How Frank Sinatra Forgave His Hollywood Rival John Wayne

John Wayne stood as a towering figure in American cinema, embodying a fading era of old-school values and rugged individualism. His roles in classic Westerns made him a symbol of a certain kind of hero—one who rode across the frontier with little regard for anyone outside his own world. But behind the legend, Wayne was a deeply flawed man. His public statements, especially in a notorious Playboy interview, revealed racist, sexist, and homophobic beliefs. Despite this, he managed to wield enormous influence in Hollywood, a testament to the era’s willingness to overlook such views in powerful men.

Wayne’s self-assurance bordered on arrogance, and he rarely hesitated to criticize his peers. According to his daughter Aissa in her memoir, he was especially harsh toward actors like Gene Hackman, whom he reportedly called “the worst actor in town.” Wayne’s disdain extended to Clint Eastwood, whose grittier take on the Western genre clashed with Wayne’s more traditional vision. He saw Eastwood as a threat to the legacy he had built, and he made no secret of his dislike.

Clashing with Sinatra

Wayne’s list of adversaries didn’t stop with actors. He also had a long-standing feud with Frank Sinatra, rooted in political differences. When Sinatra hired Albert Maltz, a blacklisted screenwriter, to work on “The Execution of Private Slovik,” Wayne remarked, “I never thought Sinatra was a commie. But he hired a commie to write a screenplay the communists would have just loved.” Their animosity came to a head at a charity event, where, as Wayne recalled, Sinatra—after a few drinks—confronted him.

“The next time I saw Frank was at a charity benefit, and he’d been drinking heavily. He walked up to me, and he’s not exactly tall enough to see eye to eye with me, and he said, ‘You seem to disagree with me’. I told him, ‘Just take it easy, Frank. We can talk about this later’. And he said, ‘I want to talk about it right now’. It’s a good thing some of his friends pulled away because I’d sure hate to have flattened him.”

The two men, both strong-willed and outspoken, seemed destined to remain at odds.

From Enemies to Friends

Despite their heated clashes, something shifted in the years before Wayne’s death. When the biography “Duke: A Love Story” was published in 1983, Sinatra’s words appeared on the cover:

“A most warmly written book about a giant of our times. I cherish the memories of a good and decent man. There was—there is—no better friend.”

This public endorsement was surprising, given their history. Even though Wayne once dismissed roles that had been turned down by Sinatra, the two managed to find common ground as time went on.

Sinatra’s actions spoke louder than words. He attended Wayne’s funeral and even called him in his final days to say goodbye. Their story, marked by rivalry and reconciliation, stands as a reminder of the complicated relationships that can exist behind Hollywood’s glamorous facade.