Rooster Cogburn (character)
| Rooster Cogburn | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Charles Portis |
| Portrayed by |
John Wayne Warren Oates Jeff Bridges |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation |
U.S. Marshal (former) Wild West Show participant (until his death) |
Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn is a fictional character who first appeared in the 1968 Charles Portis novel, True Grit.
The novel was adapted into a 1969 film, True Grit, and from that a 1975 sequel entitled Rooster Cogburn was also produced. The character was also featured in a made-for-television sequel, entitled True Grit: A Further Adventure, made in 1978. The Coen brothers released a new film version of the novel in 2010.
In the 1969 and 1975 theatrical releases, Cogburn was portrayed by John Wayne. Unusually for Wayne, who usually portrayed straight-laced heroes, Cogburn is portrayed as a curmudgeonly antihero. The 1978 TV sequel starred Warren Oates in the featured role. The 2010 film stars Jeff Bridges as Cogburn.
John Wayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Cogburn in the 1969 film. On January 24, 2011, Jeff Bridges was nominated for the same award for his portrayal of Cogburn.
Reuben Cogburn was born on July 15, 1825. Cogburn was a veteran of the American Civil War who served under Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill, where he lost his eye. He was married first to Illinois woman who left him to return to her first husband after bearing Cogburn a single, extremely clumsy son, Horace, (of whom Cogburn says, "He never liked me anyway"). Cogburn is described as a "fearless, one-eyed U.S. marshal who never knew a dry day in his life." He was "the toughest marshal" working the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) on behalf of Judge Isaac Parker, the real-life judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (having criminal jurisdiction in the Indian Territory, as the bailiff repeatedly announces in both films). Cogburn shot a total of 64 men in eight years, killing 60 (not counting the men he killed after the first film of Rooster Cogburn, as then it would have been 70 shot and 66 killed). He killed 23 in four years and 60 by eight, all of whom he claimed to have killed in self-defense, in the line of duty, or fleeing justice.
...
Wikipedia