John Wayne in History of Drugs in America
John Wayne (1907–1979) was one of the most popular American film actors of the 20th century, most famous for playing rugged cowboys and war heroes. In 1969, he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in True Grit.
John Wayne was a frequent on-screen smoker in an era when Hollywood pictures heavily promoted cigarette smoking. At the end of 1949's The Sands of Iwo Jima, Wayne celebrated the defeat of the Japanese Army by saying, "I never felt so good in my life. How about a cigarette?"