Fred Ward, a veteran character actor who was best known for roles in “The Right Stuff”, “Tremors”, and “Short Cuts”, has died at the age of 79. Ward’s representative told the New York Post that he died on May 8. The statement revealed no cause of death but stated that it was Ward’s wish for donations to be sent to the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center.
Ward grew up in San Diego and joined the air force before deciding to pursue a career in acting. He worked as a lumberjack, seaman, and boxer before resuming his acting career in Italy, where he appeared in a 1974 Roberto Rossellini TV film about Descartes. After a brief return to the United States, he again rose to prominence in Hollywood as John Anglin, another Alcatraz escapee played by Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. More high-profile parts followed: as murderous corporal Reece in Southern Comfort and as a Vietnam vet in Uncommon Valor, among them. In The Right Stuff, he played flawed astronaut Gus Grissom.
Ward’s tough-guy roles came with reservoirs of compassion, as well as street credibility. Ward, a former boxer, lumberjack, and short-order cook who had served in the US Air Force, went to acting school and began his career when he moved to Rome as a young man and performed as a mime before becoming a voice-over actor. That led to several TV appearances by Italian neorealist pioneer Roberto Rossellini. In 1979, Ward made his debut on the big screen opposite Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz.
“The unique thing about Fred Ward is that you never knew where he was going to pop up, so unpredictable were his career choices,” Hofmann said in an email. “He could play such diverse characters as Remo Williams, a cop trained by Chiun, Master of Sinanju (Joel Grey) to become an unstoppable assassin in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, or Earl Bass, who, alongside Kevin Bacon, battle giant, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh in ‘cult’ horror/comedy film, Tremors (1990), or a detective in the indie film Two Small Bodies (1993) directed by underground filmmaker Beth B., or a terrorist planning to blow up the Academy Awards in The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), or the father of the lead character in Jennifer Lopez’s revenge thriller Enough (2002).”
He has plenty of experience playing daddies, having played a number of dads in comedy films like 2000’s “Road Trip,” 2001’s “Summer Catch” and 2011’s “30 Minutes of Less,” as well as the 2002 revenge thriller “Enough.”
On the small screen, he’s worked on programs such as “10.5”, he also worked on a number of television shows including “In Plain Sight,” “The United States of Tara,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Leverage.”
Marie-France Ward, Django Ward’s mother, said that he was a wonderful father who loved his family and was always there for them when they were growing up. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, as well as his son.
