John Ford

John Ford (real name John Martin Feeney) (1894-1973) was a five-time Oscar-winning director in the middle of the 20th century. He's best known for filming Westerns, often starring John Wayne, and for some film adaptations of novels such as John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

Being of Irish descent himself, Ford won two of his Oscars for Irish-related films: The Informer (1936) about an Irish rebel who double-crossed a colleague, and The Quiet Man (1952) about an Irishman who returned to his homeland after spending time unsuccessfully pursuing the American Dream in the United States (Pittsburgh).

In one ranking he's listed as the 12th greatest director of all time.

Political views[edit]

Ford's political views were difficult to pin down, but apparently he moved from being liberal to more conservative as he grew older. He reportedly supported conservative Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon, who awarded him a Medal of Freedom.^[1]

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