John Wayne Highlands, fierce fighters against communism, bestowed on Wayne a brass bracelet that he wore in the film and all subsequent films. Wayne finally won a Best Actor Oscar for "True Grit" (1969), two decades after his only other nomination. Wayne took on the role of the eponymous detective in the crime drama "McQ" (1974). His last film was "The Shootist" (1976), whose main character, J. B. Books, was dying of cancer—which Wayne himself succumbed to three years later. "The Shootist" (1976) contains numerous plot similarities to "The Gunfighter" of nearly thirty years before, a role which Wayne had wanted but
Wayne Alexander (actor) Wayne Alexander (actor) Wayne Alexander is an American actor who grew up in San Joaquin Valley in California. He trained at Los Angeles City College Theater Academy, then spent four years at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater. He later worked as a fight choreographer and did stage work both in Los Angeles and New York City. In the late 1980s, he made the switch to film and TV. Alexander appeared in numerous roles on the "Babylon 5" television series. His first appearance in the series was in the season two episode "Comes the Inquisitor" as "Sebastian" – the only time