How tall was John Wayne - Page 2

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Average Guess (196 Votes)
6ft 3.36in (191.4cm)
Andrew Browne said on 15/Nov/18
Not much in it I'd agree. Peak Wayne slightly under 6'4" and peak Jimmy slightly over 6'3".
Rising - 174 cm said on 14/Nov/18
lol look at the top of their heads in the first photo you posted. I'm not sure there's any difference there and Wayne might be 1/4" to 1/2" taller in the second at most. Minimal enough that Stewart might make up the difference by just slightly improving his bad posture. But in fairness, I think I was wrong about them in the actual film and was probably thinking more of Stewart looking taller in stills from the film and those taken on set: Click Here Click Here Click Here
Andrew Browne said on 10/Nov/18
Click Here
From 1978 Wayne still looks taller.

From late 70s Wayne still taller.

Click Here
Andrew Browne said on 10/Nov/18
That's pure bs, Jimmy Stewart was never taller than John Wayne even in The Shootist.
Rising - 174 cm said on 9/Nov/18
@Tall In The Saddle: My thoughts are similar. I can believe he was around the 6'3.75" figure, but Wayne played heroes in movies, particularly westerns until he was what? 68? If Rock Hudson really shrunk to 6'4" by 1967 then it puts a 61-62 year old Duke at roughly 6'2.5" because Hudson looked a good 3 cm taller, perhaps an inch and a half even, but Hudson's boots were not cowboy boots like Wayne's and the heel looked at least a fraction less. The lift thing is so widespread it's difficult to dismiss entirely since not all claims were second-hand or obvious jokes. My best guess is it's something he might have done in a few films to compensate for height loss. I'm somewhat skeptical Hudson was a flat 6'4" and had lost a full inch by then, but even if we went from say 6'4.75" to 6'4.25" by then, that would still put Wayne under 6'3" by his early 60's. With that said, I'm not sure Wayne shrunk much more after The Undefeated because you can see him barefoot with Ron Howard in cowboy boots. Howard can't be 5'9" because despite perhaps 1.75" advantage in that scene, he's more than just 5" shorter. I actually thought Wayne was still a full 6'4" because I thought Howard was 5'9", but Wayne looked a bit shorter than Jimmy Stewart to me by that point, which adds up more with how he looked next to Hudson 7 years earlier. Interestingly, Wayne's boots look to have a full 2" heel to me in Angel and the Badman(1947): Click Here A cowboy heel will be 1.75" just as often, but maybe I'm wrong and that photo just makes it look bigger.
Tall In The Saddle said on 6/Nov/18
I agree with Rob. I certainly don't think Wayne wore lifts 24/7 - perhaps just here and there - for the competitive edge and perhaps later age height loss. That's how I came to accept the possibility that lifts may have been involved - and also due to my perception that Wayne's height even as compared to the same actors from one movie to another seem to vary - sometimes appearing close to even or just a bit taller while other times appearing quite notably taller.
berta said on 3/Nov/18
Rob was he really in lifts? Not that anyone of us know but i mean he didnt look taller than 6 foot 4 at any time.If he had lifts then he would have been 6 foot 6 to people.
Editor Rob
I think there is some truth in the lifts, but it's been exaggerated by some others to make it seem like he wore them a lot. A cowboy boot in itself is a lift of sorts, it's just a more visible style of boosting height.
Tall In The Saddle said on 1/Nov/18
I think that Wayne was 6'4" or close enough to in reality. Therefore the idea of lifts is initially counterintuitive until you accept the possibility that Wayne simply wore same to gain a clear edge over actors of comparable or equal height. In some shots/scenes Wayne doesn't appear to hold a lot of advantage if any over actors like Randolph Scott, James Stewart, Forrest Tucker etc. Yet in other shots/scenes Wayne appears to hold a clear advantage over those same guys - so that anomaly alone makes me wonder.
greg lehmann said on 19/Oct/18
John Wayne stood 6'61/2." That's a half inch shorter than my Coast Guard veteran brother in law,6
7" Dennis Crowley. Picking the best John Wayne movie he ever made is almost impossible since ALL John Wayne movies are video collection "requirements." But when I asked Dennis to pick the best John Wayne movie,his vote went to The Searchers. He is correct on that! And Wayne did stunning war adventures,but he could not legally serve in World War II because JOHN WAYNE WAS DEAF! He suffered a perforated eardrum as a child. Wayne also popped up on a Wagon Train episode,The Colter Craven Story and as What's My Line? mystery guest in 1960 nailed by Tom Poston on just the 5th clue! Wayne even directed The Alamo. But his final movie,The Shootist,not only capped his gifted career,he played a gunfighter dying of kidney cancer wanting to die peacefully,but his reputation smothered that. (Ironically,Wayne died three years later of kidney cancer!) Another QUALITY and CLASS act we need MORE of now,but unlikely to nab!
Ian C. said on 17/Oct/18
I think that Robert Mitchum quote above was just Mitchum having a little fun. Robert Mitchum was a guy who liked a joke. Although Wayne probably did wear lifts as he grew older, because heroic size was part of his mystique. But nobody could wear four inch lifts and walk straight, surely.
Editor Rob
I'm sure there is some jest in what he says, but an awful lot of people seemed to be in on the gag about Wayne wearing lifts.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Oct/18
Seeing John Wayne with Sophia Loren, wearing normal boots, not the huge ones he often wears in westerns, easily 8 inches difference, anybody who thinks under 6 ft 3 should see Legend of the Lost, really looked near 6'4 with Loren.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 21/Sep/18
In Govt papers he was described as 6'3.75" tall and weighs 212lbs is true. He was not 6'4". He wore boots to be 6'4.5" in The Quiet Man.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 29/Aug/18
He looks not more than half an inch taller than 6'3" Gary Cooper.but above he was 6'3.75" tall and weighs 212lbs was true, Rob?
berta said on 28/Jul/18
i believe john wayne was taller than clint eastwood at peak. i thought john was 193 but its a very specific height claim so i guess he was just under 6 foot 4. Clint was probably never taller than 191 in the afternoon. even at peak i sometimes could get a 189 Wibe from clint. IN big boots he looked 192 range. without it ,in normal shoes, around 190.
Rabindra sankar sen roy said on 23/Jun/18
He never looks solid 6'4".
Christian 6'5 3/8" said on 22/Jun/18
A peak John Wayne was taller than a peak Clint Eastwood.
Sid 186.1cm said on 20/Jun/18
6'4 peak.
Later days 6'2 3/4
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 15/Jun/18
He is 6'4" tall at peak and weighs 230pounds
Rabindra sankar sen roy said on 15/Jun/18
In his driving liscense wayne described as 6'4" tall and weights 230 pounds.
Sid 186.1cm said on 11/Jun/18
He was a giant for his time
Bill williams said on 12/May/18
John Wayne was a little over 6-4 at peak stretching. Clint was never 6-4 NEVER! People liked Wayne because for generations he was the model of what a man should be. He was said "I play the type of man I wished I would have been" His legend was so great that it will never be surpassed. But this world is changing, and changing fast. But back to his height- theirs a web sight who list him as 6-4.4 I believe this as his wife claimed and his personal secretary. I think he probably shrank an inch later bet held up pretty well.
Sandy Cowell said on 10/May/18
@ Archie Wilson - That was a very interesting read! 👍😊
Michael Voisinet said on 5/May/18
I say John Wayne is approximately 6'4'' tall.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 3/May/18
He was most likely measured at this and just rounded up 6ft4. By the 70’s he looked a good inch below it though
Ian C. said on 3/Apr/18
John Wayne was an excellent actor, jock, if he had a good director, like John Ford or Howard Hawks, who pushed him, and if he had a good screenplay. But bless you, he was terrible in True Grit. That book is a favourite of mine, and Wayne completely misses the character of Rooster Cogburn as Cogburn is presented in the book. Wayne reads two lines as if he thought Cogburn was being serious when he spoke them, even though Cogburn is clearly joking. ("I always go backwards when I am backing up," and "That's the position those [pursuing vigilantes] took.") He just did his standard John Wayne character, only with an eye patch and without a corset. And, if Wayne was serious about making that movie well, why did he agree to appear with Glen Campbell? I'll bet John Wayne could sing better than Campbell could act.

Jon Wayne won the Oscar that year when it should have gone to Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy.
Lkk said on 15/Mar/18
Definitely above 6'3 but it can be assumed he was bit lesser than that in his later days. Click Here
Dream(5'9.5 said on 26/Feb/18
Rob, would you keep John Wayne if you were doing 1/8ths?
Editor Rob
I would still keep John on 3.75, I feel he once measured it and then went with that officially or just rounded to 6ft 4 whenever he may have mentioned his height.
Dream(5'9.5 said on 7/Feb/18
@jock I agree.

I'd say this listing is fine.
jock said on 5/Feb/18
why do people think Wayne had height issues, the guy was tall end of, whether he was 6-3 or 6-4 I am sure he couldn't have cared less,in many of his films he was happy to work with taller actors such as Mazurik ,Hutton ,Arness and Hudson etc,
as for being a poor actor watch the film TRUE GRIT,
along with actors like Fonda,Stewart,Scott,Cooper,Peck etc he was box office in that era,
many people didn't like him because of his political views,
Gonzalo said on 5/Feb/18
ScandinavianSupremacy said on 30/Jan/18
Poor actor and one of the most insecure men about their height above 6 feet I've ever seen

LOL
ScandinavianSupremacy said on 30/Jan/18
Poor actor and one of the most insecure men about their height above 6 feet I've ever seen
Rance said on 23/Jan/18
I'm a 70.s kid and grew up watching Wayne and Eastwood, in the westerns their cowboy boots had 2 - 3 inch heals anyway, and so Wayne and Clint would come across as a good 6ft5 especially Eastwood who was slimmer than Wayne I believe both guys were 6ft 3barefoot
Sam said on 31/Dec/17
Good shot, both Mazurki and Wayne look as listed.
cobra said on 30/Dec/17
Also, Wayne made at least 3 films with 6-5 Mike Mazurki. Here is the best pic I've been able to find in my short search comparing their heights:

Click Here

In the other pics I've seen Wayne looks closer to Mazurki's height but the angles in those aren't good.
cobra said on 30/Dec/17
Wayne looks taller than 6-3 Cesar Romero in Donovan's Reef.
Unsub 5' 10 said on 24/Dec/17
There's a picture of Fonda And Wayne from the movie " in harm's way" where Fonda looks as tall as Wayne, maybe a tad taller, I put It down to camera angles though. From What I have seen Wayne was 2" taller than him.I Guess a lot of people would want to overlook that photo.
John lutes said on 23/Dec/17
If John Wayne is 6 foot 4 then how tall is Maureen O’Hara 5 foot 7 1/2 I that does not match up in the movie The Quiet Man he does not appear to be 8 1/2 inch taller than Maureen
Dreampuffe(5'9.5") said on 23/Dec/17
Click Here

He looks taller than Robert Ryan here.
Richard said on 23/Dec/17
Wayne is closer to the camera than Eastwood and was probably wearing boots.
Rory said on 23/Dec/17
That picture of Wayne with Clint though is inadmissible as evidence imo because it makes Clint look 6ft1.5-2 which everyone knows is far too low for Clint because he was 6ft3.5. Wayne must have been on raised ground or had Cowboy boots on whilst Clint was in flats or something.
Dreampuffe(5'9.5") said on 22/Dec/17
Click Here

He’s really taller than Clint Eastwood.

I wouldn’t go under this mark.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 16/Dec/17
He was most likely measured at this mark, whether that was a mid-morning or afternoon measurement is anyone's guess...but I do not for a second believe that he wore 4in lifts!
TRIPLE said on 15/Dec/17
My uncle met John Wayne. He said Wayne was at least 6'3. My uncle was 5'11 and said Wayne was four inches taller. Wayne was wearing tennis shoes.
LordHumongous said on 13/Dec/17
6'1 barefoot but 6'3 and a bit with lifts & high heel cowboy boots :) He definitely wanted to portray himself as a bigger man for the tall lead cowboy roles - it just goes to show from all the celeb quotes above..
James said on 10/Dec/17
Wayne never looked more than 6'3" in films.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 8/Dec/17
Yeah wore lifts to look 6ft5 range...
Gonzalo said on 7/Dec/17
SSG. Jerome Goodwin (USA Ret.) said on 4/Dec/17
I saw both John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart in Person and they where both taller then me at 6'2" (my Height).

Very interesting comment, Mr Goodwin, thank you. How much taller than you were both actors and legends?
Sue said on 7/Dec/17
I never understood why John Wayne was so popular. He was exactly the same in every movie. I didn't consider him to be a good actor.
SSG. Jerome Goodwin (USA Ret.) said on 4/Dec/17
I saw both John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart in Person and they where both taller then me at 6'2" (my Height).
otisville said on 29/Nov/17
knew a man who made a special fishing rod for john wayne back in 1968, came to the door in just shorts and a flat pair of deck shoes, said he was bald but towered over them, said he was a blast to drink with but a very big man
Anonymous said on 27/Nov/17
lifts don't add much height they r hidden in shoes they r difficult to walk in.U don't need lifts if ur a male above 6 foot!
Dreampuffe(5'9.5 said on 25/Nov/17
Rob, who do you think would be the taller of the bunch, Lee Pace or John Wayne (both at their peak)? Or would you toss a coin?
Editor Rob
hard to pick who would be taller, but a cowyboy boot wearing 25 year old Wayne would certainly look taller standing with Pace in a normal shoe I feel.
Dreampuffe(5'9.5") said on 23/Nov/17
He did edge out Clint Eastwood.

This listing is fine.
James said on 19/Nov/17
Wayne said he was less than 6'4" at his peak. His comment in "The Quiet Man" was about Sean Thornton's height, which in any case might not have been accurate. I expect some people say Wayne was shorter because they disliked his support for blacklisting and the illegal US invasion of Vietnam.
dave said on 18/Nov/17
Thanks Rob for your comment below. He appeared so many times on film and in public with flat shoes its just impossible. People who have run into him by accident ( aiports etc...) continue to verify he was a legitamate 6-4 guy. I believe he wore something on one side for a while while his ribs healed. The man was big and I believe him when he said his exact height was 6-4.5 in the quiet man.-especially at a younger age. No reason on earth to add a half inch to a heavyweight boxer! Thats also wahat his wife and secretary verified in thier books. I believe he lost very little as he got older but did have some bad injuries-especially when they were filmiming the undefeated where he broke 3 ribs , and this wasnt long after having 4 ribs removed. He has been in so, so many movies in his life wìth regular shoes. He made a 6-2 person seem small. I guess people like drama and contraversy is just that. Plain and simple-john wayne in his prime was 6-4 plus a little. Its just cant be denied. He was known for his blunt honesty also. Was a good man who stood up for what he truly believed in his heart was right
James said on 16/Nov/17
Wayne also wore a wig in every film from "Wake of the Red Witch" onwards, in addition to having plastic surgery, so there's no reason he wouldn't have worn lifts in films. He even admitted to Rock Hudson that he wore lipstick in films so his lips would show on camera.
movieguy said on 15/Nov/17
Mitchum, Hudson and others. They can't all be lying about the lifts. Come on it was all part of his image. Hollywood and the movies are about fantasy and illusion. People are happy to be taken in by superheroes jumping between galaxies or time travel but find the idea of a movie star wearing lifts to appear a bit taller to be totally unbelievable.
Editor Rob
sometimes a joke becomes a running gag and others jump in on it.

But then, here is another quote from bit-part actor Russell McCubbin to add to the others:

"I met John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable. [Wayne] wore lifts in his shoes, and he wore a hairpiece. He was a good fella. Well, people either liked him or they didn't. He hollered and spat tobacco. I got along with him fine."

Maybe it was really an open secret and Wayne joked about it! Or others on set noticed he had them...

there's no smoke without fire...or in Wayne's case, no cowboy boot without a lift in it. 🤠
Anonymous said on 7/Nov/17
He was probably below 6'3" without lifts.
Richard said on 5/Nov/17
Wayne had plastic surgery in 1969, so I can believe he wore lifts as well.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 5/Nov/17
Rob, do you believe he wore lifts?
Editor Rob
I would have said many years ago it seemed unlikely...he certainly wasn't like a guy like Burt Reynolds who had special cowboy elevators made to give 3.5 inches total height!

Wayne may well have worn them for a role at one time. Sometimes running gags can originate from an actual truth.
Bruno said on 1/Nov/17
John Wayne had smallish feet for a big man. He's son Ethan said he was 6'4" and wore a 10.5-11 shoe US size.
Unsub 5'10 said on 31/Oct/17
A friend of mine is 6'4 and wears size 7 shoes, he has pretty small feet for his height. No way was Wayne a small guy , nope.
Junior said on 30/Oct/17
My deceased grandpa face features look over 90% identical to John Wayne although he was only 5'10 before passing.
jim said on 30/Oct/17
If the foot prints in cement at the Chinese theater on Hollywood Blvd are real he was a small guy. no way was he 6'-4" with tiny feet like that!
James said on 26/Oct/17
Wayne was an old man in "The Undefeated".
James said on 26/Oct/17
Fabian is only 5'10".
Bruno said on 26/Oct/17
movieguy said on 24/Oct/17
The lift wearing has been mentioned by a number of Wayne's fellow stars. I doubt if it was totally false. As I have previously said Wayne was the unusual case of a tall man wanting to appear even bigger.

That doesn't stack up. Why wouldn't he wear lifts when he acted in The Undefeated with Big Rock. As I said before he had no problem acting in films with taller actors.
Bruno said on 26/Oct/17
Looks pretty tall beside Fabian, just shows he didn't need them and never wore them.
James said on 25/Oct/17
That isn't a scene from the movie. Wayne was not wearing ordinary shoes in "North to Alaska".
James said on 25/Oct/17
Wayne was wearing boots in "North to Alaska", not shoes. I couldn't even finish the film because it was so stupid.
movieguy said on 24/Oct/17
The lift wearing has been mentioned by a number of Wayne's fellow stars. I doubt if it was totally false. As I have previously said Wayne was the unusual case of a tall man wanting to appear even bigger.
James said on 24/Oct/17
Those weren't the shoes Wayne wore in the film. That photograph wasn't during filming.
Bruno said on 21/Oct/17
James said on 20/Oct/17
Fabian wasn't six foot.

Possibly not James, a well known movie site states him at 6'0".

Strange though James from the set of the very movie you said he wore lifts in, his flat shoes suggest otherwise.
Poor old Capacine had a lot of issues.
James said on 20/Oct/17
Fabian wasn't six foot.
James said on 19/Oct/17
So many people have said Wayne wore lifts. Capucine said he was wearing lifts in "North to Alaska" in 1960, and Paul Picerni said Wayne wore lifts in "Sands of Iwo Jima" in 1949.
Bruno said on 19/Oct/17
John Wayne looking chilled on set of 1960 North to Alaska with 6'0" Fabian. Regular shoes.
Click Here.
Unsub 5'10 said on 19/Oct/17
I would rule out the lifts.
James said on 14/Oct/17
I doubt Hudson would have lost any height at the age of 43. Stewart looked taller than Wayne in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", even though he was wearing ordinary shoes and Wayne was wearing cowboy boots with lifts and big heels.
cobra said on 14/Oct/17
Wayne with 6-4 Buddy Ebsen, 6-2 Bax Baer, and 6-4 Max Baer Jr.:

Click Here

Click Here
Rising - 174 cm said on 12/Oct/17
We see them in The Undefeated and we do know their footwear in that film. The difference could be called around 3 cm (roughly 1.2") but Wayne had standard 1.75" heeled cowboy boots, which would give him about 1.6" of actual height. Hudson had boots with a smaller heel than cowboy boots, but how much smaller is what I don't know. Somewhere from a 1/4" minimum to 1/2" max footwear difference in all likelihood. And watch The Shootist. You see Wayne and Stewart indoors early in the film when Wayne's character is examined. Stewart clearly seemed the taller of the two to me. Probably not much taller, but I remember being surprised.

But one thing I at least sort of agree with is I'm skeptical myself about how much height Hudson had actually lost. I think it's possible he had been say 6'4.75" rounding up to 6'5" and had maybe shrunk to 6'4.25", which he rounded to 6'4".
James said on 12/Oct/17
Ferrer could have lost height as he was about 60.
Rising - 174 cm said on 11/Oct/17
@Rob: I certainly agree he cleared 6'2" until the very end. He still looked huge with Ron Howard, whom I can't see as tall as 5'9", but must have been at least 5'8"-5'8.5". A barefoot Wayne still towered over Ron Howard in cowboy boots, which means definitely over 6'2". Jimmy Stewart must have been one of those men who didn't lose much by late 60's. I believe when Stewart mentioned shrinking it was a dozen years after the film. I've noted others who lose height relatively early and then don't seem to lose much more so I agree Wayne was probably one of them. Perhaps he ultimately shrunk down to 6'2.5" and was 190 cm by The Undefeated in early 60's.
Bruno said on 11/Oct/17
No sir I think we have pics of Wayne and Stewart in the 1970s both wearing regular shoes and Wayne looks about .5" taller.

Hudson may have said he dropped to 6'4" but hard to believe at early 40s. Himself and Wayne pictured side by side with other actors looks to be at most
.75" diff. Can't see heels?

Mel Ferrer was a legit 6'3" and Wayne appears around .5" taller in Brannigan 1975. Both wearing shoes. So even by 1975 Wayne had lost very little height.
Rising - 174 cm said on 10/Oct/17
My mistake, Rob. I should have said public claim. Frankly, I'm surprised Wayne ever bothered with the 3/4". Unless Wayne had a really elaborate plan to lie about his height including on a document not seen by the public then, it does suggest he measured 6'3.75". Weight is interesting as well and believable, though his weight was certainly well above 212 later.

But yeah, if Wayne was 6'3.75" then he must have lost height by The Undefeated as Hudson looked about 1.5" or over 1" taller despite Wayne's footwear advantage. But if Hudson could shrink that early then Wayne could have easily shrunk even more at almost 2 decades older. Wayne did still seem a big man in the Shootist more than a half dozen years later, but shorter than Jimmy Stewart who was roughly the same age. So there's a good chance Wayne was below 6'3" the last decade of his life.
Editor Rob
Hudson certainly made Wayne look at most 6ft 3, but some men at that height in their early 50's will have lost a bit, I think Wayne had 25 years of films and wasn't near his peak by then. Through the 70's I don't think Wayne lost a big amount, he still seemed like if he stood tall he'd clear 6ft 2.
cobra said on 10/Oct/17
I believe Wayne had trouble running because of an old football injury. Could be why he always appeared to be slouching as well. That slouching could definitely have an affect on how tall he looked.
James said on 8/Oct/17
Wayne wasn't at his peak height in "The Undefeated" after having two ribs removed in 1964. He also seriously injured himself twice making that film when he tore a ligament in his shoulder, and fell off his horse.
Editor Rob
Wayne fall off a horse? Never, simply doesn't happen...he was kicked off, though, after feeding the poor beast a rotten apple.
Unsub 5'10 said on 4/Oct/17
Interesting...Had Wayne been 6'3.75-6'4, he would've been closer to Hudson's height in The Undefeated, Hudson was down to 6'4 by that time. I don't think, Wayne at the age of 62 had already lost 3-4 cm...so 6'2.75-6'3 would make a lot of sense to me. It's important to say, though, he really was an imposing man and was aware of that.
Rising - 174 cm said on 2/Oct/17
@Rob: In case you want a quote directly from Wayne, here's a screenshot of a 6'4" claim Duke made in 1960 printed in many newspapers(e.g., Arizona Daily Star, Tallahassee Democrat, Statesman Journal, The Courier-News etc/) when he died in 1979: Click Here The articles are dated June 12th in 1979 -- the day after Wayne died. Also, I don't know if it's worth mentioning, but Wayne's character in The Quiet Man claimed to be 6'4.5". Movie claims often don't represent the actor's actual claim, but it'd be interesting to know if Wayne ever claimed this.
Editor Rob
in most situations I think any guy nearly 6ft 4 would have said 6ft 4. The 6ft 3 3/4 is also a direct statement from the hand of Wayne on a government form.
Gonzalo said on 2/Oct/17
The Mike Royko quote sounds like bu****it and make-believe. Shouldn´t even be taken into account. The rest of the quotes are highly interesting
movieguy said on 1/Oct/17
A recent biography of Wayne mentioned I believe the lift wearing, this was as he got older and lost height with age. I think there are too many quotes on the matter by people that knew him for it to be wholly fantasy. With or without lifts he was a tall guy who I believe was bit under 6'4''.
LoganNoll1996 said on 30/Sep/17
The quotes above by Robert Mitchum and Mike Royko seem to be nothing more than poking fun at his imposing figure which is one of the most distinguishable things about him. It's the same as jokingly referring to a big guy as "tiny".

Even if he did wear lifts(and that's a big IF), he did suffer injuries throughout his career(removed lung, broken ribs, ect.) that could've affected his posture and was gaining weight. If he did wear lifts, they were most likely for support or so that he could appear his full height onscreen.
jervis said on 20/Sep/17
Movieguy,I would hope that people don't make up random websites and fabricate stories just to suit their opinion of peoples heights,but it dose happen,maybe Richard is genuine,but Clint Eastwood at 6ft1.8,that more than 2 inches under his billed height,I find highly unlikely.
movieguy said on 20/Sep/17
Richard, you appear to be the same guy who posted on the Robert Ryan page saying that you had met Clint in the 70s and guessed him as just under 6'2''. I believed your posting and stated so on the Clint page. Most other posters seemed skeptical. Below though you state Clint as being 6'1.8'' and say you got this from a tailors site. I'm a little confused as to whether the Eastwood estimate comes from meeting the great man in person or whether it is something you got from the net or both. Clint is my favorite actor btw but that doesn't mean I always believe the publicity. Obviously if you mention a site that no longer exists some people are going to be doubtful about your claims. That doesn't mean that you aren't right of course.
Rory said on 19/Sep/17
Clint Eastwood 6ft1.8 ? Lol, believe that and you'll believe anything.
movieguy said on 18/Sep/17
jervis, I'm skeptical this tailors site ever existed. If it was genuine then my apologies to the guy that mentioned it in his post.
Arch Stanton said on 17/Sep/17
In Allegheny Uprising Wayne was barely taller than 6'3 George Sanders when stood face to face, Wayne looked 6'3.5-75 in comparison I'd say with similar footwear I think.
Richard said on 17/Sep/17
I noted that it did indeed disapear. I shouldnt of asked them where they got their info grom ,which I probably shouldnt of. This was about 7 yrs ago. Did you notice I also swore on my fathers grave that this site did-DID- exist. So what..... Now im lying too I guess. Man, you guys really or incredible in how youll just dismiss anyone or anything to fit your own judgements.
jervis said on 15/Sep/17
That's ashame about the website going missing,if you could prove Clint Eastwood was 6ft1.8 peak that would be surprising. and have a big effect on the heights of so many actors on celebheights.
movieguy said on 15/Sep/17
Tried to find the tailors site mentioned by Richard but failed. Tbh I'm doubtful its exists. Would be fascinating if it is a real site with genuine measurements of the stars.
Richatd said on 14/Sep/17
The website has since vanished. It was a .org or a .net website. It was the 1st website that had the Rocks ( Dwayne Johnson) exact height down to a tee. When I saw him together with Michael strahan on live with kelly there was exactly about a half inch difference between them with strahan being the taller. Also interesting enough, if you google John Carrol he is lisyed as 6-4. Yet this web site listed him at 6-5.2. Then watch the flying tigerd and when him and wayne were standing on flat floor together he was indeed about a half inch taller than wayne. Exact again. I wrote them asking where they got there info from as it seemed to accurate to a tee! I might of made a mistake since they dissapeared . Were they perhaps doing something illegal to obtain this? Whimo knows. But it had been consistent with what I see . Also please dont forget, wayne probably had to where some form of brace on one side as he went back to work within 6 months after losin 4 ribs and a lung. I have wathed all his. Movies down through the yeats and I dont think he would lie about a half inch. Nor do I believe his wife would. Nor do I believe would his secretary. I urge you to read "Duke: A love story" by Pat stacy, in which james stewart praised as an honest ,intamate portrayal of john wayne and his last 7 years. He hated being petty and probably fely saying 6-4.5 was bing petty over half an inch and being vain. Why he gave it in the quiet man was because thats part of being a fighter- is your height weight etc.... Otherwise dont you think 6-4 would be plenty big enough. No reason at all to add a half inch except for what I said.
0lus dont forget Mitchum claim is rediculous ( thats 2 morr boot heels stacked on top of one another inside a heeled boot alrrady. Plus when asked: well how tall is he?
Mitchum replied " John eayne is 6 feet 4.
Then why does he wear lifys?
Mitchum: Oh, he has a bad back and some other issurs...for support.
Notice he didnt lie About how tall he was. Im telling you it was nothing more than one side that he had to wear as a brace untill his cartilidge healed dtc.... Man, I wish that website was still around. Yeah its easy to say Im lying too- But Im not. People are going to believe and twist things to fit what they want to believe. I believe the people closest to him. Also Ill swear on my fathres grave that this website was real and thats what wayne was listed as 6-4.4 inches. Take care
Bruno said on 11/Sep/17
Oh James read what I have written son, my implication is that Wayne had no issue acting with taller actors.

Woody Strode was = or .25" taller in Liberty, same for Tucker. That's allowing they were 6'4" or over.

Jimmy must have shrunk a lot in the 70s when Wayne was pictured in reg shoes with him Wayne looked .5" taller.
jervis said on 11/Sep/17
Richard I would like to know where you got Clint Eastwoods tailors measurement please.
James said on 11/Sep/17
He wasn't the tallest in that awful film "Sands of Iwo Jima" - Forrest Tucker was taller than him, even though Paul Picerni said Wayne wore lifts in the film. James Arness was at least three inches taller in "Big Jim McLain", and James Stewart looked taller in TMWSLV even though he was wearing ordinary shoes and Wayne was wearing cowboy boots with lifts.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 10/Sep/17
Marvin could pull off 6ft2 at times but other times could really just look 6ft1. 186cm is the lowest I'd argue for him
Arch Stanton said on 10/Sep/17
Marvin was taller than 6' but not 6'2. The more I've seen of him I think 186 peak might be more accurate.
Bruno said on 9/Sep/17
movieguy said on 9/Sep/17
James I agree John Wayne probably wore lifts. However I think his was the unusual case of a tall man wanting to look even bigger. I'd say lifts are usually wore by short to average guys to look taller. Let's say for argument sake Wayne was 6'3'' or so, with lifts he could look eye to eye with guys that were 6'5'' or 6'6''. Maybe he was the full 6'4'', the lifts added even more to his height. Wayne always had to be the biggest man in his movies regardless of whether this was true in reality. It was part of his image.

Give me a break, was he the tallest in the undefeated, Hellfighters, Sands of Iwo Jima, Big Jim Mclain, Chisum, TMWSLV etc. Get a grip man.
movieguy said on 9/Sep/17
James I agree John Wayne probably wore lifts. However I think his was the unusual case of a tall man wanting to look even bigger. I'd say lifts are usually wore by short to average guys to look taller. Let's say for argument sake Wayne was 6'3'' or so, with lifts he could look eye to eye with guys that were 6'5'' or 6'6''. Maybe he was the full 6'4'', the lifts added even more to his height. Wayne always had to be the biggest man in his movies regardless of whether this was true in reality. It was part of his image.
James said on 8/Sep/17
Lee Marvin was six foot.
Bruno said on 8/Sep/17
Unsub 5'10 said on 7/Sep/17
Wayne had 6-7 cm on Marvin in that pic. We would need to know Marvin's real height. Hal Baylor looked slightly shorter than Wayne i.m.o.

Hal height may have been rounded up like a lot of actors. Marvin I think was probably 6'1.5". Him and Van Cleef looked similar in TMWSLV.
Richard said on 8/Sep/17
From a tailors site with stars heights.john wayne was exactly as he claimed. He wore flat shoes so many times that it was impossible to wear lifts of any kind.go ahead and put a tape measure in a shoe and even look at one inch. Go ahead. You people obviosly havent a clue about height. By the way the tailor measurement was 6-4.4 inches. The 6-3.75 came from his lat college measrement when he was 18 yrs old. And yes. Clint eastwood im amfraid tailor measurement was 6-1.8 inches. Sorry to dissapoint so many people who want to call J.W. a liar . They get on here and literally make things up or twist something they want to be true. Every last photo standin still with rock hudson side by side proves that .Rock hudson did not shrink a inch at 42 yr old. The idiots like mitchum said jon wayne WAS 6-4 but also wore lifts . Thdy asked him why. He said for support because of his back and the one side missing 4 ribs. He made sure he didnt lie about how tall john wayne was without lifts so he couldnt be sued. Darin said the same thing and said dukes already 6-4 ,I dont know who are what he was trying to be bigger than.! Rob look at those photos again of wayne and hudson very little difference on flat ground. So perhaps maybe hudson want to be noticably taller than wayne and slipped a half inch lift in. Wayne never ever wore lifts . He continued to wear flat heel shoes through out his life. Rob the evidence speaks for itself just as his wife said and his secretary. Thrse people are just calling everyone who knew him well liats. The fact is look again. Rock hudson was a legitamate 6-5 and every last picture on flat ground side by side without wayne standing like a board like hudson there is barely any difference. 6-4.4. Just like hr said and his wife annd secretary and the people who said he wore lifts: that he was 6-4. Look again. Go all the way back to mike mazurki and every other pictue . With forest tucker etc....
Man, some people are just haters and liars.
Unsub 5'10 said on 7/Sep/17
Wayne had 6-7 cm on Marvin in that pic. We would need to know Marvin's real height. Hal Baylor looked slightly shorter than Wayne i.m.o.
James said on 7/Sep/17
Too many people who worked with Wayne said he wore lifts for him to have really been 6'4". Capucine, Paul Picerni, Bobby Darin, Robert Mitchum and many others all said he wore lifts.
jervis said on 6/Sep/17
Johan,I agree 100% with you,Wayne looks 6ft3.75 next to Marvin there,both men are in flat footwear in that scene, if you watch the movie,know lifts there.
movieguy said on 6/Sep/17
Wayne and Eastwood the two giants of the Western in more ways than one. Both officially 6'4'' but some estimate them as low as 6'2''. I think the evidence is pretty conclusive that Wayne wore lifts, there are too many quotes on the subject by people who knew him as shown on the top of this page. I read a book by Gary Wills on John Wayne years ago. There is a little passage about a guy meeting Wayne and being surprised to see him bald and under 6'4'', Wayne was minus his hairpiece and boots. The guy in question was a nailed on 6'4'' and was taller than Wayne. I think Wayne was a big man who wore lifts to make himself look taller. Having said that I doubt if he was much less than 6'4'', the lifts just added to an already big stature. I love that photo of Clint and Wayne, lifts or not Clint does look pretty small in comparison to the more robust older man.
Ali said on 5/Sep/17
6ft 2 without lifts
Bruno said on 4/Sep/17
Unsub 5'10 said on 3/Sep/17
I've bin watching the fist fight scene in Big Jim Mclain and a few minutes before when Wayne was talking to the party members, I would rule out 6'3.75 like I once said, unless almost everyone around him had been 6'2 and over 6'2, I guess that shouldn't have been very common in 1952. He also looked way shorter than 6'5-6'6, Alan Napier.

The only part of that film where Napier and Wayne stand close to each other is near the end before the fight scene. Wayne appears about 2" lower which would be about right.
The heavy he is fighting is Hal Baylor who is listed as 6'4" on a well known movie website.
Johan said on 4/Sep/17
Some of the posters in here are nuts, Wayne 6'2" ?

Lee Marvin listed 6'1.5" and for sure a good 6'1" guy, do you see 1 inch here because I see easily 2 inches.

Click Here
Rory said on 3/Sep/17
Yh I wouldn't read too much into that photo of Wayne and Eastwood. In the pic there looks an almost 2 inch difference between them and whilst Wayne might have been taller you could argue...the difference wouldn't have been as much as 2 inches between them. I've seen pictures before too where a person looks easily taller than someone and then in another from the same day and time they look identical height, it can go up and down like that that's why one picture alone can never be seen as credible evidence.
Mark(5'9.5 said on 3/Sep/17
I change my mine. He did edge out Clint Eastwood.
Unsub 5'10 said on 3/Sep/17
I've bin watching the fist fight scene in Big Jim Mclain and a few minutes before when Wayne was talking to the party members, I would rule out 6'3.75 like I once said, unless almost everyone around him had been 6'2 and over 6'2, I guess that shouldn't have been very common in 1952. He also looked way shorter than 6'5-6'6, Alan Napier.
Bruno said on 3/Sep/17
He learned to walk like that, plus Wayne had smallish feet for a man who was so big. His son says he wore a 10-10.5 boot.
Jug said on 2/Sep/17
I still think he was near 6'4 even barefoot. Do lifts account for his signature gait, I wonder?
Bruno said on 1/Sep/17
The Karl said on 31/Aug/17
Arguably the most height conscious actor of his generation...and still gives us fits about his true height. Who knows for sure, somewhere in the 6'2 to 6'3.5 range seems to be the consensus. If he was really over 6'3 flat I doubt he would have been so obsessed over his lifts, which he most assuredly used on a regular basis. Being viewed as the prototype 6'4 Big Man was paramount.

If he was so height conscious why would he act with taller actors?
There is not one scintilla of proof that he ever wore lifts.
jervis said on 1/Sep/17
Clint looks 6ft1 and very scrawny compared to Wayne in that pic.It must have something to do with camera angles and footwear advantage in Wayne's favour.If you look at pics of Clint next to Don Seagal you will see the difference in height between Seagal and Clint, and Seagal and Wayne, in that pic are very similar.But I still think given Wayne's age at the time of the picture,Wayne was the taller of the two at peak,that's Wayne 6ft3.75 peak and Clint 6ft3.
Bruno said on 1/Sep/17
Richard said on 30/Aug/17
Ron Howard is exactly 170.

So he was taller than 170 peak as the word is implies present tense and Ron is in his 60s now.
The Karl said on 31/Aug/17
Arguably the most height conscious actor of his generation...and still gives us fits about his true height. Who knows for sure, somewhere in the 6'2 to 6'3.5 range seems to be the consensus. If he was really over 6'3 flat I doubt he would have been so obsessed over his lifts, which he most assuredly used on a regular basis. Being viewed as the prototype 6'4 Big Man was paramount.
Richard said on 30/Aug/17
Ron Howard is exactly 170.
Bruno said on 30/Aug/17
I'd be guessing, but JW is probably wearing cowboy boots and is closer to the camera. Taken both into account I'd say they are similar height.

Wayne at 68 and Clint at 45 suggests Wayne lost very little height in his later years.
Movieguy said on 30/Aug/17
Wayne looks 2 inches taller than clint in that photo. Could be angles though.
Unsub 5'10 said on 30/Aug/17
It looks like Clint is looking up at Wayne, right?.I would like to see more pictures of the two of them though. I've always thought Clint edged him out. I'm just thinking out loud, what if those who gave their height as 6'4 were in real life 6'3, and those who claimed 6'3 were in fact 6'2 ? etc. I'm talking about Old Hollywood actors.
movieguy said on 30/Aug/17
Looked on YouTube and there is a clip of him and Bob Hope at the Oscars. Wayne looks massive, easily 6'4''. There is the possibility that he wore lifts though as has been mentioned. Most tall men don't wear lifts but Wayne may have been the exception.
Bruno said on 28/Aug/17
No problem giving Wayne 187, then Mel Ferrer in Brannigan was around 184-185. Ron Howard less than 170.etc etc
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 28/Aug/17
Peak: 192-193cm
Before Death: 189-190cm
Richardspain said on 27/Aug/17
I think he was between 190-191cm in peak. He was a tall and big man.

Maybe a solid 187cm barefoot before his death in his last movies.

I give him a solid 6'3foot in peak
Kim reeves said on 26/Aug/17
There were so many great actors back then would of loved to of met them
Rising - 174 cm said on 17/Aug/17
Hudson wouldn't wear lifts. It's extremely rare for anyone near his height to wear them. Not unprecedented, but very rare for obvious reasons, but it wouldn't be a man like Hudson who didn't like his height. I agree 1" loss seems a lot, but that's why I suspect Hudson was rounding up from 6'4.75" to 6'5" peak and rounding down from 6'4.25" to 6'4" current so a half inch loss by early 40s is possible. He repeated the same shrunk from 6'5" to 6'4" claim in 1981 or '82 LA Times joking that being on TV shrunk him. He met Reagan in 1984, iirc. Reagan would have been 72-73 so it's likely he was more 5'11.5", maybe 6'0" tops then and maybe didn't stand as well at that age so Hudson at a legit 6'4" would tower him. I don't doubt Wayne could have been 6'3.75" peak, but if he was, he shrunk below it by his 60s. 5'7" is too low for Ron Howard, but I also doubt he was ever 5'9". More 5'8"-5'8.5". Imo, Wayne had to be somewhere from 6'3" to 6'3.75" peak.
Unsub said on 14/Aug/17
5'11" is impossible,
James said on 14/Aug/17
Ron Howard is only 5'7".
Bruno said on 13/Aug/17
Maybe he wasn't, but can you explain why he is taller than JS in the 70s, taller than Mel Ferrer, dwarfs Ron Howard barefoot. Very little between him and Jim Hutton etc

I'd downgrade Wayne but then we must downgrade a lot of actors
James said on 13/Aug/17
Wayne actually had a bad back from the mid-1950s.
Franco said on 12/Aug/17
When wayne was in Lima at the Bolívar hotel i met him in the sauna room...he was, of course without shoes: 5'11" tall. With 4 inch lifters he was 6'3" Mitchum was Right of course.
James said on 12/Aug/17
Wayne can't have been 6'3.5" in 1969 as he had lost two ribs which would have affected his height.
Unsub 5'10 said on 11/Aug/17
Half an inch loss is reasonable at age 60 and a Little beyond. Some people still maintain their peak height at 63, I know quite a few of them. I guess Wayne lost very Little height, his posture was excellent, his back was straight. However, as we age, bones become more spongy, they tend to compress causing people to lose height, cartilage gets worn away and compressed...an inch loss is a little too much at age 61-62 unless you have back problems: scoliosis, osteoarthritis, stenosis, etc.
Bruno said on 11/Aug/17
Also in pic is Yves Montand, he is listed as 6'1.5'' and Wayne has around 2.5-3" on him.
With possible footwear adv. He'd still have circa 2" on Yves.
Very unlikely Hudson had lost 1" at early - mid 40s. He towered over Ronnie Reagan in the 80s. Maybe he was wearing lifts by then?
Rising - 174 cm said on 10/Aug/17
Actually, in that photo Wayne is at least an inch shorter than Rock, but I don't know how much height he's losing with posture. I agree with about 1.5" shorter in the Undefeated. But Wayne had a cowboy boot advantage in that film as well. Hudson had boots, but not cowboy boots. But the problem is Hudson had claimed he shrunk from 6'5" to 6'4" 2 years before the film. Like Arch, I think Hudson may have been a bit below 6'5" peak, say 195 cm and maybe rather than shrinking to a flat 6'4", he was 6'4.25" by that time, which is easier to believe than Hudson shrinking a full inch by his early 40s without knowing his injury history. But unless Hudson is lying about shrinking altogether then that would make Wayne closer to 6'2.5" if you give him even a conservative 1/4" footwear advantage. But Wayne was in his early 60s so it's highly possible he had shrunk an inch or so by that point. So it doesn't rule out Wayne at 6'3.75" peak, but unless Rock was outright lying about shrinking, Wayne wasn't more than about 6'2.5" or so and even if we give Rock a peak height of 6'4.75" and say he was still that height in 1969, Wayne would be around a flat 6'3" when you factor in his cowboy boots. It depends on how much Hudson's boots added. I know cowboy boots typically have a heel that will measure 1.75" give or take and give an actual 1.6", maybe 1.7" in height. I don't know how much Hudson's boots added. The heel really doesn't look that big to me so the 1/4" footwear difference may be too conservative.
Canson said on 9/Aug/17
Hudson was a 194-195 guy barefoot around 6'4.5
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 8/Aug/17
Hudson at 6ft6 barefoot is extreme.
Arch Stanton said on 7/Aug/17
Yes Bruno, in the film The Undefeated, Rock had about 1.5 on Wayne too.
Arch Stanton said on 7/Aug/17
Hudson wasn't 6'6 as he was shorter than Clint Walker, about 1.5 inches but Walker had cowboy boot advantage. Hudson was 6'5 ish. mostly likely a tad under. Wayne looked about 6'3.5 in comparison in that film.
Richard said on 5/Aug/17
Wayne was 6'3" in "The Undefeated".
Bruno said on 2/Aug/17
This is a good pic of Wayne and Rock, very little height difference. At most .5''. Now JW probably wearing cowboy boots and Rock shoes given Wayne at most 1" advantage. So combine both and at most Rock has 1.5" on JW.

So in my opinion Wayne stood min 6'3.5" in that photo. Rock at that age still 6'5" ish.
Click Here
7 photo down
Rising - 174 cm said on 1/Aug/17
1.75" heels are more typical for a cowboy boot, at least from my experience owning multiple pairs. The actual height gain will be a bit less than that. I don't recall seeing Wayne wear bigger heels than that either. I do agree Hudson had 1.5" tops on Wayne in The Undefeated, but it must be remembered Wayne had cowboy boots while Hudson had boots with a bit less heel than cowboy boots.
James said on 31/Jul/17
Stewart was 6'2.75" and Wayne was 6'3".
6'1" guy said on 30/Jul/17
I keep seeing "boots with big lifts" or "big boots", sounds like commenters have never wore boots or never measured their own height difference with boots. Just a friendly FYI, regular cowboy boots have 2" heels on them, period. That can make a man that is 2 honest inches shorter look the same height, or 4" shorter when the boot is on the other foot, lol. That's alot considering most pics submitted for evidence doesn't show footwear, IMHO should be disregarded. Also interesting little known fact that could play a roll, an inch is lost from wake time to sleep time, try it. Best regards. 😉
Unsub 5'10 said on 29/Jul/17
A barefoot John Wayne didn't look much shorter than a J.W wearing shoes. Like I said, In the Undefeated he looked 1.5" tops shorter than Hudson who might've bin 6'4.25" in 1969. So, he was nothing under 6'2.5 next to Hudson, most likely 1.89-90, 6'2.75" by that time. Likewise, in Swing out Sweet Land( 1970) he gave me the same height impression and looked a tad shorter than Blocker who was supposed to have been wearing moccasins throughout the movie. At age 62 the expected height loss may be one third of an inch, possibly half an inch... In Big Jim McLain he was 3.25-3.5 inches shorter than 6'6.5 Arness. Also, in the late forties the height difference between Stewart and Fonda was more noticeable than that of Wayne and Fonda. All of this leads me to think Wayne's peak should've been 6'3-6'3.25 and that of Stewart 6'3.75", Stewart didn't mind downgrading his height. In the Shootist, in 1976, by that time, Stewart had already lost more height than Wayne judging by his body posture, that's why Wayne possibly edged him out.
Rising - 174 cm said on 25/Jul/17
Doesn't make it correct. Hudson at his peak wasn't that much taller than Clint Eastwood in the 50s. Hudson had about 5 inches on Ronald Reagan in 1984. Depending on how tall you think Reagan was in 1984, you can estimate a 58 year old Rock Hudson from that. Hudson was definitely shorter than Clint Walker. Hudson actually claimed he was 6'4" in 1981, but claimed in the same interview that he had been 6'5" when he was younger.
Bruno said on 25/Jul/17
Wayne edges out Jimmy.
Click Here

and here
Click Here
James said on 25/Jul/17
Jack Scalia said a 55-year-old Hudson was 6'6" when they filmed "The Devlin Connection" in 1981.
Rising - 174 cm said on 23/Jul/17
I believe Wayne and Cooper would have been close, but no way there'd be a 2 inch difference in either way. Stewart I also think would have been the same range, but may have maintained his height a bit better than Wayne did into late 60s. Hudson was 6'5" at the very most, but a legitimate 6'4"-6'5" man is so towering, people will undoubtedly exaggerate at times and say he's 6'6".
James said on 20/Jul/17
I'm sorry. It's just that all of Wayne's war films were laughably bad, as soldiers made clear at the time.
Bruno said on 20/Jul/17
You don't see their feet in that shot James. I've always maintained JW, GC and JS were very close in height. Coop and Wayne about the same and Jimmy a smidgen less.
I think you need to stop castigating actors about how bad this or that film was James tnks.
James said on 20/Jul/17
Some people said Rock Hudson was 6'6", in which case Wayne at 6'3" may have worn 2 inch lifts to look more in line with him.

Gary Cooper looked taller than Wayne in the photograph from the set of that awful film "Operation Pacific" in 1950.
Rising - 174 cm said on 19/Jul/17
@Dan: No way Cooper had 2" on Wayne and Arness had 5". I've seen no decent photos for height comparisons of Wayne and Cooper in flat shoes. Arness is positioned closer to the camera here and still doesn't have near 5" on Wayne: Click Here

6'1" is not possible for Wayne. As for lifts, I've seen no actual evidence of it, but it's been mentioned so often I wouldn't completely discount it. But if Wayne did wear lifts, I'd have thought The Undefeated would have been the time to do it, but if he had wore lifts, he wouldn't have been about 1.5" shorter than Rock Hudson even with bigger heels.
James said on 19/Jul/17
Ten years isn't much difference, Ferrer was nearly 60 and could have lost an inch. It was so embarrassing watching Wayne try to copy Eastwood.
Bruno said on 18/Jul/17
10 years younger, and you get a good view of JW shoes. His foot isn't at an angle in his shoes. No lifts no way boss.

Look at Sing out sweet land in 1970, Wayne again in regular shoes, feet flat. Similar height to big Dan Blocker. No lifts no way.
James said on 18/Jul/17
Ferrer was only a few years younger than Wayne, and shoes with lifts are designed to look like ordinary shoes from the outside.
Bruno said on 14/Jul/17
Nah Wayne lost very little height. Brannigan75 Wayne edges out a much younger Mel Ferrer. Wearing regular shoes and no lifts. I posted a pic before.
Dan said on 10/Jul/17
Alex Mahone...Did you NOT notice that Hugh O'Brien is standing on a higher step than Chuck Connors in the picture you have??? Connors was certifiably 6'5"...any viewing of a Rifleman episode will make that obvious. He even dwarfed Richard Anderson on that show, and Anderson is listed as 6'3" or 6'4".
Dan said on 10/Jul/17
I loved John Wayne, but too many people here are caught up in their personal fondness for him to be realistic about his height. He was easily two inches shorter than Gary Cooper (who was 6'3" max.) when both had flat shoes. When he was presented with an award by James Arness, you can see Arness is a minimum of 5" taller. Bare feet, John Wayne was 6'1" max. If he was anything near 6'4" it'd be much more obvious.
RisingForce said on 8/Jul/17
As I post on Rock Hudson's page a while ago, watching The Undefeated, Hudson looked more than an inch taller than Wayne to me and Wayne's cowboy boots should have given him an advantage. Because of ground level, the ending where they drink with Rojas is the best to compare height. Here are a few screenshots: Click Here

If Hudson had really shrunk to 6'4" by that point, then Wayne was looking more like 6'2.5" by 1969, but it's possible Hudson was still closer to 6'5" and it's very possible that Wayne had shrunk more than Hudson considering he was nearly 2 decades older, heavier, almost as tall and a heavy drinker and smoker. But either way, Wayne by his early 60s seemed to be below 6'3.75", imo. I had thought he was 6'4" until the end because of The Shootist, but I now doubt Ron Howard was ever 5'9".
jervis said on 14/Jun/17
And he died a year later of cancer aged 72.
James said on 10/Jun/17
The photograph with Chuck Connors was taken in January 1978 so Wayne was 70 by then.
movieguy said on 7/Jun/17
I don't find the Connors photo although an interesting shot that helpful in guessing Wayne's height. They are standing too far apart to give an accurate estimate. Of course Connors is bigger but my how much it is hard to tell. As for Wayne not taking that big a shoe size it doesn't mean he was not tall. Big men tend to have large feet but it's not always the case. John Wayne was a mythical figure even by Hollywood standards so maybe the 6'4'' claim was an exaggeration but I doubt if he was much below this. I agree he probably wore lifts in his later films and always looked huge on film even if some of the actors he played alongside were bigger in real life.
Sixseven said on 29/May/17
You made an excellent point,Tim Linehan.
Tim Linehan said on 18/May/17
I dont know how to add a photo here but those listed below are not what i was referring to! I was disappointed when I saw the photo of John Wayne with no hat standing next to Chuck Connors. That did it for me as you can clearly see that John Wayne is not 6-4" or 6-3" for that matter ! My father and family were big fans and my father couldnt wait on vacation to stand in Waynes footprints cemented in Hollywood! My dad was 6-6 1/2 " and a smile came to his face when he saw the footprints but the smile was erased by a disappointing look! My father said- "Wait something isnt right? There is no way he is 6-4" with those little feet!" I grew up thinking he was this great big guy than over the years it became aparent it was just studio talk. The picture with Chuck Connors was final confirmation for me! I say After looking at every picture there was and comparing, as well as reading about the lifts my conclusion is- John Wayne was about 6-2" even and wore 2 inch lifts! All those athletic football measurements arent supportive evidence. Athletic coaches have always and still to this day listed their players as taller and heavier than they truly are!! Anyway its just disapointing as Wayne was this mythical Huge Man but its all movies gentleman. All hype ! Those that say they stood next to him and can confirm his real height could not look inside his shoe to measure the lifts! I really wanted John Wayne to be 6-4" or 6-5 " and prove to everybody its true bit its just not so.
AlexMahone said on 16/May/17
Tim, do you think for this picture?

Click Here

Here is the ground uneven, Hugh O'Brian looked taller than Connors as well. As to O'Brian height was in prime about 6'1".

Or do you think for this picture?

Click Here

Here is Connors much closer to the camera.

But this picture is interesting, Wayne with Gregory Peck.

Click Here

Their postures are not the best but here Peck looks a full 6'3" as Wayne as well.
Tim Linehan said on 15/May/17
Look on the internet at a picture of John Wayne standing next to Chuck Connors! Connors was measured at 6-5 and listed as 6-6 when he played for the Celtics. It is very very clear that John Wayne is at least 3-4 Inches shorter than Collins. After reading every comment and looking at every photo I am convinced John Wayne is about 6-2 and probably wore 2-3 inch heels at times. Please find that picture as it is very clear!
Arch Stanton said on 14/May/17
Yes Alex, Hudson looked about 1.5 inches taller in that film.
AlexMahone said on 12/May/17
In the 1969 movie The Undefeated Wayne played together with Rock Hudson. In some scenes Hudson 1-1.5 inches taller than Wayne but probably the ground was uneven and we can't see the footwear. But there are two interesting pictures here.

First this:

Click Here

I think Wayne has here a little footwear adavantage and Hudson slouching a lot. But in the second picture this height difference is more 1-2cm. Ok Hudson is closer tot the camera and maybe Wayne has a little footwear advantage as well.

Click Here

But if Wayne was only 191cm than Hudson never was 196 more flat 6'4" what I highly doubt. What do you think Rob?
Editor Rob
I can believe Hudson's own claim of losing a little height, John held up pretty well there.
Jug said on 22/Apr/17
He was probably really closer to 6'3. Even a 6'2 guy with a big frame can look 6'4, especially in cowboy boots (for sure with lifts in them). There is a picture of him with Gary Cooper at a resort with both men wearing flat slipper-like shoes. They look pretty much the same height, with Cooper possibly edging him out a little.
Hammer44 said on 20/Apr/17
I toured Universal Studios in 1981. The guide showed us doorways that were built purposely smaller to make him look bigger. He said, John Wayne stood on a box when face to face in a scene with Maurine Ohara (sp?) because she was 5'7, or 5'8....barefoot.
If you see hit boot prints, and fist imprint in the sidewalk just outside Grohman's Chinese Theatre (sorry not positive on spelling) you'd question his celebrated size. In my opinion, I think he was actually about 6' and maybe 6'3/4"....from things I've read.
Gonzalo said on 15/Apr/17
For James

Click Here
Christian-196.2cm (6ft5.25) said on 9/Apr/17
CMP said on 26/Mar/17
If he was 6'4"in height, why on earth would he wear 4" inserts in his shoes?

Canson said on 28/Mar/17
@CMP: crazy right? Makes him 6'7" not desired

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Robert Mitchum was just stating a hyperbole. It's literally impossible to fit 4" thick inserts into a normal low-cut shoe. Anything over maybe 1.5" and your foot will slip out when you walk unless they're boots.
Thomas Veil said on 9/Apr/17
6'3, probably close to 6 foot with no footwear assistance
James said on 3/Apr/17
Hepburn did not like working with Wayne and said she was glad she didn't know him when he had two lungs.
Gonzalo said on 29/Mar/17
Lauren Bacall and Katharine Hepburn, both far from Wayne´s political opinions, said that working with Wayne was great. Cesar Romero said the same thing. And two gay actors, such as Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, had the same opinion. Herés a quote about Wayne from Rock Hudson:

" John Wayne was then the Hollywood legend, and I was on screen with him. The guy is an angel. He saved my life back then when no other film maker wanted to know me."
Canson said on 28/Mar/17
@CMP: crazy right? Makes him 6'7" not desired
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 28/Mar/17
He looked 6ft2-3 range by the 70's. Looked exceptionally awful in his last public appearance.
Arch Stanton said on 28/Mar/17
Yes, that's right James of course. Yeah, that could have certainly made him grumpier/meaner than normal. Jill was quite hot, but yeah, in a few films she does come across as the moody type.
James said on 28/Mar/17
Wayne had lung cancer when he made "In Harm's Way" in 1964 so he wouldn't have been in a good mood.
Bruno said on 26/Mar/17
Just read a bit about Jill, she doesn't seem the nicest person.
CMP said on 26/Mar/17
If he was 6'4"in height, why on earth would he wear 4" inserts in his shoes?
Arch Stanton said on 25/Mar/17
I dislike Bob Mitchum and Tony Curtis. Mitchum looked plain nasty, and Curtis untrustworthy/seedy. Both were good actors though, Mitchum a great actor.
Arch Stanton said on 25/Mar/17
Jill Haworth, who was in In Harm's Way described Wayne as ""the meanest, nastiest man with the worst attitude I ever worked with". Yet he was Maureen O'Hara's best friend. Funny, the Duke in many ways is like marmite, you either love him or hate him. I like him, but I can see him being a bully and really mean at times. I guess having worked with John Ford for so long he had to be like that to survive him so probably stuck with him.
Yvonne said on 24/Mar/17
I grew up watching John Wayne I loved all of his films I really enjoyed the green beret and hell fighters he may have wore lifts but he was still a giant among men and a force of nature
Bruno said on 23/Mar/17
Wayne also said in interviews 6'4", but I suppose it's so close to 6'4" that he found it easier to say that.
James said on 19/Mar/17
The Quiet Man could never be made today.
Tom said on 17/Mar/17
John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara are my two favorite actors. The Quite Man well what else can yo say. One of the best movies of all time.
Johan said on 11/Mar/17
As listed, a guy like him wouldn't downgrade himself, he gave his height to the quarter inch ffs. As for the guys saying he never looked even 6'4" with lifts, I remember reading a paper where the journalist described him as 6'7"-6'8" with cowboyboots and hat ofc. LOL. Under 6'3".

"A huge man both of girth and height" Something along those lines.
Cal said on 18/Feb/17
James... you seem to have a thing for John Wayne. It's quite distracting from the rest of the conversation. Get well soon.
James said on 17/Feb/17
Ron Howard is 5'7". Why are you not posting this???
Editor Rob
James, you are on thin ground with the perpetual lift claims ☠️ quite a few folk have commented on it, and I would hope you reign it in a bit, thanks 👍
Bruno said on 13/Feb/17
Get me that photo James please, I'd love to see it. Ron Howard must be only 5'6" if so and if that is the case Henry Winkler wouldn't be much more than 5'3".
James said on 12/Feb/17
Wayne was less than 6'3" after he had two ribs removed in 1964. You can tell he was wearing lifts in "The Sons of Katie Elder" where he was very miscast.
Bruno said on 10/Feb/17
Ya see James the barefoot shot with 68yr Wayne and 22yr Ron Howard proves Wayne was around 193. Get me them pics of the lift wearing.
James said on 7/Feb/17
Four inch lifts don't actually make a person look four inches taller. Michael Landon wore four inch lifts throughout "Bonanza" and "Little House on the Prairie" yet still only looked 5'9" maximum.
James said on 7/Feb/17
Wayne was never 6'4". So many people said he wore lifts - Paul Picerni, Capucine, Robert Mitchum, Bobby Darin, Glen Campbell, Rock Hudson etc.
Importer said on 7/Feb/17
i meant 6'4 + 4inch..
Importer said on 7/Feb/17
6'4 with 4inch lifts? That must have been something in those days
James said on 7/Feb/17
Stewart looked taller in "The Man Who Shot Liberty valance" and he was wearing ordinary shoes while Wayne had boots with big heels.
meezemaker said on 6/Feb/17
Just watch that photograph with James Stewart while being around 70 years old both, an inch still less for Wayne. 188-189, and still an huge hat to look bigre.


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meezemaker said on 2/Feb/17
Always looks 4cm smaller than Rock Hudson...considering he had lifts, i guess 188 -189 cm.
meezemaker said on 1/Feb/17
The only way tout know his height is tout watch the scene in thé movie With the 5'5 ursula andress. Both barefoot. No way, no more than 8-9 inches difference.

This man who was hating small People was obsessed by looking very tall. He was probably not feeling confident at 188 cm...
James said on 29/Jan/17
That was the height his character claimed to be in "The Quiet Man".
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 27/Jan/17
I've seen 6ft4½(194cm) listings for Wayne
James said on 16/Jan/17
Lol, obviously Wayne wasn't going to say publicly that he hated Sinatra.

He liked Dean Martin but he never liked Sinatra. His public comments on "The Execution of Private Slovik" forced Sinatra to abandon the film, and caused embarrassment to the Kennedy campaign - as Wayne intended.
Mark(5'9.25 said on 14/Jan/17
@James Um dude, Wayne did like Sinatra.

Click Here

I'm not sure where you get the idea of Wayne having a big fight, but the quote where Wayne said "I like sinatra" is enough for me to disagree with you.
Mark(5'9.25 said on 14/Jan/17
@Arch Ohh! That makes sense now! I did look into this guy's pasted behind the scenes and that he wouldn't shoot people out of the blue in respect.

Edit* this guy was comfortably over 6'3" and nearer 6'4" when I watched his movie with Peak Clint Eastwood.
Mark(5'9.25 said on 14/Jan/17
@ArchbOhhh! That makes sense now! I did look into this guy's pasted behind the scenes and that he wouldn't shoot people out of the blue in respect.
James said on 11/Jan/17
He just gave 6'3.75" as his height, he never looked more than 6'3" even with lifts.
berta said on 10/Jan/17
well the height claim was very specific so that was probably his height and he looked it
James said on 8/Jan/17
Wayne didn't like Sinatra, he even forced Sinatra not to hire a blacklisted screenwriter.
Sandy Cowell said on 8/Jan/17
Oh no! It's happened again! I'll have to think of a suitable synonym. I'll have "giggle"! Let's hope it doesn't look like that unpronounceable word...👹🙊😖
Sandy Cowell said on 7/Jan/17
What on Earth has my autocorrect been up to now?
That insane and unpronounceable word was meant to be 'sfugoogle'!
I had to go on my vibrostation for 15 minutes on 43 (which is very fast indeed!) in order to give myself the good shaking up I needed when I read that! I've calmed down now, otherwise I might have even started this comment like so: "Oh ⚾🏉⚽🏈's? What on Earth has my autocorrect...?"
Well you catch my drift! There's nothing quite like a good shaking up at half-past-two in the morning! 🌇 😨🚿 🌆
Sandy Cowell said on 7/Jan/17
@ Arch Stanton - It must be unbelievably annoying when picking a fight with you becomes a mark of bravery! Reading that did afford me a
little sfugoogle!
No wonder Mr Wayne developed a mistrust for short guys if they were using him as some kind of benchmark!
I've never heard that he had to put up with that before, but it doesn't surprise me really!
movieguy said on 6/Jan/17
I think the Widmark quote was made in jest. John Wayne always seemed to be the biggest guy in his films so probably preferred being around smaller people. It fitted with his image as the big strong cowboy. As for the height estimate I'd say under 6'4'' but probably not my much.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Jan/17
That would explain it though, so many little guys probably picked fights with Wayne and developed a mistrust for short people.
Bill said on 5/Jan/17
I met John Wayne on the set of The Alamo when I was sixteen years old and stood 6' 1" at the time. He was at least two inches taller than me and he was wearing Indian moccasins!
Mark(5'9.25") said on 16/Dec/16
In that case, I'm glad I did not meet Wayne in person because imagine him seeing a 5'9" person.

Edit* Like I said, I don't know much about the guy, but it seems like Wayne doesn't have any friends who are guys that are 5'9" or lower. Since I haven't checked out his movie, I'm going to end it here since everyone here knows about him more so than I do.
Mark(5'9.25") said on 16/Dec/16
In that case, I'm glad I did not meet Wayne in person because imagine him seeing a 5'9" person.

Edit* Like I said, I don't know much about the guy, but it seems like Wayne doesn't have any guys who are 5'9" or lower. Since I haven't checked out his movie, I'm going to end it here since everyone here knows about him more so than I do.
Mark(5'9.25") said on 16/Dec/16
In that case, I'm glad I did not meet Wayne in person because imagine him seeing a 5'9" person.
James said on 8/Dec/16
Richard Widmark said small guys made Wayne angry.
Bruno said on 6/Dec/16
Mark(5'9.25 said on 27/Nov/16
Rob, he looks pretty tall, but it is mentioned that Wayne would hate small people. I probably wouldn't want to meet him.

Who posts this rubbish.
Mark(5'9.25 said on 1/Dec/16
You have a point Rob. While I wouldn't want to detest humanity like that, I do agree that some people are prideful and mean.
LoganNoll1996 said on 9/Nov/16
tex, Wayne was slightly taller than Tyrone Power Sr. But he was wearing flats to Tyrone's boots(big ones I might add).

Nice try though.
Bruno said on 5/Nov/16
Ah Text the lift obsessed poster is back hurrah.
tex said on 3/Nov/16
Paul Picerni, the great character actor said in his book that Wayne wore lifts, so did Bobby Darin, Rock Hudson, Capucine and even Ron Howard. So many have said Wayne wore lifts-it has to be true. If you watch him as a young man in the Big Trail with Tyrone Power Sr., who was listed at 6'1", Wayne is not really taller.
James said on 3/Nov/16
Wayne was 6'3" at his peak.
Mark said on 2/Nov/16
Either way, this guy looked an honest 6'3.75". if he wanted to round up, he can since 6'3.75" isn't far off 6'4".
Arch Stanton said on 21/Oct/16
Clint and Wayne always looked the exact same height to me on screen.
Mark said on 19/Oct/16
Rob, I don't know much about this guy, but who he measure taller than Peak Clint Eastwood and be similar to Lee Pace who i consider a full 6'4"
Editor Rob
I think Wayne was honest with the 6ft 3.75 claim..naturally any other occasion you'd round it to 6ft 4, I think Clint was similar, a bit shy of 6ft 4.
James said on 16/Oct/16
He never injured his shoulder, that was just a story.
James said on 16/Oct/16
Actually, Wayne did always wear a wig in public after 1960, except at Gary Cooper's funeral and when he visited Vietnam in 1966. He said it was so fans wouldn't be disappointed.
LoganNoll1996 said on 14/Oct/16
Now you're just talking rubbish, James. He DID have a football career in High School and USC before he injured his shoulder during a body-surfing accident. As to whether or not they measured him can be open to speculation. Would either of those places he attended even still have his measurements/statistics?
newbie said on 14/Oct/16
Whilst some of the lifts comments can be dismissed I think there are answers to some of the others. As has been pointed out, his height seemed to go above 6'3-6'4 range but never below it. So if anything he wore lifts when wanting to add to that not reach it. If we're going to believe the 'he refused to work with x' stories then I'll assume we're also going to have to believe the ones about the number of big guys, much bigger than him, e.g. James Arness, he continually wanted to work with. And he didn't have a problem with being shorter than guys like Arness and Hudson, so the idea he wore lifts out of vanity doesn't stack up. It is also well known that the hair piece was just for films and he didn't wear it in his normal life, preferring hats and didn't have an issue with people knowing he was bald either. Harry Carey Jr covered the walk in his book about the John Ford stock company and it was invented for Wayne by someone else, early in his leading man career, long before suggestions of lifts and was designed to give him a kind of strut/stalking walk because he struggled to be comfortable walking on film and presenting the right image doing it. It is quite possible that he wore lifts when working with other actors he knew were wearing them, to emphasise the height difference again. He also wore them to draw away from the fact he no longer had the shape of body to give the impression he wanted. The Ron Howard photo, where there is direct comparison, with bare feet etc is about as much proof as anyone should need of his height near the end of his life and he wasn't getting taller at that stage. Or are people going to suggest the man had lifts stitched under his skin? Later in life when he was struggling to be the imposing character he'd become he may have been wearing lifts, but there is the bare foot and earlier beach shoes evidence from earlier in his life that he wasn't far off a genuine 6'4 man. As for Mitchum's comments, aside from anything else this was a guy who gave his own height at 6'0 because he didn't have a clue but knew he was above average and 6'0 sounded right. The photos of Wayne and Stewart constantly show that slight edge from early years into the end and the way that stayed pretty much consistent throughout would be difficult for him to have balanced his own and Stewart's loss of height with lifts that maintained a constant difference. Again the evidence is there that he probably was around 6'4 at his peak.
James said on 11/Oct/16
They might not have actually measured him. I heard he dodged being drafted into the football team.
Don said on 10/Oct/16
We keep seeing all of this guessing about his height. Hasn't anyone ever thought of checking his college football stats? Wouldn't they have a true record of height and weight?
CNROM89 said on 5/Oct/16
Rob, what dou you think about average shoe size for a 6'4 guy?

I am 6'4 (193.1 at night) and ı wear 12 UK. İs it normal?
Editor Rob
yeah you might find a 11.5-12UK a more typical shoe size for 6ft 3-4 men.
Borats Chicken said on 4/Oct/16
'he had small feet'

Rob, possible for a man whos near 6'4 to have size 10.5 or 11 1/2 to 12?
Editor Rob
yeah some big guys have small feet
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 25/Sep/16
He could look just 6ft3 at times also
Arch Stanton said on 28/Aug/16
When I say Harry Cohn and George Raft were more hated in Hollywood, I mean by people in the industry, literally IN Hollywood. Both would have been more widely disliked that Wayne inside Hollywood.

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

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