Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn is played by John Wayne in the 1969 film adaption of True Grit and its sequel Rooster Cogburn, by Warren Oates in the made for TV movie True Grit: A Further Adventure and by Jeff Bridges in the the 2010 version of True Grit.
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 Cogburn lost his eye. He was married first to an Illinois woman who left him to return to her first husband after bearing Cogburn a single, extremely clumsy son, Horace, (of whom Cogburn says in, "He never liked me anyway"). Cogburn is described as a "fearless, one-eyed United States Marshal who never knew a dry day in his life." He was "the toughest marshal" working the Indian Territory 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). When Cogburn goes to court in "Rooster Cogburn," it shows that Cogburn shot a total of 64 men in eight years, killing 60 (by the film's end, it was 70 shot, and 66 killed), all of whom he claimed to have killed in self-defense, in the line of duty, or fleeing justice. In the 1969 film, Cogburn helped a headstrong 14-year-old girl named Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), along with Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Glen Campbell), to track down Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), the man who drunkenly killed her father. In the sequel, he teamed up with elderly spinster Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn) and an Indian boy named Wolf while on the trail of the desperado, Hawk (Richard Jordan), who had stolen a shipment of nitroglycerin from the United States Army and killed family members of both Goodnight and Wolf. Cogburn lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the back of a Chinese dry-goods store, along with the proprietor, his friend and gambling buddy Chen Lee, and an orange tabby cat named after Confederate General Sterling Price for his entire life as a marshal. In the 2010 film, while Cogburn demonstrated a ruthless attitude towards the criminals and fugitives he pursued, he was generally very fair with Mattie and was shown to have a distaste for what he viewed as unnecessary cruelty. When LaBoeuf is birching Mattie for her refusal to return to Fort Smith, Cogburn demands that he stop and drew his gun in threat to make LaBoeuf stop. Later in the film, when Cogburn and Mattie witnessed two children caning a mule with sharpened sticks, Cogburn quickly intervened, cutting the mule loose and roughly throwing the two children onto the ground in retaliation. After Mattie was snakebitten, he rode through the night, holding her, in order to get her medical care. When the horse collapsed, he mercy-killed it with his revolver and then carried her a long distance in his arms to get her to a doctor, both saving her life and proving he really had the true grit Mattie thought he did. Cogburn's relationship with LaBoeuf was strained throughout the film, with the two arguing frequently. Cogburn often made light of the Texas Rangers, much to LaBoeuf's outrage, and irritatedly criticized LaBoeuf's tendency to talk long-windedly. Likewise, LaBoeuf patronized Cogburn for being a hopeless drunk who routinely relents to Mattie's stubbornness. Their greatest point of contention came during an argument about their military service during the American Civil War, during which Cogburn ended their agreement of splitting the reward on Tom Chaney when they brought him back to Texas when LaBoeuf insulted Capt Quantrill. He did, however, thank LaBoeuf for saving his life when "Lucky" Ned Pepper was about to kill him and said he was in debt before leaving with the snakebitten Mattie and promising to send help back. In both True Grit films, Cogburn confessed to having robbed something after the war before becoming a marshal, a bank in his youth in the 2010 film, and a federal paymaster in the 1969 film. He spoke admiringly of Quantrill, with whom he served during the Civil War. Twenty-five years after the Tom Chaney hunt, Maddie received a note from the Marshal with a flyer enclosed, saying Cogburn was travelling with a Wild West show and inviting her to come see him. However, Cogburn died three days before she arrived while the show was still in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was buried in a Memphis, Tennessee, Confederate cemetery. When Mattie arrived in Memphis and learned of his death, she had his body removed to her family plot in Yell County, Arkansas and visited it over the years. His gravestone shows his full name to be Reuben Cogburn. is a bounty hunter and US Marshal, hired by Mattie Ross to hunt down her father's killer Tom Chaney..
Character Biography[]
Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn, said to have true grit, was a US Marshall who was hired by Mattie Ross to find her father's killer, Tom Chaney. He has an ex-wife and son. In the remake, his claim of men killed as a US Marshall is 12-15, possibly 23, when testifying in court. In the film he overcomes drunkenness and stubborn pride to bond with Mattie Ross,
He served with the Confederacy in the American Civil War,1861-1865. He apparently rode with William Quantrill and "Bloody" Bill Anderson in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas, presumably. Rooster is working with Cole Younger and Frank James's Wild West Show when on August 12th, 1903 he passes away, of some unknown ailment. In the remake his tombstone reveals his birthday as July 15th, 1825.
Rooster favors his Colt Navy "Sixes". He is seen using a Single Action Army revolver, and a Winchester Repeater.
Relationships[]
Ex-wife Nola, who left Cogburn before the events of True Grit, to re-marry he ex-husband, a hardware salesman.
"I said, 'Good-bye, Nola! Hope that little nail-sellin' bastard keeps you happy this time'!"