Born John Feeney, the son of Irish immigrants, John Ford followed his older brother, the actor, Francis Ford, to Hollywood. He started out as an assistant, handyman, stunt man, actor, and sometimes double for his older brother at his brother’s production company. Although the relationship with Francis was at times contentious, within three years, John was his brother’s primary assistant and cameraman. When John Ford was afforded his first opportunity as a director four years later, his brother Francis was already on the decline and stopped directing shortly thereafter.
John Ford is best known for his westerns and is considered one of the best directors of all time. He started in silent films though most of his silent movies have since been lost. He was a prolific director, especially in the first years of his career. He made dozens of shorts and features during the silent film era, honing his skills on westerns. John Ford’s first major success was “The Iron Horse” made in 1924.
When sound came along, John Ford was one of the pioneers taking to this new technology, “the talkies”. He filmed the first song sung on film in “Mother Machree” for the Fox Studios in 1928. John Wayne also appeared as an uncredited extra in this same film.
Once sound was the standard, John Ford started a streak of successful feature films which resulted in Academy Awards and nominations. “The Informer”, “Stagecoach”, “The Grapes of Wrath” and “How Green Was My Valley” reaped many Academy Award nominations and wins. In 1940, John Ford became known for his westerns.
During WWII, John Ford served in the USN as a reserve officer. He served as the head of the photographic unit for the Office of Strategic Services. During his tenure in the Navy, he won two more Academy Awards for the semi-documentary film “The Battle of Midway” and for “December 7th”. He was present for the battle of the Midway where he was wounded and on Omaha Beach for D-Day. He filmed the invasion for the OSS. The film was never released to the public as it was considered by the government to show too many American casualties. He was cited for bravery as he took exposed and dangerous positions to be able to film the operations.
It was said that John Ford became a Republican due to the influence of John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and James Stewart. In 1947, he declared himself to be a “Maine Republican”. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon in 1973.
