Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen Matilda (née Mason) and John David McMeekan.

[2] When World War II began, Wayne volunteered as an ambulance driver with the British Army in North Africa.

[2] Wayne's first major Broadway role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award[3] and the first ever Tony for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Musical).

[4] He originated the role of Ensign Pulver in the classic stage comedy Mister Roberts and also appeared in Say, Darling; After the Fall; and Incident at Vichy.

In films, Wayne was most often cast as a supporting player, such as the charming cad and neighbor of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's characters in Adam's Rib (1949).

He portrayed the child killer, originally played by Peter Lorre, in the remake of M (1951), in a rare title and villainous role.

[6]: 771  Wayne appeared in the late 1950s on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and the Twilight Zone episode "Escape Clause".