Over the course of his long Hollywood career, the Hollywood actor appeared in a whopping total of 26John Waynemovies. Between the 1920s and 1970s, legendary movie star John Wayne starred in well over 100 movies,the vast majority being either Westernsor war movies. Based on that, it’s no surprise that he would wind up reuniting with some of his former co-stars in another project at some point or another. However, there were some actors in Hollywood that became recurring co-stars and collaborators of Wayne’s.
Easily the most high-profile of Wayne’s partners in making movies were John Ford and Maureen O’Hara. A celebrated Western icon in his own right,Ford directed several of John Wayne’s movies, includingStagecoach,The Quiet Man, andRio Grande. As for Maureen O’Hara, she was the female lead infive John Wayne movies, each being a standout entry in the actor’s filmography. But neither was anywhere close to being the Western legend’s most frequent co-star. Instead, that title belongs to a lesser-known actor in the industry.
Paul Fix Appeared In 26 John Wayne Movies
Most, But Not All, Were Westerns
No actor has been in more of Wayne’s movies than Paul Fix, a prominent character actor in both film and TV. Active in the industry since the mid-1920s (much like Wayne himself), Fix appeared in more than 300 movies, with 26 of them involving John Wayne.Fix and Wayne’s first movie together was 1931’sThree Girls Lost, one of Wayne’s first starring roles and a project that held a small but uncredited role for Fix. Fix was later cast inSomewhere in SonoraandThe Desert Trail, two low-budget 1930s Westerns made during the period when John Wayne was still trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood.
John Wayne’s second-most frequent co-star was Ward Bond, with whom he made 22 movies.
Wayne and Fix’s working relationship persisted into the 1940s after the Western icon’s breakthrough performance inStagecoach.It was during the ’40s and the ’50s that Fix made the bulk of his John Wayne movie appearances, including in two that are commonly regarded as among Wayne’s best Westerns,Tall in the SaddleandRed River. In just the 1940s alone, Fix had parts in 13 Wayne films, sometimes making more than one movie a year with Wayne at that time. A few of these appearances were inJohn Wayne’s non-Westerns, such asThe Fighting SeabeesandWake of the Red Witch.
1931
1933
1935
1942
1943
Tall in the Saddle
1944
1945
1947
Angel and the Badman
1948
1949
Island in the Sky
1953
The High and the Mighty
1954
1955
1957
1965
1966
1969
Cahill, U.S. Marshal
1973
Their collaborations slowed down after the 1950s, but Fix remained associated with Wayne’s career, albeit to a lesser extent. Though the pace at which the two actors delivered new movies didn’t budge in the 1960s, the pair only shared three movies during that decade. However, Fix did manage an appearance in one of John Wayne’s last movies,Cahill U.S. Marshal.Wayne’s final movie,The Shootist,released just three years afterCahill U.S. Marshal.
Why Paul Fix Was In So Many John Wayne Movies
Paul Fix Was One Of The Western Genre’s Most Common Character Actors
It was fitting that Fix and Wayne’s last movie together was a Western, considering that this was the genre that both were best known for, as well as the one where most of their collaborations occurred. Because Paul Fix had found a niche for himself as a Western character actor, he was a favorite among studios and directors. Fix could convincingly play a variety of roles in Westerns, with his repertoire evolving along with his career. In his youth, he would often play bandits and gunslingers, but as he grew older, he slipped into less action-oriented roles, playing judges, bankers, ranchers, and sometimes the father of the protagonist’s love interest.
While it’s only logical that a prominent Western character actor and the genre’s biggest star would cross paths on occasion, it’s worth noting that their connection was both personal and professional. Fix was a longtime friend of Wayne’s, having become close with the actor during their work on their 1930s films. According toThree Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bondby Scott Allen Nollen, Fix even had a hand in the development of Wayne’s image via the advice he would provide during the early years ofJohn Wayne’s acting career.
Paul Fix’s Biggest Roles Outside John Wayne’s Movies
While Wayne’s movies make up a key part of Paul Fix’s legacy, they don’t account for all or even half of the success that Fix found in Hollywood. After all, 26 films only comprise a small fraction of his acting credits. In fact,the biggest role in Fix’s career wasn’t even in a John Wayne movie; rather, it was a character inThe Rifleman. For all five seasons of the beloved ABC Western series starring Chuck Connors, Fix played Micah Torrence, the marshal of the town where the story took place.The Rifleman’sstatus as a now-iconic Western TV show makes it Fix’s most notable contribution to the genre.
In addition to his work inThe Rifleman,guest appearances inWestern TV shows likeGunsmokeandBonanza,and John Wayne’s movies, Fix kept busy as a character actor in numerous other projects. Easily one of the most famous movies he was ever involved with was the critically acclaimed 1962 dramaTo Kill A Mockingbird.In the Gregory Peck-led movie, Fix played the judge who oversaw the case at the center of the film’s plot.
Interestingly,he also appeared in a pilot episode ofStar Trekas Dr. Mark Piper, a character considered for the series regular role of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s ship doctor. But of course,Star Trekultimately gave that job to Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy and cast DeForest Kelley in the role. As for Paul Fix’s Piper, he still has a small place inStar Trekhistory, as the pilot episode he filmed did air, but just as the third episode in the series. With Kelley getting a permanent role on the show, there was no need for Fix to return as Piper.
Fix’s roles inStar TrekandTo Kill a Mockingbirdaside, Westerns continued to be his focus, as the actor appeared in movies likeNight Passage,Nevada Smith,Ride Beyond Vengeance, andShenandoah. In taking on these roles, Fix received opportunities to work with otherleading Western actors, namely James Stewart and Randolph Scott. But of course, his collaborations with them never exceeded the staggering amount of films he made with John Wayne.
Which John Wayne & Paul Fix Movie Was The Best?
Red River Remains Their Most Celebrated Shared Project
Given just how many movies John Wayne and Paul Fix appeared in together, it’s difficult to determine which is the best (and the answer is, of course, always subjective). However, out of all their shared filmography, most consider 1948’sRed Riverto be the best in terms of the story, quality of the dialogue, and watchability. Directed by Howard Hawks (who, like Paul Fix, is something of an underappreciated cornerstone of the Western movies of the 1940 and 50s),Red Riverwas nominated for two Academy Awards when it released and selected for preseveration in the United States National Film Registry in 1990.
John Wayne leads the cast as Thomas Dunson, alongside Montgomery Clift as Matt Garth. Paul Fix appears as Teller Yacey, the group leader of Dunson’s team of wranglers.Red Riverepitomizes everything that made the black-and-white Westerns of the 1940s so appealing.However, it should be noted that, as mentioned, there will always be debate around the ‘best’ John Wayne and Paul Fix movie, and there are also many who consider 1945’sDakotashould take the top spot, even if it wasn’t as critically acclaimed.
Which Movie Features Paul Fix’s Biggest Role?
John Wayne was an icon of the Western genre and, indeed, Hollywood, from the 1930s until his death. While Paul Fix developed a close friendship with Wayne and appeared in many movies alongside him, he rarely had major parts in John Wayne movies. This isn’t the fault of Wayne’s, however. The reason is that Paul Fix was a character actor and, at the time, talents like his weren’t considered appropriate for leading parts (with audiences preferring the gritty-yet-traditional heroes actors like Wayne and, later, Clint Eastwood provided).
The most prominent role Paul Fix had in a movie alongside John Wayne was probably in one of their earliest collaborations, 1935’sThe Desert Trail.Paul Fix appears as Jim Whitmonlee, the friend of wrongly-accused armed robber and rodeo star John Scott (Wayne). Especially given how small the cast list was compared to some of their later movies together, Paul Fix’s Jim was integral to the plot in a way that his Red River character Teller Yacey (as an example) wasn’t.
Jim Whitmonless ends up freeing John Scott from jail, and the pair share plenty of screentime - something that didn’t happen nearly as much in the later decades of their respective careers. Still, the fact thatPaul Fixwas rarely the leading man when next toJohn Waynewasn’t a detriment to his career, nor to the friendship the two shared.
