#GALEN GRIER HOPPER MOVIE#

Ethan Wayne led the court fight against the University, arguing that they only intended to use the Duke name with John Wayne’s image, name, and likeness, so no one could confuse it with Duke University. It opposed the trademark applications of John Wayne Enterprises on the ground that the term “Duke” might be confused with the University. Ethan partnered with a wine-making company to create the new drink. He found Wayne’s handwritten notes about making good bourbon and unopened bottles of his favorite brands. Ethan opened some boxes from John Wayne’s house that hadn’t been touched in the thirty years since the Duke died. Most recently, Ethan and John Wayne Enterprises started Duke Spirits, with an eye towards using his name and image to sell a new brand of Kentucky bourbon. The siblings could not agree on the value of the company, $10.7 million or $15.4 million. In 2010, Ethan’s sister sued him and the company to force them to buy out her interests in John Wayne Enterprises. In 2006, Ethan led the company in a battle against the widow of his half-brother, whose production company was in possession of several items of important memorabilia. In doing so, Ethan has been at the center of a number of legal fights over John Wayne’s legacy. When Ethan took over operations, he decided to hold the auction and explore new ways to raise money based on his father’s name and legacy. It was owned by his seven children, from two different marriages (Wayne’s second of three marriages did not produce any children, and two of his children have since died, with their interests passing onto grandchildren). In 2011, his son, Ethan Wayne, put up over 700 items of Wayne’s memorabilia up for auction, generating $5.38 million for the heirs.Įthan Wayne operates John Wayne Enterprises, which was created to manage the Duke’s name, image, and likeness. In 2013, the Duke was a near-miss on the Forbes top-earning dead celebrities list. It should come as no surprise that John Wayne’s heirs are profiting handsomely from his ever-lasting popularity. The inscription on the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to him in 1979, the year he passed away from cancer at age 72, reads, simply, “John Wayne, American.” John Wayne is the rare actor who transcended the entertainment industry to become an American icon. In fact, the American Film Institute ranked Wayne as number 13 on the list of top male actors of all time. To this day, he remains in the top ten list in the annual Harris poll of favorite Hollywood actors and actresses.

#GALEN GRIER HOPPER MOVIE#

The Duke also holds the record for most leading movie roles of all time – 142. He was in the top ten list of actors whose films generated the highest box office gross earnings for an astonishing 25 years in a row. With a movie career that spanned fifty years, there is no disputing that John Wayne is one of the most successful and treasured actors of all times.

Galen grier hopper