Pilar Pallete

Pilar Pallete
Pallete in 1971
Born (1928-09-03) 3 September 1928 (age 96)
Paita, Peru
OccupationActress
Years activec. 1950s–2011
Spouses
Richard Weldy
(m. 1948; div. 1953)
(m. 1954; died 1979)
Stephen Stewart
(m. 1984; div. 1997)
Jesse L. Upchurch
(m. 1998; div. 2010)
Children3, including Ethan Wayne
RelativesJennifer Wayne (granddaughter)

María del Pilar Pallete Alvarado (born 3 September 1928) is a Peruvian actress and the widow of American actor John Wayne.

Biography

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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][5] 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[clarification needed] outdoors with coffee and finger sandwiches and found herself, one year later, with a full-time restaurant.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Wayne and Pallete in 1954

Pallete married Wayne in 1954, and they stayed married until his death in 1979. In 1973 she moved out of their house; however she stated they were never separated or divorced. She has always made that clear that they remained married until his death.[6]

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".[7]

In 1998, Pallete married Jesse Upchurch, a travel company executive.

In 2023, she said that she keeps John Wayne's memory alive through painting.[8]

Filmography

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  • 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

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  1. ^ Communications, Emmis (September 1984). Orange Coast Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  2. ^ 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 22 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Castillo, Gabriela Machuca (6 June 2019). "La historia de cómo la estrella John Wayne se enamoró de la piurana Pilar Palette". El Comercio (in Spanish). Somos. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Interview - John Wayne on Women, Marriage, and Family". Emanuellevy.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. ^ PERÚ, Empresa Peruana de Servicios Editoriales S. A. EDITORA (1 November 2011). "John Wayne se casó un 1 de noviembre con la peruana Pilar Pallete". andina.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "John Wayne's wife keeps his memory alive through painting".
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