John Wayne Should’ve Been Nominated for an Oscar for The Shootist
In a 1976 interview with Jim Whaley, John Wayne remarked: “There are only 10 parts of any size during the year and if you reach into that hat and get one of them, you get nominated.” Seemingly the Oscar voters missed the memo as Wayne was overlooked for an Academy Award nomination in what was to be the final feature film of his career, The Shootist (1976).
The veteran western star lived no part quite like that of ageing gunslinger, J.B. Books. Directed by frequent Clint Eastwood collaborator — Don Siegel — The Shootist centres around Books, a dying gunfighter spending his last days looking for a way to die with minimum pain and maximum dignity. Not wanting to succumb to a cancer diagnosis, the celebrated shootist organises one last gunfight as James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Richard Boone, and a fresh-faced Ron Howard support Wayne in the cast.
Wayne gives a deeply symbolic and emotional performance as the cancer-stricken gun-hand. It was a role that required little acting from Wayne as he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1964, which resulted in the larger-than-life actor having his entire left lung removed. Wayne would be diagnosed with the illness a second time shortly after the release of The Shootist before passing away of stomach cancer at the age of 72 in 1979.
