Fred Ward was born on December 30 1942 in San Diego, California. He served in the United States Air Force, during which time he became interested in acting. He also worked a variety of other jobs, including fighting as a boxer and working as a lumberjack, janitor, and short order cook. He studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City. Afterwards he migrated to Italy where he dubbed Italian films into English.
Fred Ward made his television debut in the Italian mini-series L'età di Cosimo de Medici in 1973. In the late Seventies he guest starred on the shows Quincy, M.E. and The Incredible Hulk. He appeared in the TV movies Cartesius and Belle Starr. He made his movie debut in a small part in Ginger in the Morning in 1974. His first major role would be in Escape from Alcatraz in 1979. In the Seventies he also appeared in the movies Hearts of the West (1975), Tilt (1979), Cardiac Arrest (1979), and Carney (1980).
The Eighties saw Fred Ward's career take off. He played lead roles in the movies Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1983), The Right Stuff (1983), Remo Williams: The Adventures Begins (1985), UFOria (1985), The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988), Tremors (1990), and Henry & June (1990). He also appeared in the films Southern Comfort (1981), Silkwood (1983), Uncommon Valor (1983), Swing Shift (1984), Secret Admirer (1985), Off Limits (1988), Big Business (1988), Catchfire (1990), and Miami Blues (1990). He appeared on the television shows The Hitchhiker and American Playhouse, as well as the TV movie Florida Straits.
In the Nineties Mr. Ward appeared in the movies The Dark Wind (1991), Thunderheart (1992), The Player (1992), Equinox (1992), Bob Roberts (1992), Two Small Bodies (1993), Short Cuts (1993), Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Un bruit qui rend fou (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), Best Men (1997), Dangerous Beauty (1998), The Vivero Letter (1999), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Chaos Factor (2000), Ropewalk (2000), Circus (2000), Road Trip (2000), and Red Team (2000). On television he appeared in the mini-series Invasion: Earth. He appeared in the movies Cast a Deadly Spell, Four Eyes and Six-Guns, ...First Do No Harm, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, and Wild Iris. He guest starred on the TV shows American Playhouse and Gun.
In the Naughts Fred Ward appeared in the movies Joe Dirt (2001), Summer Catch (2001), Corky Romano (2001), Abandon (2002), Enough (2002), A.K.A. Birdseye (2002), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Masked and Anonymous (2003), Funky Monkey (2004), Feast of Love (2007), Exit Speed (2008), Management (2008), L'affaire Farewell (2009), The Wild Stallion (2009), and Armored (2009). He guest starred on the TV shows ER, Grey's Anatomy, United States of Tara, and In Plain Sight. He appeared in the TV movies Coast to Coast and The Last Ride. He appeared in the mini-series 10.5.
In the Teens he appeared in the movies 30 Minutes or Less (2011) and 2 Guns (2013). He guest starred on the shows Leverage and True Detective.
Fred Ward was a versatile actor, equally adept at playing lead roles and character parts. He played such diverse historical figures as Gus Grissom, Henry Miller, Wyatt Earp, and John Vernon Bouvier III, and was convincing as all of them. He was at home in dramas such as The Right Stuff and Silkwood as he was genre films such as Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and Tremors. What is more, Fred Ward was not afraid to play the occasional unsympathetic character. In Southern Comfort he played Corporal Lonnie Reece, a stubborn, belligerent Louisiana National Guardsman who was in constant conflict with his fellow Guardsman. In Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult he played the villain, bomber Rocco Dillon. Fred Ward seemed capable of playing any role he set out to play, and he always gave a good performance.
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