In the veteran New York Times bestselling biographer comes a major, in-depth look at one of the most enduring American icons of all time, “the Duke,” John Wayne.

As he did in his bestselling biographies of Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, acclaimed Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot digs deep beneath the myth within this revealing look at the most legendary Western film hero of all time; the man using the distinct tone of voice, walk, and demeanor who was simply an inspiration to many and a symbol of American about American Titan: Searching for John Wayne masculinity, power, and patriotism.

Eliot gives tribute to the man and the misconception, identifying and analyzing the many interesting contradictions that made John Wayne who also he was: an Academy Award-winning professional connected with cowboys and troops who didn’t want horses and never served within a battle; a Republican icon who voted for Democrats Roosevelt and Truman; a white man often accused of racism who married three Mexican wives. Here are stories of the films he made popular as well as much friends and legendary colleagues such as for example John Ford, Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Real wood, and Dean Martin.

A high box-office draw for more than three decades-starring in 142 movies from Stagecoach and True Grit, for which he won the Oscar towards the Quiet Man and The Green Berets-John Wayne’s existence and profession paralleled nearly the complete twentieth century, in the Depression through Globe War II towards the upheavals of the 1960s. Setting his existence within the sweeping politics and social transformations that described the country, Eliot’s masterful portrait of the man they known as Duke is a remarkable in depth look at a life and the “American Century” itself.