Biography
The son of legendary screen cowboy John Wayne, Patrick Wayne followed in his father's footsteps and made his screen debut in 1950 with a small part in his father's Western romance "Rio Grande." He went on to appear in 10 more films with his father, which began with small roles like the credit "Boy on Wagon" in the Ireland-set "The Quiet Man." Later, he earned eye-catching supporting roles in "Big Jake," a rescue mission adventure in which he played the onscreen son of his real-life dad. This was the last feature in which the two Waynes would co-star; as the elder Wayne continued in Westerns, the younger took on new terrain in genre films like the science fiction horror flick "Beyond Atlantis." He also had lead roles in such popular matinee fare as the sequel to the surprise sci-fi sleeper hit "The Land That Time Forgot," "The People That Time Forgot," and in "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger," a fantasy adventure in which the legendary pirate tries to undo a prince's curse. These 1970s movies proved to be the peak of Patrick Wayne's career. While he went on to find work in television through the next 20 years, he never managed to achieve the star status of his father. After appearing in more than 40 films, Patrick walked away from acting and since 2003 has served as chairman of the John Wayne Cancer Institute, a research facility looking for a cure in honor of his father.
