In "Sweet Home Alabama".....
Posted on 05/13/2022 9:14:36 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Actor Fred Ward has died, according to his publicist, Ron Hofmann.
The star, who brought gentlemanly gruffness to films that included The Right Stuff, Tremors, Henry and June and The Player died Sunday, May 8 at the age of 79. No cause of death was given.
Ward brought reservoirs of tenderness to his tough guy roles, and plenty of street credibility. A former boxer, lumberjack and short-order cook who served in the U.S. Air Force, Ward went to acting school and got his start when he moved to Rome as a young man and worked as a mime, then a voice-over actor. That led to a few appearances in TV productions by Italian neorealist pioneer Roberto Rossellini, and then Hollywood. Ward made his U.S. movie debut as a convict in the Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz in 1979.
"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 wrote 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)."
Ward is survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward and his son Django Ward.
Once you accept the premise, there are almost no plot holes. The writers took their job seriously. The malfunctioning soda cooler in the beginning even advances the plot. Maybe the best B movie ever.
One of my favorites
Didnt realize was that old at 79
Rip in peace sir ............
I always liked him in the roles he played. Rest In Peace.
He played Gus Grissom in “The Right Stuff”. A great portrayal of somebody who knew he was being screwed over for something not his fault.
Me too. Enjoyed watching him, may he Rest in Peace.
Damn shame...
Much too young to go...
A fine actor...
RIP...
In "Sweet Home Alabama".....
Me too. Tried to watch it every time it was on.
I can’t remember the name of the movie, but he was in one where he played a dirt bike racer who travels back in time to the old west. I think Peter Coyote played the villain.
Yep, half James bond, half Bruce Lee, half Matt Helm, half Derek Flint.
That’s sad. I enjoyed his work in Tremors.
L
He is one of only a handful of living actors I could name.
He was excellent as a down-on-his-luck cop in “Miami Blues.”
I always liked him. Especially in Tremors and Remo Williams.
Joe Dirt’s dad. RIP
Right. I thoroughly enjoyed “The Right Stuff” and his portrayal of Grissom. One of my favorite movies. I’ve watched “Tremors “ a bunch of times, a fun movie.
I didn’t know he was 79 either. RIP Mr. Ward.
"The hatch just blew! I didn't do nothing, I tell you! The hatch just blew!"
Always felt that the movie title hurt the box office...Remo was the DESTROYER! (Read a lot of the first hundred books...)
Tremors were great films...Remo Williams..... good dude
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