Actor Fred Ward dies at 79
Fred Ward, the roughhewn character actor known for his work in “The Right Stuff ” and “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,” died Sunday at age 79.
Publicist Ron Hofmann confirmed the news Friday, giving no further details about the Golden Globe winner’s death.
Ward’s career choices were anything but predictable. After battling flesheating subterranean monsters alongside Kevin Bacon in the cult-favorite flick “Tremors” (1990), he played erotic novelist Henry Miller in “Henry & June” that same year. Roles in “The Player” and “Short Cuts” followed, with the latter film earning him a piece of a special-recognition Golden Globe award in 1994.
Ward was born on Dec. 30, 1942, in San Diego. His father was in jail the day he was born, according to the actor. Ward moved around a lot as a child, including to Louisiana and Texas.
“You carry the baggage of your childhood with you until you can step into a Zen space and objectify it,” Ward told the L.A. Times in 1990. “There are certain elements of need — the need for acceptance — from my childhood that gave me the drive that an actor has to have.”
As he matured, he worked as a short-order cook, a construction worker, a boxer and a lumberjack in Alaska. He spent three years in the U.S. Air Force as well, then made his way into acting in New York in the early 1970s. Early roles included small parts on TV as well as roles in productions of two of Sam Shepard’s early plays in San Francisco.
“Fred Ward was seemingly incapable of being inauthentic. His characters felt like they lived a full life and we’re only seeing a part of it and that’s a magic trick done right in front of you and
very luckily captured in light forever,” tweeted fellow actor Diedrich Bader.
His former co-star Kate Mulgrew also paid tribute Friday.
“I mourn the loss of Fred Ward, who was so kind to me when we worked together on Remo Williams,” Mulgrew tweeted. “Decent and modest and utterly professional, he disarmed with a smile that was at once warm and mischievous.”
Ward’s first major film role was in the 1979 movie “Escape From Alcatraz,” starring Clint Eastwood. And Ward would go on to star alongside Shepard in 1983’s “The Right Stuff,” where he played astronaut Gus Grissom in the adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s bestseller. That film, which won four Oscars off of its eight nominations, gave Ward’s career a big boost.
When “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” came out in 1985, L.A. Times film critic Jack Mathews called Ward “the most interesting action star to emerge from the movies this year.” The actor had signed on for three “Remo Williams” movies but made only the one.
Not long after that, Ward had a small but memorable role in the 1988 comedy “Big Business,” playing Roone, the hunky country-bumpkin love interest of Lily Tomlin’s characters.
Ward’s resume also included a number of TV appearances on shows including “True Detective,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “ER.” In his later years, with more than 80 film and TV credits under his belt, Ward explored painting, a hobby his publicist called the actor’s “second favorite art form.”
“Devastated to learn about the passing of my friend, Fred Ward,” tweeted actor Matthew Modine. “I had the absolute pleasure of working with this wonderful man in Robert Altman’s Shortcuts and Alan Rudolph’s Equinox. A tough facade covering emotions as deep as a the Pacific Ocean. Godspeed amigo.”
Ward is survived by his wife of 27 years, Mariefrance Ward, and his son, Django Ward.
—Los Angeles Times
After releasing album, Lamar set to go on tour
Kendrick Lamar will be taking his just-released and long-awaited fifth studio album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” on tour, including several stops in his native California.
The 14-time Grammy winner announced the sprawling, global arena tour on Friday, which will extend from North America to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The 65-date Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers Tour kicks off at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on July 19 and wraps at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, on Dec. 16.
“Come help Mr. Morale get out of the box,” reads the tour’s tagline.
The Compton-bred artist will be joined by his cousin and “Family Ties” rapper Baby Keem at all the shows, while Tanna Leone, who is also featured on “Mr. Morale,” will be joining Lamar on select dates, according to promoter Live Nation.
Tickets for his new tour go on sale to the general public May 20 on Lamar’s website, Oklama. The first tickets for the U.S. shows will be made available to Cash App customers through an exclusive ticket presale that begins May 19 for new and existing Cash App Cash Card holders.