• Pilar Pallete is a 91-year-old actress and the third wife of the late famous American actor and filmmaker John Wayne.
• Her net worth is estimated to be over $50 million.
• She was born in Paita, Peru and married her first husband, Richard Weldy, in 1948.
• She and John Wayne exchanged wedding vows in Kona, Hawaii in 1954 and had three children.
• They remained married until his death in 1979 and Pilar wrote the memoir “John Wayne: My Life With The Duke”. She has since been married two more times, and is currently alive and residing in California.



Known for movies

Short Info

SpouseJesse L. Upchurch, Stephen Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Weldy
FactNewport Beach, California [July 2004]

Who is Pilar Pallete?

Pilar Pallete was born on 3 September 1928 under the birth sign of Virgo, in Paita, Peru. Although she is an actress, Pilar is probably best recognized for being the third wife of the late, famous American actor and filmmaker John Wayne.

Would you like to know more about Pilar Pallete’s professional career and personal life? How rich is she, as of now? If you are interested, stay tuned and find out all the details about her.

How rich is she, as of now? Pilar Pallete Net Worth

Pilar has been an active member of the entertainment industry for more than six decades. So, if you ever wondered how rich Pilar Pallete is, it’s been estimated by authoritative sources that the total size of her net worth is over $10 million, accumulated through her successful career. Besides that, it is also assumed she shared her famous husband’s the net worth, which was estimated to be the equivalent of over $50 million, while they were together.

Early Life and Education

Concerning her early life, Pilar Pallete apparently spent her childhood in her hometown of Paita in Peru, where she was raised in an affluent household by her father, Miguel Arturo Pallete, who served as a Senator, and her mother, Carmela De Pallete. There is no information regarding her educational background in the media.

Life before Fame

Pilar married professional big-game hunter Richard Weldy in 1948; however, the couple went their separate ways three years later.

John Wayne and Pilar Pallete

Regarding her involvement in the film industry, she started pursuing her professional career as an actress and filmmaker in 1953, creating the Peruvian film “Sabotear en la Selva”, in which she also featured in a lead role.

Popularity through Her Marriage to John Wayne

Speaking further about her involvement in the entertainment industry, Pilar Pallete achieved enormous popularity through her marriage to Academy Award-winning actor and film-maker John Wayne. She met him in Tingo María, Peru in 1952, while he was scouting locations for his directorial debut film “The Alamo”.

At that time, she was married to Richard, while John was married to Esperanza Baur, a famous Mexican actress. However, fate finally brought them together, after she met him for the second time in Los Angeles, California later the same year, as they fell in love and started dating . The couple eventually exchanged their wedding vows at a ceremony held in Kona, Hawaii on the same day John’s divorce was finalized, 1 November 1954 – she even landed a part in his film, but the role was uncredited.

Their Children

John Wayne and Pilar Pallete were blessed with three children. She gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Aissa Wayne, in March of 1956, welcomed their second child, a son named John Ethan Wayne, Jr. in February of 1962, who is also involved in the entertainment industry as an actor, and Pilar gave birth to their daughter named Marisa Wayne, in February 1966.

Separation and His Death

In the beginning of their union, Pilar quit her professional career, and became a huge support to her husband. She even travelled all around the world to places where he was filming, so they could spend more time together. After settling down in Newport Beach, California in 1965, she launched her own restaurant, where she would enjoy entertaining people. However, as time passed they lost interest in each other, so came up with a short-term separation in 1973 – John and Pilar remained married until the last day of his life, since they never legally divorced. In June of 1979, he passed away from the effects of stomach cancer.

Memoir: “John Wayne: My Life With The Duke”

Although Pilar wasn’t interested in writing the biography of her late husband, she soon changed her mind after she realized that several authors had already written biographies, but none of them knew John as well as she did. So, Pilar co-authored with Alex Thorleifson the autobiographical book entitled “John Wayne: My Life With The Duke”, published in October of 1987. The book gives a description of her marriage with the legendary actor and filmmaker, and in addition, she made guest-starring appearances in such documentaries as “John Wayne Standing Tall”, “Biography”, and “The Personal Property of John Wayne”, among many others.

Life after His Death: Is she still alive or not?

Speaking about her life after John Wayne’s death, in 1984, she married Stephen Stewart, an American municipal court judge,  but they divorced in 1997. In the following year, she tied the knot with American businessman and travel company executive Jesse L. Upchurch, but they also divorced, in 2010.

After being so popular Pilar has managed to keep her privacy very low profile, so at the moment it is only known that she’s still alive and resides somewhere in California, at the age of 95.

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General Info

Full NamePilar Pallete
ProfessionActor, Restaurateur, Visual Artist
NationalityPeruvian

Family

SpouseJesse L. Upchurch, Stephen Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Weldy
ChildrenEthan Wayne, Aissa Wayne, Marisa Wayne

Social profile links


Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
Author

As a Freelance Writer at Biography Pedia, I oversee the full writing process, from in-depth research to the development of compelling narratives, ensuring accuracy and excellence in our output. Our goal is to produce insightful profiles that deeply explore the lives of prominent figures in business, entertainment, and other fields. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, we spotlight the significant journeys and achievements of individuals who captivate and inspire our readers.

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