The king of all cowboys would be 109 years old today and I bet he would still be riding horseback and keeping the world safe from bad guys. It was on this date in 1907 that Marion Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa. Marion would go on to change his name to John Wayne and become the biggest movie star in the world.

John Wayne is as popular today as he has ever been. He is one of the those guys, like Elvis, who will really never die. He left this earth back in 1979 after a long battle with cancer but is still many people's favorite actor. I grew up watching his movies and have come up with a list of my 5 personal favorites.

5. McQ- I remember when this one came out. My dad was watching my brother and I while mom was out of town and took us to this movie. I thought it was so cool going to a John Wayne movie with dad.

4. The Green Berets- I tear up every time I watch this one.

3.Rooster Cogburn - The pairing of John with Katherine Hepburn was pure movie magic. Still a great movie today.

2. True Grit - It is hard to argue that this was one of his best pieces of work. He was perfectly cast in this classic.

1. The Cowboys - I still watch this one about once a year. Bruce Dern played one of the best bad guys ever in a John Wayne movie. I just hated him in the one which means he did a great job. The kids were very entertaining in this one.

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