Pilar Pallete
Pilar Pallete (born September 3, 1928) is a Peruvian actress and the widow of American actor John Wayne.
Pilar Pallete | |
|---|---|
 Wayne and Pallete in 1971 | |
| Born | September 3, 1928 Paita, Peru |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | c. 1950s–present |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Weldy
(m. 1948; div. 1953)Stephen Stewart
(m. 1984; div. 1997)Jesse L. Upchurch
(m. 1998; div. 2010) |
| Children | 3, including Ethan Wayne |
Biography
Pallete was born as the daughter of a Peruvian senator in the Paita Port (northern Peru). She married and divorced professional big-game hunter Richard Weldy.[1] She met John Wayne, 21 years her senior, in Tingo María, Peru, around 1952[2] or 1953, while still married to Weldy. Wayne was in Peru scouting locations for The Alamo.[3]
In 1953, Pallete came to Los Angeles to dub a film in English, when she ran into John Wayne for the second time. A year later on November 1, 1954,[4] they married in Kona, Hawaii, the same day Wayne's divorce became final. Pallete retired from her motion picture career to be a wife and mother to their three children: Aissa, Ethan, and Marisa.[3]
During the next ten years of their marriage, they traveled extensively, usually on location for John Wayne's many films. In 1965, they moved to Newport Beach, California.[3] She rented a studio inside the Fernleaf Courtyard, in Corona Del Mar, California, where she would entertain her clients outdoors with coffee and finger sandwiches and found herself, one year later, with a full-time restaurant.
Personal life
Pallete married Wayne in 1954, and they remained married until his death in 1979. In 1973 she moved out of their house; however, they were never legally separated or divorced. She has always made clear that they remained married until his death.[5]
In 1984, five years after Wayne's death, Pallete married Stephen Stewart, a municipal court judge. The marriage was brief, with Pallete later describing the relationship as a "two-week mistake."[6] In 1998, Pallete married Jesse Upchurch, a travel company executive.
Filmography
- The Alamo - unknown (uncredited) (1960)
- Hollywood Greats - episode – "John Wayne" – herself (1984)
- John Wayne Standing Tall – TV movie/documentary – herself (1989)
- Biography - episode – "John Wayne: The Unquiet Man" – herself (1998)
- Biography - episode – "John Wayne: American Legend" – herself (1998)
- The Duke at Fox – documentary short – herself (2011)
- The Personal Property of John Wayne – herself (2011)
References
- Communications, Emmis (September 1984). Orange Coast Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- McLellan, Dennis (November 5, 1987). "Good Times, Bad Times: John Wayne's Wife Pilar says she wrote book to protect an image, tell children real story". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- Castillo, Gabriela Machuca (June 6, 2019). "La historia de cómo la estrella John Wayne se enamoró de la piurana Pilar Palette". El Comercio (in Spanish). Somos. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- "Interview - John Wayne on Women, Marriage, and Family". Emanuellevy.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- McLellan, Dennis (5 November 1987). "Good Times, Bad Times : John Wayne's Wife Pilar Says She Wrote Book to Protect an Image, Tell Children Real Story". Los Anegels Times.
- McLellan, Dennis (5 November 1987). "Good Times, Bad Times : John Wayne's Wife Pilar Says She Wrote Book to Protect an Image, Tell Children Real Story". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
