Will Kane In 1952, Gary Cooper won a Golden Globe Award and his second Academy Award for his portrayal of Will Kane. While "The Washington Post" refers to the character as "A Classic Role," "Entertainment Weekly" ranked the character fourteenth on its list of the top twenty "All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture" in April 2009. The magazine included him on its list because in ""High Noon", Gary Cooper's retiring lawman faces down a killer and his goons despite being deserted by the rest of the town." "Entertainment Weekly" went on to cite his most heroic move as when "Kane's last ally
High Noon against the popular will. Any time you're alone and you feel you're not getting the support you need, Cooper's Will Kane becomes the perfect metaphor." Ronald Reagan cited "High Noon" as his favorite film, due to the protagonist's strong commitment to duty and the law. By contrast, John Wayne told an interviewer that he considered "High Noon" "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life", and later teamed with director Howard Hawks to make "Rio Bravo" in response. "I made "Rio Bravo" because I didn't like "High Noon"," Hawks explained. "Neither did Duke [Wayne]. I didn't think