How Tall Was John Wayne? His Real Height Revealed

How Tall was John Wayne? John Wayne’s height stood at an impressive 6 feet 3¾ inches before his death. When converted to centimeters and meters, that figure becomes 192.4 centimeters and 1.924 meters respectively.

John Wayne was an American Hollywood star before he died and conversations about his real height became a hot topic after suggestions emerged that he may have worn lifts in his shoes to appear taller than he actually was. Though not inconceivable, that rumor was squashed and Wayne’s height was revealed to be 6 feet 3¾ inches. Let’s explore the late actor’s height while he was alive.

John Wayne’s Bio

  • AGE AT DEATH: 72 Years Old
  • BIRTHDAY: May 26, 1907
  • DIED: June 11, 1979
  • BIRTHPLACE: Winterset, Iowa, United States
  • BIRTH SIGN: Gemini
  • ETHNICITY: Caucasian of Scottish-Irish, English, and Irish Descent
  • FATHER: Clyde Leonard Morrison
  • MOTHER: Mary “Molly” Alberta Morrison (nee Brown)
  • SIBLINGS: Robert Morrison
  • JOHN WAYNE’S HEIGHT IN FEET: 6 feet 3¾ inches
  • JOHN WAYNE’S HEIGHT IN CENTIMETERS: 192.4 cm
  • JOHN WAYNE’S HEIGHT IN METERS: 1.924 m
  • JOHN WAYNE’S WEIGHT IN KG: 96.162 kg
  • JOHN WAYNE’S WEIGHT IN LBS: 212 lbs
  • EYE COLOR: Blue
  • HAIR COLOR: Brown

John Wayne’s Height Compared to Hollywood Actors in His Time

John Wayne was regarded as one of the tallest Hollywood actors in his heydays. His impressive height of 6 feet 3¾ inches was by far taller than that of his colleagues in the industry at the time. Reports that suggest he was built like a football player have been confirmed by most of his colleagues in the movie industry at the time.

There were some who accused him of wearing lifts that portray that he was taller than he seemed. One of those people was actress Bette Davis who claims that the actor wore them for his cowboy scenes and also in real life. Her assertion claimed that all of Hollywood was aware of that fact.

Another actor, Rock Hudson claimed to have done a scene with Wayne and noticed that he had small feet. He also claims to have noticed that the late actor wore lifts and a corset. His claim was bold but yet there was another height detractor named Robert Mitchum. Mitchum was more specific in his description of the length of lifts that John Wayne had supposedly worn in his heydays. He claimed the actor wore 4-inch lifts and had his wagon outfitted with a special roof.

Peter Bogdanovich agreed that the late actor did indeed have small feet but that there was nothing deceptive about his almost 6 feet 4 inches frame. Peter revealed that when he shook hands with Wayne, it felt as if his own hands disappeared underneath the handshake. To explain the way his grandfather walked, Brendan Wayne stated that his father’s relatively small feet made him walk with his toes like a dance.

When confronted with the accusations of being shorter than he really appears, a then-living John Wayne acknowledged the fact that he did wear heels to Michael Munn. He, however, emphasized the fact that he only wore them for his western movie scenes which required cowboys to wear them.

Outside of the movie scenes, John pointed out that he did not require the lifts to appear taller. He made reference to a shoe he wore in a Brannigan picture which depicted a photograph of the late actor in all his glorious height without heels or lifts as his detractors claim. The late actor’s response to questions about his height was that he was 6ft 4inches tall.

His height is even more impressive when you consider the fact that he attained that height as a teenager. He would have been a footballer but for two reasons. Firstly, in spite of his apparent skills as one, John Wayne was a gentle giant who didn’t like to hit anyone. When he eventually overcame that obstacle and got a football scholarship, his promising career was derailed by a boat accident.

John Wayne’s Height was 2 Inches Above His Son’s, Patrick Wayne

It’s no secret that John Wayne’s children, especially his sons, inherited his height and their height compares favorably to his. One of his sons, Patrick Wayne, stands at an official and yet impressive 6 feet 1inch or 185.4 cm in height. Some sources claim that he is only 6 feet (185cm) tall but it is still an impressive height regardless. That height, however, is at least 2 inches shorter than his father’s 6 feet 3¾ inches.

Patrick Wayne followed in his father’s footsteps to become an actor and has appeared in movies like The People That Time Forgot, Sinbad, and Eye of The Tiger.

How Tall Was John Wayne Compared to Clint Eastwood?

If the late actor, John Wayne, were alive today, one of the actors whom he would have rubbed shoulders with would have been Clint Eastwood. The actor and director is best recognized for his role in movies like the iconic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Unforgiven, Every Which Way But Loose, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Million Dollar Baby, and Escape From Alcatraz amongst many others.

Officially, Clint stands at an impressive 6 feet 3inches or 193 cm tall. Some websites even claim he is 6 feet 4inches tall. Whatever his height may be, the difference between that and the late John Wayne’s 6 feet 3¾ inches is quite negligible.

John Wayne’s Height Compared to His Sons Michael and Ethan

It has been revealed that John Wayne’s sons inherited his towering height. However, the late actor was noticeably taller than his also late first son Michael Wayne whose height was not really revealed prior to his death in 2003.

He was also quite taller than his son Ethan who currently stands at 5 feet 11 inches height-wise, a good 4 inches at least shorter than his late father. It would also appear that Ethan was the only one of the Wayne brothers who never quite made it to 6ft in height.

John Wayne’s Weight was Balanced in Proportion to His Height

Reports had it that in his early years, John Wayne was a gangly youth. However, as the years went by, those gangly features were replaced by more muscular features that made him an attractive prospect for a good number of movie producers and directors in Hollywood.

In his prime, John Wayne weighed a balanced 96.162 kg (212 lbs) and easily slotted in as the leading man in the majority of the movies he appeared in. Wayne was also regarded as one of the most handsome actors during his time as a Hollywood star. His beautiful blue eyes were framed by a perfectly structured face and a full head of brown hair.

Hugo Wright
Hugo Wright
Hugo has extensive professional writing experience and has been writing and editing articles on multiple platforms for several years now. Away from work, he is a football addict who loves to catch up on his favourite pastimes.

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