John Martin Feeney (1894–1973): The Poet of Landscape John Martin Feeney, universally known as John Ford, stands as one of the towering figures in American cinema history—a director whose stylistic vision profoundly shaped the landscape of Hollywood during its golden age. Born February 1, 1894, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to John Augustine Feeney and Barbara Curran, his early life was steeped in Irish heritage; his father emigrated from Galway, Ireland, while his mother hailed from the Aran Islands. Ford’s formative years were marked by a robust education at Portland High School where he exce…