Fred Ward

• Name — Fred Ward • Birth Name — Freddie Joe Ward • Born — 30 December 1942 • Birthplace — San Diego, California, U.S. • Died — 8 May 2022 • Place of death — San Diego, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1973–2015 • Spouse — Silvia Ward (divorced) • Children — 1 Freddie Joe Ward (December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022) was an American character actor. Starting with a role in an Italian television movie in 1973, he appeared in such diverse films as Escape from Alcatraz (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), Tremors (1990) and Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996), Miami Blues (1990), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Road Trip (2000), and 30 Minutes or Less (2011).

Freddie Joe Ward was born in San Diego on December 30, 1942. Before acting, Ward served three years in the United States Air Force, broke his nose three times as a boxer, and worked as a lumberjack in Alaska, a janitor, and a short-order cook. He studied acting at New York's Herbert Berghof Studio and while living in Rome, he dubbed Italian movies into English and appeared in films by neorealist director Roberto Rossellini.

Ward became an actor after studying at Herbert Berghof Studio and in Rome. While in Italy, he worked as a mime. 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 (1975). His first major role came in the Clint Eastwood vehicle Escape from Alcatraz (1979) as fellow escapee John Anglin.

Ward played a violent National Guardsman in Walter Hill's Southern Comfort (1981). His first starring role in a motion picture was Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982). 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 (all 1983). After co-starring roles in Swing Shift (1984) and Secret Admirer (1985), Ward played the title hero in the action movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, 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 and he appeared on several movie magazine covers, it only grossed $15 million. 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.

In 1990, Ward starred as Earl Bassett in the monster movie Tremors, as the American erotic writer Henry Miller in Henry & June (with Uma Thurman), and as cop Hoke Moseley in his self-produced Miami Blues (with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh). That year he also played an FBI agent in Dennis Hopper's film Catchfire. 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. Ward's leading roles include Lt. Brann in the two-character-thriller Two Small Bodies, fisherman Stuart Kane in the Robert Altman film Short Cuts (for which the whole ensemble won a Golden Globe; both 1993), a dangerous criminal in the comedy Naked Gun: The Final Insult (1994), the sailor in the French-avant-garde-drama The Blue Villa (1995), his reprised role in Tremors II: Aftershocks and the special agent in Chain Reaction (both 1996). He also appeared as Sheriff Bud Phillips in Best Men, as Dave Reimüller in...First Do No Harm with Meryl Streep (both 1997) and as Domenico Venier in Dangerous Beauty (1998).

Ward was seen in many motion pictures, TV shows and videos in 2000. He starred in the action-thriller The Chaos Factor and appeared in the gangster movie Circus, the teen movie Road Trip and the horror sequel The Crow: Salvation. In 2001, Ward was nominated for a Video Premiere Award as the best male actor 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, Ward appeared 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. After roles in The Last Ride, 10.5 and Coast to Coast (all 2004) he took a short break from acting and returned as a guest in the TV series Grey's Anatomy and ER (2006 and 2007). He was next in the ensemble drama Feast of Love, the thriller Exit Speed, Management with Jennifer Aniston, The Wild Stallion DVD and as the boss Ashcroft in Armored. Ward guest starred as Ronald Reagan in the French political thriller L'affaire Farewell (2009). 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.

Ward had one son, Django Ward, a singer and guitarist, from a marriage to Silvia Ward. He married Marie-France Boisselle in 1995, and lived with her in Los Angeles. They both filed for divorce in August 2013, before reconciling later that year. Ward died on May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.

• Year — Film — Role — Notes • 1974 — Ginger in the Morning — Truck Driver • 1975 — Hearts of the West — Sam — Uncredited • 1979 — Escape from Alcatraz — John Anglin • Tilt — Lenny • 1980 — Carny — Jack • Cardiac Arrest — Jamie • 1981 — Southern Comfort — Corporal Lonnie Reece • 1982 — Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann — Lyle Swann • 1983 — Silkwood — Morgan • Uncommon Valor — Wilkes • The Right Stuff — Gus Grissom • 1984 — Swing Shift — Archibald 'Biscuits' Toue • 1985 — Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins — Officer Samuel Edward 'Sam' Makin / CURE Agent Remo Williams • Secret Admirer — Lou Fimple • UFOria — Sheldon Bart • 1987 — The Price of Life — Crouch — Short feature • 1988 — Catchfire — Pauling • The Prince of Pennsylvania — Gary Marshetta • Big Business — Roone Dimmick • Off Limits — Dix • 1990 — Henry & June — Henry Miller — Also soundtrack • Miami Blues — Sergeant Hoke Moseley — Also producer • Tremors — Earl Bassett • 1991 — The Dark Wind — Joe Leaphorn • 1992 — The Player — Walter Stuckel • Equinox — Mr. Paris • Thunderheart — Jack Milton • Bob Roberts — Chip Daley • 1993 — Short Cuts — Stuart Kane • Two Small Bodies — Lieutenant Brann — Festival event • 1994 — Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult — Rocco Dillon • 1995 — The Blue Villa (Un bruit qui rend fou) — Frank — Festival event • 1996 — Chain Reaction — FBI Agent Leon Ford • Tremors 2: Aftershocks — Earl Bassett — Direct-to-video • 1997 — Best Men — Sheriff Phillips • 1998 — The Vivero Letter — Andrew Fallon • Dangerous Beauty — Domenico Venier • 1999 — The Crimson Code — Randall Brooks • 2000 — The Crow: Salvation — Captain John L. Book • Ropewalk — Charlie's Dad • The Chaos Factor — Max Camden • Circus — Elmo Somerset • Road Trip — Earl Edwards • 2001 — Summer Catch — Sean Dunne • Corky Romano — Leo Corrigan • Joe Dirt — Cody Nunamaker • Full Disclosure — John McWhirter • 2002 — Enough — Jupiter • Sweet Home Alabama — Earl Smooter • Birdseye — Nolan Sharpless • Abandon — Lieutenant Bill Stayton • 2003 — Masked and Anonymous — Drunk • 2004 — Funky Monkey — Don Decker • 2007 — Feast of Love — 'Bat' • 2008 — Management — Jerry • Exit Speed — Sergeant Archie Sparks • 2009 — Armored — Duncan Ashcroft • Farewell (L'affaire Farewell) — Ronald Reagan • The Wild Stallion — Frank Mills • 2011 — 30 Minutes or Less — The Major • 2013 — 2 Guns — U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tuwey

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1973 — The Age of the Medici — Niccolò de' Conti — Episode: "The Power of Cosimo" • 1974 — Cartesius — Unknown — TV Movie • 1978 — Quincy, M.E. — Hostage Taker — Episode: "Even Odds" (uncredited) • 1979 — The Incredible Hulk — Lynch's Henchman/Marvin — 2 episodes • 1980 — Belle Starr — Ned Christie — TV Movie • 1985 — American Playhouse — Royal Earle Thompson/Mr. Crouch — 2 episodes • 1986 — Florida Straits — 'Lucky' Boone — TV Movie • 1987 — The Hitchhiker — Luther Redmond — Episode: "Dead Heat" • 1991 — Cast a Deadly Spell — Detective Harry Philip Lovecraft — TV Movie • 1992 — Four Eyes and Six-Guns — Wyatt Earp • 1997 —...First Do No Harm — Dave Reimuller • Gun — John Farragut — Episode: "Father John" • 1998 — Invasion: Earth — Major General David Reece — Miniseries • 2000 — Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis — John 'Black Jack' Bouvier III — TV Movie • 2001 — Wild Iris — Errol Podubney • 2002 — Dice — Gacy/Noah Aldis — Miniseries • 2003 — Coast to Coast — Hal Kressler — TV Movie • 2004 — The Last Ride — Darryl Kurtz • 10.5 — Roy Nolan, FEMA Director — Miniseries • 2006 — ER — Eddie Wyczenski — 3 episodes • Grey's Anatomy — Denny Duquette Sr. — Episode: "What I Am" • 2009 — United States of Tara — Frank — 2 episodes • 2010 — In Plain Sight — Frank Jergens/Frank Jerome — Episode: "No Clemency for Old Men" • 2012 — Leverage — Steve Reynolds — Episode: "The D.B. Cooper Job" • 2015 — True Detective — Eddie Velcoro — Episodes: "Maybe Tomorrow" / "Omega Station"

Fred Ward was recorded at birth as Freddie Joe Ward. The authorities additionally record the heading Frederick Joseph Ward. His recorded language was English.