Which 1969 film earned John Wayne his only Academy Award?

The 1969 film that earned John Wayne his only Academy Award was True Grit. Wayne won Best Actor for playing Rooster Cogburn, a tough, one-eyed U.S. marshal hired to help teenager Mattie Ross track her father's killer.

Directed by Henry Hathaway, the film adapted Charles Portis's 1968 novel. Wayne had already been one of Hollywood's biggest stars for decades, especially through westerns and war films, but his earlier performances had never brought an Oscar nomination. His gruff yet humorous portrayal of Cogburn finally changed that.

Common mix-ups include Stagecoach, which made Wayne a major star in 1939, and The Searchers, another celebrated Wayne western. Neither earned him an Academy Award. Wayne was nominated again for Best Actor for 1976's The Shootist, but True Grit remained his only Oscar win. The film also inspired a 2010 adaptation starring Jeff Bridges as Cogburn.