Motion Picture Director, Producer. He directed nearly 150 American films in a career that spanned more than 50 years and is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of all-time. Born John "Jack" Martin Feeney, (in Gaelic or the Irish language, the equivalent Sean Aloysius, with surname O'Feeny or O'Fearna), he was one of eleven children of Irish immigrants. He came to Hollywood following his older brother Francis, who was an actor and director in silent films. After John Feeney acted in 15 of his brother's pictures from 1914 through 1916, he took the professional name of John Ford in 1923. He is best-known for his Westerns and for pioneering the "long shot" and location shooting. Although most of his silent movies have been lost in time, one of his most-recognized Westerns was the 1924 film "The Iron Horse." Ford, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as the head of a documentary film unit, was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received during combat. He received the nickname of "Admiral." Besides Westerns, he directed a number of historical dramas. He received four Academy Awards for Best Director: "The Informer" in 1935, "The Grapes of Wrath" in 1940 starring Henry Fonda, "How Green Was My Valley" in 1941, and "The Quiet Man" in 1952 starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. He also received two Oscars for Best Documentary, "The Battle of Midway" in 1941 and "December 7th" in 1943. One of his most notable features is that he used a "stock company" of actors, far more so than any other director. Jack Pennick, a bit-part actor, appeared in 41 of Ford's films, although several times uncredited. The silent film actor Harry Carry Sr. appeared in 25 of Ford's films. He had a close working relationship with the up-and-coming actor, John Wayne, directing Wayne in a total of 24 films, mostly Westerns, but five non-Westerns. Among the other stars who appeared in at least two or more of his films include Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Richard Widmark, Victor McLaglen and Jeffrey Hunter. In 1973, he received the American Film Institute's (AFI) first-ever AFI Lifetime Achievement Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from United States President Richard Nixon. Ford was featured on a U.S. Postal Stamp in 2012.