Back to JournalIn honor of Father’s Day comes the seventh photo story of John Wayne in a role he played best: Dad.
MARISA WAYNE
Marisa is Duke’s youngest daughter with Peruvian actress Pilar Pallete. John Wayne and Pilar met in 1953 and married the following year. Together they had three children: Aissa, Ethan and Marisa. Marisa, also known as “princess” to her dad, has a lot of fond memories of her father, including one involving accidentally knocking him out with a golf club, later earning her the new nickname “Nine Iron.” Marisa was just a teenager when her dad passed away from cancer, but she remembers him as “a really great dad” and having a good sense of humor: “He had real charisma—he was a genuine bright light in this world.” Today, as a founding member of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Marisa is also the co-founder of GritCycle, one of Orange County’s first boutique fitness studios, inspiring riders to saddle-up philanthropically. As a community, GritCycle has raised over $1.2 million through its annual Gritty Up ride.
Ethan, Marisa and John Wayne.
“I tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please.”
Marisa with her dad at their Bayshores home in Newport Beach, CA.
John Wayne with Ethan and Marisa aboard the Wild Goose.
