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.
Good guy, he wasn’t a famous actor but I liked his roles and on-screen chemistry.
Always liked this guy. It’s too bad Remo Williams wasn’t a bigger hit , I would have liked to see that series continue
Rest in Peace, Fred, and Thanks for the memories....................
loved Tremors!
Ward was very good in Tremors, which was a near-great movie. He was in the first sequel which was OK but not as good as the original. The rest of the sequels...forgettable.
Wait a minute, is that even legal? RIP, Fred.
Tremors was my favorite “campy” movie.
Tremors and Remo Williams. Both stupidly fun and entertaining movies. I thought he was hilarious as Joe Dirt’s dad in, well, Joe Dirt. “Hey! How exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does a sun set? How exactly does a posi-trac rear-end on a Plymouth work? It just does.”
He was one of my favorites. His athleticism was on display in the Remo part ... under Joel ‘s tutelage of course. His ability to adapt his styles to the character range he played is a tribute to his talents. RIP
Fred Ward was in a ton of films but somehow wasn’t a “big name”, probably due to lack of promotion. He always came across as a real guy instead of a manufactured product. Salute and RIP Fred Ward.
R.I.P.
I really liked this actor.
(bet it was clot shot that got him )
.
Condolences to family and friends.
[[worked as a mime, then a voice-over actor]]
Talk about doing a complete 180 😆
Awesome movie
Remo Williams was pretty good.
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