After decades as a Hollywood star, John Wayne’s Oscars moment finally came when he starred as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

Having read Charles Portis’ novel, Duke actively campaigned for the starring role in the 1969 movie, which saw him collaborate once again with director Henry Hathaway.

A year later, the 63-year-old picked up his Best Actor gong at the Academy Awards for the film, admitting: “Wow, if I’d have known that, I’d have put that patch on 35 years earlier.”

Wayne even…