Who played Liberty Valance in John Ford's 1962 western?

Lee Marvin played Liberty Valance in John Ford’s 1962 western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Marvin portrays the vicious outlaw who terrorizes the town of Shinbone. The film stars James Stewart as lawyer Ransom Stoddard and John Wayne as rancher Tom Doniphon, creating a three-way contrast between law, violence, and the myths that communities build around heroic figures.

A famous twist complicates the title: Stoddard becomes celebrated as the man who shot Valance, but Doniphon secretly fired the decisive shot. The story therefore asks whether political careers and public legends can be founded on a useful falsehood. Its best-known line, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” captures that theme.

The film was adapted from a 1953 short story by Dorothy M. Johnson. Shot in stark black and white on Paramount soundstages, it was released in April 1962 and later entered the National Film Registry in 2007 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.