John Wayne’s ‘hard to watch’ acting ripped apart by Daniel Day-Lewis | Films | Entertainment

Wayne would go on to star in more than 180 films and TV productions during a stellar career, which saw him named by the American Film Institute as one of the Golden Age of Cinema’s greatest-ever stars.

While many remember the Duke fondly, the star himself was openly critical of some stars he deemed to not be at the same level as himself, or his contemporaries.

These included the likes of two-time Oscar winner, Gene Hackman.

Writing in her 1991 book John Wayne: My Father, Aissa Wayne said: “Gene Hackman could never appear on-screen without my father skewering his performance.

“I wish I could tell you why he so harshly criticised Hackman, but he never went into detail. Although it’s pure speculation, had my father lived to see more of his work, I think his view of Mr Hackman would have changed.

“Back then, however, my father called Hackman ‘the worst actor in town. He’s awful’.”