Names and faces
■ Fred Ward, a veteran actor who brought a tenderness to tough-guy roles in films such as “The Right Stuff,” “The Player” and “Tremors,” has died. He was 79. Ward died May 8, his publicist Ron Hofmann said Friday. No cause or place of death was disclosed per the family’s wishes. Ward earned a Golden Globe and shared the Venice Film Festival ensemble prize for his performance in Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” and played the title character in “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.” An early big role was alongside Clint Eastwood in 1979’s “Escape From Alcatraz.” “I mourn the loss of Fred Ward, who was so kind to me when we worked together on ‘Remo Williams,’” actor Kate Mulgrew tweeted. “Decent and modest and utterly professional, he disarmed with a smile that was at once warm and mischievous.” Ward’s other roles included President Ronald Reagan in the 2009 Cold War espionage thriller “Farewell” and a supporting role in the 2013 action flick “2 Guns,” starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Ward most recently appeared in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective” as the retired cop father of Colin Farrell’s Detective Ray Velcoro. A former boxer, lumberjack in Alaska and short-order cook who served in the U.S. Air Force, Ward was a San Diego native who was part Cherokee. Ward is survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward, and his son, Django Ward.
■ Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, whose last day on the job was Friday, answered reporters’ questions nearly every weekday of the almost 500 days that President Joe Biden has been in office. Psaki has not denied reports that she is heading to MSNBC. Her briefings were informative but generally lacked the drama to draw big ratings on cable television. Groups cheering Psaki are common across social media, including #PsakiBomb, which has more than 22 million views on TikTok. But Psaki angered Republicans by likening the party’s supporters who adhere to Trump’s fabrications about the 2020 election to “silent lemmings.” More recently, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former Trump press secretary now running for Arkansas governor, said Psaki’s failure to urge people to stop protesting outside the homes of judges represented “mind-boggling hypocrisy.” Colleagues say Psaki is an encouraging and selfless office leader who digs deep into policy, seeking an understanding that goes far beyond talking points. “She is intellectually curious, she asks the right questions and doesn’t stop asking questions until she’s satisfied,” said Jeff Zients, Biden’s former covid-19 response coordinator. A 43-year-old native of Stamford, Conn., Psaki is the mother of children ages 6 and 4. She served as State Department spokesperson as well as deputy press secretary and White House communications director for President Barack Obama.