10 Best John Wayne Movie Characters, Ranked

American cinema icon and Western star, John Wayne, was a magnificent force on the silver screen who gained notoriety for classic films such as The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Red River. Born in Winterset, Iowa, Wayne, also known as the Duke, never initially intended to pursue a career as an actor, but after an injury cost him his football scholarship at UCLA, he started working as a prop and stuntman in Western productions. In 1939, Wayne earned his breakthrough role as the Ringo Kid in John Ford‘s Western, Stagecoach, and soon became one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading men.

With a career spanning over five decades, Wayne is considered one of the greatest stars of all time. He gave electric, hard-hitting performances as memorable characters like Ethan Edwards and Tom Donophin. While the Duke starred in over one hundred and fifty films, he gave audiences more than a decent number of unforgettable characters who continue to be favorites among filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino, as well as movie fans of all ages.

10 Thomas Dunson

‘Red River’ (1948)

Wayne stars as the hard-headed cattle rancher, Thomas Dunson, in Howard Hawks‘ 1948 Western adventure, Red River, who takes in a young man, Matt Garth, played by Montgomery Clift, intending to make him his protégé. Shortly after the Civil War, the men needed money, and together they led a cattle drive to Kansas, but along the way, the two men managed to clash, making their journey more difficult than they had initially anticipated.

Dunson is a straight shooter who isn’t afraid to tell someone exactly how it is. The hard-working, no-nonsense rancher has never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but even though he keeps others at arms’ length, deep down he has a genuine sense of empathy and compassion for others, especially those who are less fortunate. He instills a tough work ethic in Garth, making him earn his place on Dunson’s brand for his cattle, and, despite his act of tough love, he is humble enough to acknowledge a man’s worth even if it surpasses his own.

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9 Captain Kirby York

‘Fort Apache’ (1948)

Wayne takes on the role of a level-headed captain, Kirby York, who has been manning Fort Apache until an arrogant war hero, Colonel Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda), arrives with his daughter (Shirley Temple) to take command. The two men bitterly clash, especially over the views and treatment of the Native Americans. Despite York’s warnings and insight, Thursday becomes hellbent on recapturing his glory days and descends into a brutal battle full of bloodshed.

John Ford’s Fort Apache takes place shortly after the end of the Civil War and is noted as one of the first films to portray Native Americans in an authentic and sympathetic light. The majority of these elements stem from Wayne’s character, who has established a civil and respectable relationship with the Native Americans. Despite Thursday’s actions leading him and his men to their graves, York refuses to tarnish the war hero’s name, understanding that behind Thursday’s ignorance and misguided hate, there was some good in him, inevitably making York one of Wayne’s finest characters.

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8 Ringo Kid

‘Stagecoach’ (1939)

Wayne gives a monumental performance in the landmark Western classic, Stagecoach, as the Ringo Kid, who, after learning his father and brother were murdered, escapes from jail and crosses paths with a stagecoach that is headed for New Mexico. Considering he is a wanted man, he’s forced to accompany the stagecoach by the marshal escort, but instead of idly sitting by or trying to find a way out, he risks his life to protect everyone else on board, proving there’s much more to him than what meets the eye.

Wayne broke the mold of the traditional outlaw with Ringo Kid, who selflessly puts himself in the line of fire to ensure the safety of strangers. Most wanted men or outlaws are portrayed as only looking out for themselves, but Ringo has a surprising heart of gold with an unfortunate checkered past. On top of his immense bravery and honorable morality, Ringo never passes judgment on others, and when he falls for the less-than-reputable passenger, Dallas (Claire Trevor), it doesn’t phase him in the least as to why she was run out of town.

7 Cole Thornton

‘El Dorado’ (1966)

Wayne stars in one of his most underrated films, El Dorado, as the noble gunslinger, Cole Thornton, who learns that his friend and sheriff of El Dorado, J.P. Harrah (Dean Martin), is too deep in a bottle to deal with a local land tycoon (Edward Asner), who has bullied a family off their property. Thornton and his right-hand man, Mississippi (James Cann), travel to El Dorado to help get Harrah back on his feet and reestablish law and order in the small town.

While Thornton is fully capable of taking matters into his own hands, he refuses to fight Harrah’s battle for him and instead encourages him to get straight, reminding him that he’s the one who wears the tin star. Sure, he gives him some tough love and harsh words, but everything he does comes with good intentions. Thornton isn’t afraid to use force when necessary, and if it comes to that, whoever is on the other end will wish they had opted for verbal negotiations with the wise sharpshooter.

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6 John T. Chance

‘Rio Bravo’ (1959)

In Howard Hawks’ classic Western, Rio Bravo, Wayne takes on the role of lawman, Sheriff John T. Chance, who arrests a local gunslinger, Joe Burdette (Claude Akins), after killing a man in a saloon. When Burdette’s brother arrives to spring Joe out, Chance refuses to back down, and, with the help of a local rummy (Dean Martin), a young cowboy (Ricky Nelson), and a wise-cracking old man (Walter Brennan), they take a stand against Burdette and his posse.

Compared to other small-town sheriffs, Chance is fearless against lawless men like the Burdette brothers, and, while he understands the importance of his post, he doesn’t hesitate to bend the rules a bit to achieve his desired outcome. Chance is one of Wayne’s top-notch characters who shares a lot of similarities with the star himself, such as having an immense sense of honor and pride and resilient courage to stand up for what is right. Even though some may think Chance fits the blueprint of several of Wayne’s characters, he is portrayed as one of the most honest and dignified out of the bunch.

5 Sean Thornton

‘The Quiet Man’ (1952)

Wayne collaborates with John Ford in the romantic dramedy The Quiet Man as former American boxer Sean Thornton, who, after accidentally killing his opponent in the ring, moves back to his birthplace in Ireland. While he is initially in search of some peace, he unexpectedly falls in love and marries a local girl, Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara), but her older brother doesn’t support their union and refuses to give Thornton his sister’s dowry. After several efforts, Thornton realizes he must fight for Kate’s dowry, but since he swore off fighting, he is torn between his personal promise and his new wife.

Unlike the majority of Wayne’s characters, Thornton is a man of few words and refuses to use violence. While he is capable of holding his own in a fight, he still can’t forgive himself for the past, which presents a problem for his future. Throughout the entire movie, Thornton slowly shows his true colors but is gentle and understanding towards his new wife’s situation, proving him to be one-of-a-kind. Of course, in the end, he finally puts his foot down, and even though he breaks his oath, the endless fist fight with Kate’s brother doesn’t change his good nature and big heart.

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4 J.B. Brooks

‘The Shootist’ (1976)

Wayne delivers his final performance in The Shootist as a veteran sheriff turned gunslinger, J.B. Brooks, who has been diagnosed with cancer and travels to Nevada to get a second opinion from a friend, Dr. E.W. Hostetler (James Stewart). While in town, he rents a room from a widow, Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall), and soon befriends her young son (Ron Howard) and begins to grow fond of Rogers and her company.

J.B. Brooks is an uncanny fit for Wayne, who, three years later, died of cancer, adding a bittersweet but sentimental touch to the character. Considering his rough past, Brooks appears to be a hero to Howard’s character, but instead of glorifying his former days, he tries to pass on his wisdom to the young man and show him what it means to be a true hero. Despite his fatal diagnosis, Brooks tries to keep the silver lining in mind, trying to appreciate the time he still has as well as his new-found friendship with the Rogers. While Brooks isn’t a traditional Wayne character, he is a beautiful tribute to the star as well as Wayne’s incredible legacy on and off the screen.

3 Tom Doniphon

‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ (1962)

When Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in a small town to attend the funeral of his friend, Tom Donophin, questions begin to arise as to why, forcing Stoddard to sit down with the local newspaper for an interview. Stoddard begins to recall his early days as a young attorney just starting out in the world and the events leading up to his unfortunate encounter with a ruthless outlaw named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who changed the course of the senator’s life forever.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Wayne plays the unsung hero who puts everyone and their well-being before his own, leaving him with nothing. From letting go of the girl he loves to being the one responsible for shooting Valance dead in the street, he bows out for the greater good. Wayne’s character is the definition of a genuine hero, and even though Stoddard knows he isn’t the one who shot Valance, Donophin convinces him that the lie will have a more profound impact on society than the truth ever could.

2 Rooster Cogburn

‘True Grit’ (1969)

Wayne delivers his Oscar-winning performance in one of his most badass movies, True Grit, as rough and tough marshal Rooster Cogburn, who is hired by a 14-year-old girl, Mattie (Kim Darby), to help her track down Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), who murdered her father. Along the way, they cross paths with a Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell), who is also in search of Chaney, and the trio soon discovers that Chaney is hiding out with notorious outlaw Lucky Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall).

Wayne won his one and only Oscar for his performance as the tenacious Cogburn, who is also one of Wayne’s most well-known characters. Despite being rough around the edges, Cogburn isn’t heartless, and while he agrees to help Mattie for a price, he soon shifts his motivation to genuinely helping Mattie avenge her father. Mattie manages to break through Cogburn’s tough exterior, revealing an honorable, selfless man of the law who just needs to find someone to relight that spark in him. Aside from being Wayne’s Oscar-winning character, Cogburn is also a man of true, authentic grit and is more than worthy of love, friendship, and admiration.

1 Ethan Edwards

‘The Searchers’ (1956)

In John Ford’s classic Western drama, The Searchers, Wayne takes on the role of Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards, who becomes consumed by his search for the Native Americans who are responsible for kidnapping and murdering his brother and his family. When Edwards learns that his niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood), is still alive, he and his nephew, Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), set out into dangerous territory to bring her home and deliver their own form of justice to her captors.

According to film critic Roger Ebert, Ethan Edwards is by far one of the most compelling and well-developed characters created by Wayne and Ford. Edwards is an intriguing paradox and depicts a dark portrait of obsession and loneliness that becomes more insufferable for the character as time goes on. While Edwards’ heroic journey appears to be noble, it’s slowly revealed that his mission is also driven by his inability to accept defeat and let go of his traumatic past with Native Americans. The iconic character has also inspired some of cinema’s best modern characters, most notably Travis Bickel, played by Robert De Niro, in Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver, making Edwards Wayne’s greatest character of all time.

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