Fred Ward


Frederick Joseph Ward is an American actor and producer. Starting with a role in an Italian television film in 1973, Ward has had a long and diverse career, including such films as Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, , Tremors, Henry & June, The Player and Short Cuts.

Early life

Ward was born Freddie Joe Ward in San Diego, California. He is of part Cherokee descent. Before acting, Ward spent three years in the United States Air Force. He was also a boxer and worked as a lumberjack in Alaska, janitor, and short-order cook. He studied acting at New York's Herbert Berghof Studio after serving in the U.S. Air Force. While living in Rome, he dubbed Italian films into English and appeared in films by neorealist director Roberto Rossellini.

Career

1970s and 1980s

Ward became an actor after studying at Herbert Berghof Studio and in Rome. While in Italy, he dubbed Italian movies and worked as a mime until he made his debut in two Roberto Rossellini films. Upon returning stateside in the early 1970s, Ward spent time working in experimental theatre and doing some television work. He made his first American film appearance playing a cowboy in Hearts of the West. His first major role came in the Clint Eastwood vehicle Escape from Alcatraz as fellow escapee John Anglin. He was also notable as a violent National Guardsman in Walter Hill's Southern Comfort.
His first starring role in a motion picture was . He then starred as astronaut Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff, in the action movie Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman and in the drama Silkwood.

''Remo Williams''

After co-starring roles in Swing Shift and Secret Admirer he played the title hero in the action movie , which was directed by Guy Hamilton. The film was supposed to be the first of a series based on The Destroyer series of novels. Though the movie was well-promoted, with Ward appearing on the cover of several movie magazines, it only grossed $15 million. He confirmed that he performed most of the stunts himself.
Ward played in a few low-budget productions until he returned to major cinema in 1988 as a cop in Off Limits, as Roone Dimmick in Big Business, and the father of Keanu Reeves' character in The Prince of Pennsylvania.

1990s

In 1990 he starred as Earl Bassett in the monster movie Tremors, as the American erotic writer Henry Miller in Henry & June, and as cop Hoke Moseley, whose gun, badge and dentures are stolen, in Ward's own-produced motion picture Miami Blues.
After playing private detective H.P. Lovecraft in the 1991 HBO film Cast a Deadly Spell alongside Julianne Moore, Ward co-starred in the thriller Thunderheart, the Hollywood satire The Player, the mystery-drama Equinox and the TV western-comedy Four Eyes and Six Guns, for which he won a Cable ACE Award. He also did a cameo in Bob Roberts, starring Tim Robbins.
Notable leading roles include Lt. Brann in the two-character-thriller Two Small Bodies, fisherman Stuart Kane in the Robert Altman film Short Cuts , a dangerous criminal in the comedy ', the sailor in the French-avant-garde-drama The Blue Villa, plus his reprised role in ' and the Special Agent in Chain Reaction. He also appeared as Sheriff Bud Phillips in Best Men, as Dave Reimüller in ...First Do No Harm with Meryl Streep and as Domenico Venier in Dangerous Beauty.

2000s

In the new millennium Ward was seen in many motion pictures, but also in productions made for TV and video. In 2000 he starred in the action-thriller The Chaos Factor and co-starred in the gangster-movie Circus, the teen-movie Road Trip and as the Captain in the horror-sequel .
In 2001 he was nominated for Video Premiere Award as the best male for the direct-to-video-production Full Disclosure. He also co-starred in Joe Dirt, Summer Catch, Wild Iris, the mini-TV-series Dice and the comedic Corky Romano.
In 2002 he co-starred in Sweet Home Alabama, Enough and Abandon. He had the starring role in Birdseye and signed in for the TV pilot for the drama Georgetown with Helen Mirren, but the series was never made. So, after roles in The Last Ride, 10.5 and Coast to Coast he took a short break from acting and returned as a guest in the TV series Grey's Anatomy and ER.
He then starred in the ensemble drama Feast of Love, in the brutal action-filled thriller Exit Speed, Management with Jennifer Aniston, The Wild Stallion and as the boss Ashcroft in Armored.
He starred as Ronald Reagan in the French political-thriller L'affaire Farewell. He appeared in 30 Minutes or Less, guest starred in the TV series United States of Tara, In Plain Sight and Leverage in 2012. In 2013 he had a guest role in 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

Personal life

Ward lives in Venice, California. His first marriage, to Carla Evonne Stewart in the early 60s, later ended in divorce. His second marriage was to Silvia Ward, with whom he had a son, Django. After they divorced, he married Marie-France Boisselle in 1995 and she filed for divorce in August 2013, but they reconciled later that year.

Awards