John Ford Popular Books

John Ford Biography & Facts

John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was one of the first American directors to be recognized as an auteur. In a career of more than 50 years, he directed over 140 films between 1917 and 1965 (although most of his silent films are now lost), and received six Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952). Ford is renowned for his Westerns, such as Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); though he worked in many other genres, including comedies, period dramas, and documentaries. He made frequent use of location shooting and wide shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh, and rugged natural terrain. He is credited with launching the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, including John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and James Stewart. Ford's work was held in high regard by his contemporaries, with Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Frank Capra, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Ingmar Bergman naming him one of the greatest directors of all time. Subsequent generations of directors, including many of the major figure of the New Hollywood movement, have cited his influence. The Harvard Film Archive writes that "the breadth and measure of Ford’s major contributions to the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, and to film language in general, remains somewhat difficult to discern.... Rarely recognized in full are Ford’s great achievements as a consummate visual stylist and master storyteller." Early life Ford was born John Martin "Jack" Feeney (though he later often gave his given names as Seán Aloysius, sometimes with surname O'Feeny or Ó Fearna; an Irish language equivalent of Feeney) in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to John Augustine Feeney and Barbara "Abbey" Curran, on February 1, 1894, (though he occasionally said 1895 and that date is erroneously inscribed on his tombstone). His father, John Augustine, was born in Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland, in 1854. Barbara Curran was born in the Aran Islands, in the town of Kilronan on the island of Inishmore (Inis Mór). John A. Feeney's grandmother, Barbara Morris, was said to be a member of an impoverished branch of a family of the Irish nobility, the Morrises of Spiddal (headed at present by Lord Killanin). John Augustine and Barbara Curran arrived in Boston and Portland respectively in May and June 1872. They filed their intentions to marry on July 31, 1875, and became American citizens five years later on September 11, 1880. The John Augustine Feeney family resided on Sheridan Street, in the Irish neighborhood of Munjoy Hill in Portland, Maine, and his father worked a variety of odd jobs to support the family—farming, fishing, a laborer for the gas company, saloon keeping, and an alderman. John and Barbara had eleven children: Mamie (Mary Agnes), born 1876; Delia (Edith), 1878–1881; Patrick; Francis Ford, 1881–1953; Bridget, 1883–1884; Barbara, born and died 1888; Edward, born 1889; Josephine, born 1891; Hannah (Joanna), born and died 1892; John Martin, 1894–1973; and Daniel, born and died 1896 (or 1898).Feeney attended Portland High School, Portland, Maine, where he played fullback and defensive tackle. He earned the nickname "Bull" because, it is said, of the way he would lower his helmet and charge the line. A Portland pub, named "Bull Feeney's" in his honor, was open from 2002 to 2023. He later moved to California, and in 1914 began working in film production as well as acting for his older brother Francis, adopting "Jack Ford" as a professional name. In addition to credited roles, he appeared uncredited as a Klansman in D. W. Griffith's 1915 The Birth of a Nation.He married Mary McBride Smith on July 3, 1920, and they had two children. His daughter Barbara was married to singer and actor Ken Curtis from 1952 to 1964. The marriage between Ford and Smith lasted for life despite various issues, one being that Ford was Catholic while she was a non-Catholic divorcée. What difficulty was caused by this is unclear as the level of Ford's commitment to the Catholic faith is disputed. Another strain was Ford's many extramarital relationships. Directing career Ford began his career in film after moving to California in July 1914. He followed in the footsteps of his multi-talented older brother Francis Ford, twelve years his senior, who had left home years earlier and had worked in vaudeville before becoming a movie actor. Francis played in hundreds of silent pictures for filmmakers such as Thomas Edison, Georges Méliès and Thomas Ince, eventually progressing to become a prominent Hollywood actor-writer-director with his own production company (101 Bison) at Universal.Ford started out in his brother's films as an assistant, handyman, stuntman and occasional actor, frequently doubling for his brother, whom he closely resembled. Francis gave his younger brother his first acting role in The Mysterious Rose (November 1914). Despite an often combative relationship, within three years Jack had progressed to become Francis' chief assistant and often worked as his cameraman. By the time Jack Ford was given his first break as a director, Francis' profile was declining and he ceased working as a director soon after. Ford's films used a 'stock company' of actors, far more so than many directors. Many famous stars appeared in at least two or more Ford films, including Harry Carey Sr., (the star of 25 Ford silent films), Will Rogers, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, James Stewart, Woody Strode, Richard Widmark, Victor McLaglen, Vera Miles and Jeffrey Hunter. Many of his supporting actors appeared in multiple Ford films, often over a period of several decades, including Ben Johnson, Chill Wills, Andy Devine, Ward Bond, Grant Withers, Mae Marsh, Anna Lee, Harry Carey Jr., Ken Curtis, Frank Baker, Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz, Hank Worden, John Qualen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields, John Carradine, O. Z. Whitehead and Carleton Young. Core members of this extended 'troupe', including Ward Bond, John Carradine, Harry Carey Jr., Mae Marsh, Frank Baker, and Ben Johnson, were informally known as the John Ford Stock Company. Likewise, Ford enjoyed extended working relationships with his production team, and many of his crew worked with him for decades. He made numerous films with the same major collaborators, including producer and business partner Merian C. Cooper, scriptwriters Nunnally Johnson, Dudley Nichols and Frank S. Nugent, and cinematographers Ben F. Reynolds, John W. Brown and George Schneiderman (who between them shot most of Ford's silent films), Joseph H. A.... Discover the John Ford popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Ford books.

Best Seller John Ford Books of 2024

  • American Brutus synopsis, comments

    American Brutus

    Michael W. Kauffman

    It is a tale as familiar as our history primers: A deranged actor, John Wilkes Booth, killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre, escaped on foot, and eluded capture for twelve days ...

  • Wayne and Ford synopsis, comments

    Wayne and Ford

    Nancy Schoenberger

    John Ford and John Wayne, two titans of classic film, made some of the most enduring movies of all time. The genre they definedthe Westernand the heroic archetype they built still ...

  • Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents synopsis, comments

    Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents

    Cormac O'Brien & Monika Suteski

    Murder, Adultery, Gambling, UFOs And the White House?!?   Your high school history teachers never gave you a book like this one! Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents features ...

  • The First Family Detail synopsis, comments

    The First Family Detail

    Ronald Kessler

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   “Ron Kessler appears to get everything first.”Slate As in a play, presidents, vice presidents, and presidential candidates perform onstage for...

  • The Baxters Take One synopsis, comments

    The Baxters Take One

    Karen Kingsbury

    Could they change the worldbefore the world changes them? Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison left the mission field of Indonesia for the mission field of Hollywood with a drea...

  • The Baxters Take Two synopsis, comments

    The Baxters Take Two

    Karen Kingsbury

    Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of that excitement, the producers acquire right...

  • Hearts Touched with Fire synopsis, comments

    Hearts Touched with Fire

    David Gergen

    This instant New York Times bestseller is an “inspiring and useful” (The Washington Post) guide to the art of leadership from David Gergenformer White House adviser to four US pres...

  • You Are The One synopsis, comments

    You Are The One

    Kute Blackson

    A charismatic visionary and transformational teacher offers a bold new look at spiritual awareness providing the tools needed to live a life truly inspired by love for a whole new ...

  • Think Black synopsis, comments

    Think Black

    Clyde W. Ford

    “Powerful memoir. . .Ford’s thoughtprovoking narrative tells the story of AfricanAmerican pride and perseverance.” –Publisher’s Weekly (Starred)“A masterful storyteller, Ford ...

  • Five Came Back synopsis, comments

    Five Came Back

    Mark Harris

    “One of the great works of film history of the decade.” SlateNow a Netflix original documentary series, also written by Mark Harris: the extraordinary wartime experience of fi...

  • In This Moment synopsis, comments

    In This Moment

    Karen Kingsbury

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes an inspiring Baxter Family novel about a beloved high school principal who starts a Bible Study to improve the lives...

  • Echoes synopsis, comments

    Echoes

    Ellen Datlow

    The essential collection of beloved ghost stories, compiled by the editor who helped define the genreincluding stories from awardwinning, bestselling authors such as Joyce Carol Oa...

  • American Titan synopsis, comments

    American Titan

    Marc Eliot

    From the veteran New York Times bestselling biographer comes a major, indepth look at one of the most enduring American icons of all time, “the Duke,” John Wayne.As he did in his b...

  • Five Presidents synopsis, comments

    Five Presidents

    Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin Hill

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Kennedy and Me and Five Days in November reflects on his seventeen years on the Secret Service for presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, ...

  • John Ford Himself and His Movies synopsis, comments

    John Ford Himself and His Movies

    Tag Gallagher

    The life and movies of John Ford.  This is a new book with 700+ new pictures, a new filmography, new research and a mostlyrewritten text.  A vast improvement!  733p....

  • Just Once synopsis, comments

    Just Once

    Karen Kingsbury

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author “known for her deeply heartfelt novels” (Woman’s World) brings a sweeping and unforgettable World War II love story about a young female sp...

  • John Ford synopsis, comments

    John Ford

    Lucilla Albano

    John Ford è un gigante del cinema, il grande padre del western, un narratore superbo e un raffinato inventore di immagini. Tra il 1917 e il 1966 ha attraversato quasi tutti i gener...

  • Lincoln synopsis, comments

    Lincoln

    David Herbert Donald

    A masterful work by Pulitzer Prize–winning author David Herbert Donald, Lincoln is a stunning portrait of Abraham Lincoln’s life and presidency.Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln’s...

  • To the Moon and Back synopsis, comments

    To the Moon and Back

    Karen Kingsbury

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a “heart tugging and emotional” story in the Baxter Family collection that will “touch readers deeply” (RT Book Revi...

  • Forgiving Paris synopsis, comments

    Forgiving Paris

    Karen Kingsbury

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of lifechanging fiction brings her signature “emotional, hearttugging” (Woman’s World) prose to this wise and worldly novel of forgiveness ...

  • Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli synopsis, comments

    Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli

    Mark Seal

    This “wickedly pacey pageturner” (Total Film) unfurls the behindthescenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic film’s original release.The story of h...

  • Love Story synopsis, comments

    Love Story

    Karen Kingsbury

    The instant New York Times bestseller featuring everyone’s favorite familythe Baxtersin a deeply emotional novel “faithful fans will no doubt relish” (Publishers Weekly). When John...

  • Robots vs. Fairies synopsis, comments

    Robots vs. Fairies

    Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

    Featured in the Netflix series Love, Death & RobotsA unique anthology of allnew stories that challenges authors to throw down the gauntlet in an epic genre battle and demands a...

  • Five Days in November synopsis, comments

    Five Days in November

    Clint Hill

    Don’t miss the New York Times bestseller Five Days in November, where Secret Service agent Clint Hill tells the stories behind the iconic images of those five infamous, tragic days...

  • My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy synopsis, comments

    My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy

    Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin Hill

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Mrs. Kennedy and Me reveal neverbeforetold stories of Secret Service Agent Clint Hill’s travels with Jacquelin...

  • A Distant Shore synopsis, comments

    A Distant Shore

    Karen Kingsbury

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “inspirational fiction superstar” (Publishers Weekly) presents this high stakes love story of danger, passion, and faith.She was a chil...

  • John Ford synopsis, comments

    John Ford

    Brian Spittles

    John Ford is a monumental figure in Hollywood and world cinema. Throughout his long and varied career spanning the silent and sound era, he produced nearly 150 films of which Iron ...

  • Hank and Jim synopsis, comments

    Hank and Jim

    Scott Eyman

    “[A] remarkably absorbing, supremely entertaining joint biography” (The New York Times) from bestselling author Scott Eyman about the remarkable friendship of Henry Fonda and James...

  • Print the Legend synopsis, comments

    Print the Legend

    Scott Eyman

    "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." This line comes from director John Ford's film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but it also serves as an epigram for the life of...

  • Watergate synopsis, comments

    Watergate

    Garrett M. Graff

    Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in HistoryNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yesthis one.” The Washington Post “Dazzli...

  • The Vagabonds synopsis, comments

    The Vagabonds

    Jeff Guinn

    A “fascinating slice of rarely considered American history” (Booklist)the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edisonwhose annual summer sojourns introduced the road trip to our culture ...

  • Nixon Volume III synopsis, comments

    Nixon Volume III

    Stephen E. Ambrose

    In Nixon: Ruin and Recovery, 19731990, Stephen E. Ambrose completes his acclaimed biography of the man many historians call the most fascinating politician in American history: Ric...

  • Christmas at The New Yorker synopsis, comments

    Christmas at The New Yorker

    The New Yorker, E. B. White, Sally Benson & S.J. Perelman

    From the pages of America’s most influential magazine come eight decades of holiday cheerplus the occasional comical coal in the stockingin one incomparable collection. Sublime an...

  • Someone Like You synopsis, comments

    Someone Like You

    Karen Kingsbury

    Soon to be a major motion picture starring Sarah Fisher!Science raises questions only hope and faith can answer in this instant New York Times bestselling “tale of forgiveness and ...

  • The Above the Line Collection synopsis, comments

    The Above the Line Collection

    Karen Kingsbury

    The Baxters Take OneCould they change the worldbefore the world changes them? Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison left the mission field of Indonesia for the mission field of H...

  • Justice on Trial synopsis, comments

    Justice on Trial

    Mollie Hemingway & Carrie Severino

    #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER! Justice Anthony Kennedy slipped out of the Supreme Court building on June 27, 2018, and traveled incognito to the White House to inform President Donald Tru...

  • The Presidents Club synopsis, comments

    The Presidents Club

    Nancy Gibbs & Michael Duffy

    The New York Times bestselling history of the private relationships among the last thirteen presidentsthe partnerships, private deals, rescue missions, and rivalries of those selec...

  • Truly, Madly, Deeply synopsis, comments

    Truly, Madly, Deeply

    Karen Kingsbury

    INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLERIn love for the first time, a son’s decisions about the future divides his family in this fearless and thoughtprovoking novel from the #1 New York T...

  • Company of Heroes synopsis, comments

    Company of Heroes

    Harry Carey, Jr.

    Funny, insightful, and brutally honest. Offers an intimate look at the work of Hollywood director John Ford through the observant eyes of actor Harry Carey, Jr.