John Wayne married three times. And with two of his wives, he had seven children. And, big surprise, they all dabbled in acting and other parts of the entertainment business.
Wayne first married in 1933 to Josephine “Josie” Saenz. They were together for 12 years and were parents to four children. This was when Wayne was just starting out as actor. He appeared in mostly B movies (the second, shorter, low-budget film in a double feature). He went mainstream in 1939 with Stagecoach.
Wayne then married Esperanza Baur, an actress from Mexico. The marriage lasted eight years, but the two didn’t have any children. He and Baur were divorced in 1954. Months later, Wayne wed Pilar Pallette, an actress from Peru. And he and Pilar were the parents of three kids.
Patrick Wayne, one of John Wayne’s sons, said: “Dad believed a childhood should be filled with love.”
So, let’s meet John Wayne’s kids, the ones he loved so much.
Introducing The Four Kids from John Wayne and Wife Josie
Michael was the oldest of the seven. And he tried the movie business, using his dad’s stage name and went by Michael Wayne. (John Wayne’s given name was Marion Morrison). Michael felt most comfortable behind the camera. He worked his way up from production assistant to producer. He even worked on some of his dad’s movies, including The Green Berets, The Alamo and Cahill U.S. Marshal.
Michael later ran the John Wayne Foundation and was on the board of the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
Michael Wayne died in 2003 of heart failure. He was 68. He and his wife had four children.
Mary Antonioa Wayne LaCava went by “Toni.” She appeared in two of her dad’s movies — The Quiet Man and The Alamo. But mostly, she stayed out of the public eye. She married in 1956 and she and her husband were the parents of eight children. She died in 2000 at age 64 of lung cancer.
Patrick Wayne probably had the most high-profile career of all the Wayne kids. He appeared in 11 John Wayne movies, 40 overall. And he also hosted two TV shows . The Monte Carlo Show was a variety show, while Tic-Tac-Dough. was a game show. He retired from the entertainment business in 1997.
Melinda Wayne Munoz had bit parts in her dad’s movies when she was a kid. She married in 1964. She and her husband are parents to four children.
“He was a man of honor,” Melinda Munoz said of her dad “I loved being my father’s daughter.”
She still lives in California and is a grandmother to 16 grandkids.
Wayne And Pilar Had Three Kids
Aissa Wayne also tried out acting, appearing in a couple of her father’s films — McLintock and The Alamo. These days, she’s an attorney, mother and grandmother. She likes to tweet about conservative issues and endorsed former President Donald Trump. Plus, her daughter, Jennifer, is a member of the country group Runaway June.
Ethan Wayne was named after his father’s character in The Searchers. So it seemed natural for him to head to the entertainment industry. He was both an actor and a stuntman. He did stunts on The Blues Brothers . And he acted in Longshot and Scream. He now manages John Wayne Enterprises and directs the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.
Marisa Wayne also did some acting, making six appearances in movies or TV shows. Born in 1966, she’s the baby of the Wayne family. She and her husband have two children.
