His television credits included "Dice," "ER," "United States of Tara," and "True Detective." Other films included "Uncommon Valor," "Silkwood," "Swing Shift," "Tremors," "Miami Blues," "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," "Thunderheart," "The Player," "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult," "The Wild Stallion," "Farewell," and "Armored." He shared a Golden Globe and a special prize at the Venice Film Festival as part of the ensemble cast of Robert Altman's "Short Cuts." He would bring that restless physicality to his memorable performances in tough-guy roles, in such films as "The Right Stuff," "Escape From Alcatraz," "Henry & June" and the cult horror flick "Tremors."ĭubbing films in Rome, he got his first acting credit in an Italian miniseries directed by Roberto Rossellini, "The Age of the Medici." After small parts in "Ginger in the Morning" and "Hearts of the West," Ward starred opposite Clint Eastwood and Jack Thibeau as prison escapees in "Escape From Alcatraz." After appearing in "Carny" and "Southern Comfort," Ward had his most indelible role, as astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom, in Philip Kaufman's epic of the early days of NASA, "The Right Stuff." "I was very restless then," as he described his travels to the Washington Post in 1990. Air Force as a radar technician worked as a lumberjack in Alaska, a construction worker on San Francisco's transit system, and as a short-order cook and had his nose broken three times while boxing.
His film career lasted more than four decades, but actor Fred Ward (December 30, 1942-May 8, 2022) started out in the U.S. The Associated Press contributed to this gallery. | JULIE MARKES/AP PhotoĪ look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.īy senior producer David Morgan. Actor Fred Ward pictured in Beverly Hills, Calif., July 1991.