951) .... Lt Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford
- Rio Grande (1950) .... Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke
... aka John Ford and Merian C. Cooper's Rio Grande (USA: complete title) - Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) .... Sgt. John M. Stryker
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) .... Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
- The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) .... John Breen
- Wake of the Red Witch (1948) .... Capt. Ralls
- 3 Godfathers (1948) .... Robert Marmaduke Hightower
- Red River (1948) .... Thomas Dunson
- Fort Apache (1948) .... Capt. Kirby York
... aka War Party - Tycoon (1947) .... Johnny Munroe
- Angel and the Badman (1947) .... Quirt Evans
... aka The Angel and the Outlaw - Without Reservations (1946) .... Rusty Thomas
... aka Thanks God, I'll Take It from Here - Dakota (1945) .... John Devlin
- They Were Expendable (1945) .... Lt. (j.g.) 'Rusty' Ryan
- Back to Bataan (1945) .... Col. Joseph Madden
... aka The Invisible Army - Flame of Barbary Coast (1945) .... Duke Fergus
... aka Flame of the Barbary Coast (UK) - Tall in the Saddle (1944) .... Rocklin
- The Fighting Seabees (1944) .... Lt. Cmdr. Wedge Donovan
... aka Donovan's Army - In Old Oklahoma (1943) .... Daniel F. Somers
... aka War of the Wildcats (USA: reissue title) - A Lady Takes a Chance (1943) .... Duke Hudkins
... aka The Cowboy and the Girl - Reunion in France (1942) .... Pat Talbot
- Pittsburgh (1942) .... Charles 'Pittsburgh' Markham/Charles Ellis
- Flying Tigers (1942) .... Capt. Jim Gordon
- In Old California (1942) .... Tom Craig
- The Spoilers (1942) .... Roy Glennister
- Reap the Wild Wind (1942) .... Captain Jack Stuart
... aka Cecil B. DeMille's Reap the Wild Wind (USA: complete title) - Lady for a Night (1942) .... Jackson Morgan
- The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) .... Young Matt
- Lady from Louisiana (1941) .... John Reynolds
- A Man Betrayed (1941) .... Lynn Hollister
... aka Citadel of Crime (UK)
... aka Wheel of Fortune (USA: reissue title) - Seven Sinners (1940) .... Lt. Dan Brent
... aka Cafe of the Seven Sinners - The Long Voyage Home (1940) .... Ole Olsen
- Three Faces West (1940) .... John Phillips
... aka The Refugee (UK) - Dark Command (1940) .... Bob Seton
- Allegheny Uprising (1939) .... James Smith
... aka The First Rebel (UK) - New Frontier (1939) .... Stony Brooke
... aka Frontier Horizon (USA: reissue title) - Wyoming Outlaw (1939) .... Stony Brooke
- Three Texas Steers (1939) .... Stony Brooke
- The Night Riders (1939) .... Stony Brooke
- Stagecoach (1939) .... The Ringo Kid
- Red River Range (1938) .... Stony Brooke
- Santa Fe Stampede (1938) .... Stony Brooke
- Overland Stage Raiders (1938) .... Stony Brooke
- Pals of the Saddle (1938) .... Stony Brooke
- Born to the West (1937) .... Dare Rudd
- Adventure's End (1937) .... Duke Slade
- Idol of the Crowds (1937) .... Johnny Hansen
- I Cover the War (1937) .... Bob Adams
- California Straight Ahead! (1937) .... Biff Smith
- Conflict (1936) .... Pat Glendon
- Sea Spoilers (1936) .... 'Bos'n' Bob Randall
- Winds of the Wasteland (1936) .... John Blair
- The Lonely Trail (1936) .... Captain John Ashley
- King of the Pecos (1936) .... John Clayborn
- The Lawless Nineties (1936) .... John Tipton
- The Oregon Trail (1936) .... Capt John Delmont
- Lawless Range (1935) .... John Middleton, aka John Allen
- The New Frontier (1935) .... John Dawson
- Westward Ho (1935) .... John Wyatt
- Paradise Canyon (1935) .... John Wyatt aka John Rogers
... aka Paradise Ranch - The Dawn Rider (1935) .... John Mason
- The Desert Trail (1935) .... John Scott, aka John Jones
- Rainbow Valley (1935) .... John Martin
- Texas Terror (1935) .... John Higgins
- 'Neath the Arizona Skies (1934) .... Chris Morrell
... aka 'Neath Arizona Skies - The Lawless Frontier (1934) .... John Tobin
- The Trail Beyond (1934) .... Rod Drew
- The Star Packer (1934) .... U.S. Marshal John Travers
- Randy Rides Alone (1934) .... Randy Bowers
- The Man from Utah (1934) .... John Weston
- Blue Steel (1934) .... John Carruthers
... aka An Innocent Man (USA) - West of the Divide (1934) .... Ted Hayden, posing as Gat Ganns
- The Lucky Texan (1934) .... Jerry Mason
... aka Gold Strike River (USA: alternative title) - Sagebrush Trail (1933) .... John Brant (using alias John Smith)
... aka Stolen Goods (USA: alternative title) - College Coach (1933) (uncredited) .... Student greeting Phil
- Riders of Destiny (1933) .... Singin' Sandy Saunders
- The Man from Monterey (1933) .... Captain John Holmes
- Baby Face (1933) .... Jimmy McCoy Jr.
- His Private Secretary (1933) .... Dick Wallace
- The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933) .... Smith
- Somewhere in Sonora (1933) .... John Bishop
- Central Airport (1933) (uncredited) .... Co-pilot in Wreck
- The Three Musketeers (1933) .... Lt. Tom Wayne
- The Telegraph Trail (1933) .... John Trent
- Haunted Gold (1932) .... John Mason
- The Big Stampede (1932) .... Deputy Sheriff John Steele
- That's My Boy (1932) (uncredited) .... Football Player
- Ride Him, Cowboy (1932) .... John Drury
- The Hurricane Express (1932) .... Larry Baker
- Lady and Gent (1932) .... Buzz Kinney
... aka The Challenger - Two-Fisted Law (1932) .... Duke
- Texas Cyclone (1932) .... Steve Pickett
- The Shadow of the Eagle (1932) .... Craig McCoy
- Maker of Men (1931) .... Dusty Rhodes
- Range Feud (1931) .... Clint Turner
- The Deceiver (1931) .... Richard Thorpe as a corpse
- Arizona (1931) .... Lt. Bob Denton
... aka Men Are Like That (USA: review title) - Three Girls Lost (1931) .... Gordon Wales
- Girls Demand Excitement (1931) .... Peter Brooks
- The Big Trail (1930) .... Breck Coleman
- Cheer Up and Smile (1930) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
- Rough Romance (1930) (uncredited) .... Lumberjack
- Born Reckless (1930) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Men Without Women (1930) (uncredited) .... Radioman on surface
- The Forward Pass (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Salute (1929) (uncredited) .... Bill (midshipman)
- Words and Music (1929) (as Duke Morrison) .... Pete Donahue
- The Black Watch (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Speakeasy (1929) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Noah's Ark (1928) (uncredited) .... Flood Extra
- Hangman's House (1928) (uncredited) .... Horse Race Spectator/Condemned Man in Flashback
- Four Sons (1928) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Mother Machree (1928) (uncredited) .... Extra
- The Drop Kick (1927) (uncredited) .... Football Player/Extra in Stands
- Annie Laurie (1927) (uncredited) .... Extra
- The Great K & A Train Robbery (1926) (uncredited) .... Extra
- Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) .... Guard
- Brown of Harvard (1926) (uncredited) .... Yale Football Player
