John Wayne was so good an actor that he fooled a bunch of you into thinking he couldn't act.
Lots of the most successful actors didn't need to "act". They just figured out a character they were comfortable within their own personality and used it.
John Wayne.
Clint Eastwood.
Charles Bronson.
Tommy Lee Jones.
Sam Elliott.
People go see them in different movies because they like the "character" the actor portrays. Could be a western or a gangster movie, but the character is the same, and the draw from the public wanting to see that... makes them successful.
Doesn't make them a "great" actor, but it does make them successful.
