California lawmakers have rejected a resolution to honor the late actor and director John Wayne because of decades-old racist comments that he made.

The state Assembly defeated the official ode to world-renowned movie icon John Wayne after several legislators described statements he made about racial minorities and his support for the anti-communist House Un-American Activities Committee and John Birch Society.

Known as 'Duke,' a nickname he picked up as a boy in Glendale, California, Wayne grew into the star of movies including The Alamo, The Green Beret, and True Grit, for which he won an Academy Award, while portraying the gruff, rugged cowboys and brave soldiers who were his stock in trade.

Republican State Assemblyman Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach sought to declare May 26, 2016, as John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born.

Rejected: California lawmakers have defeated a resolution intended to honor actor John Wayne after opponents challenged what they say are racist statements by the late actor. Above Wayne is pictured in 1978

Republican State Assemblyman Matthew Harper (above), of Huntington Beach, sought to declare May 26, 2016, as John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born

'He had disturbing views towards race,' objected Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, leading off a 20-minute debate.

Alejo cited a 1971 interview with Playboy in which Wayne talked disparagingly about blacks.

'I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people,' Wayne told the magazine.

Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, who is black, said he found Wayne's comments personally offensive.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, cited his comments defending white Europeans' encroachment on American Indians who Wayne once said 'were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.'

In a 1971 interview with Playboy, Wayne made several offensive comments about blacks and Native Americans. Wayne said: 'I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility'

Wayne is the latest deceased white icon to recently come under attack.

Former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner and Indian fighter, is being removed from the face of the $20 bill.

Princeton University recently announced that former US President Woodrow Wilson's name will remain on its public policy school despite calls to remove it because he was a segregationist.

Harper's resolution fell on a 35-20 vote to what Harper called 'the orthodoxy of political correctness.'

'Opposing the John Wayne Day resolution is like opposing apple pie, fireworks, baseball, the Free Enterprise system and the Fourth of July!' he said later in a written statement.

Harper said he sought the resolution, ACR137, to keep up with a Texas resolution commemorating Wayne's birthday a year ago.

JOHN WAYNE'S CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS FROM PLAYBOY INTERVIEW In a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine, Wayne made several comments that could be deemed offensive about blacks and Native Americans. Below are a few quotes from the interview: 'We can't all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.' 'I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, if that's what you're asking. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.' 'When you allow unlawful acts to go unpunished, you're moving toward a government of men rather than a government of law; you're moving toward anarchy. And that's exactly what we're doing. We allow dirty loudmouths to publicly call policemen pigs; we let a fella like William Kunstler make a speech to the Black Panthers saying that the ghetto is theirs, and that if police come into it, they have a right to shoot them. Why is that dirty, no-good son of a bitch allowed to practice law?' 'I don't feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves. Now, I'm not condoning slavery. It's just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and has to wear braces so he can't play football with the rest of us.' 'The academic community has developed certain tests that determine whether the blacks are sufficiently equipped scholastically. But some blacks have tried to force the issue and enter college when they haven't passed the tests and don't have the requisite background.' Advertisement

He represents the legislative district that includes John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

The airport, among the largest in California, was renamed after Wayne's death in 1979 and hosts a nine-foot-tall statue of the actor.

'I think the assemblyman would know if there was a cross word about having the airport named after him,' said Harper's spokeswoman, Madeleine Cooper.

Several lawmakers supported the resolution, recalling Wayne as an American hero whose family created a namesake cancer foundation after his death.

'He stood for those big American values that we know and we love,' said Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach.

Lawmakers have honored others despite controversies that eventually clouded their legacies, said Assemblyman Donald Wagner, R-Irvine. Wagner cited President Franklin Roosevelt, who has been honored despite his internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

'Every one of us is imperfect,' Wagner said.