Product Code Database
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, The Right Stuff, , Tremors and , The Player, Short Cuts, Miami Blues, and 30 Minutes or Less.
After co-starring roles in Swing Shift (1984) and Secret Admirer (1985), Ward played the title hero in the action movie , 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.
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 appearance 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 (1994), the sailor in the French-avant-garde-drama The Blue Villa (1995), his reprised role in 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).
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 and his wife Marie-France both filed for divorce in August 2013, but they reconciled later that year.
Ward died on May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.
| Episode: "The Power of Cosimo" ("Il potere di Cosimo") |
| TV movie |
| Uncredited |
| Episode: "Even Odds" (uncredited) |
| Episodes: "The Disciple" / "Jake" |
| TV Movie |
| Episodes: "Noon Wine" / "Triple Play II" |
| TV movie |
| Short feature |
| Episode: "Dead Heat" |
| Also soundtrack |
| Also producer |
| TV movie |
| TV movie |
| Festival event |
| Festival event |
| Direct-to-video |
| TV movie |
| Episode: "Father John" |
| TV miniseries |
| TV movie |
| TV movie |
| TV miniseries |
| TV movie |
| TV movie |
| TV miniseries |
| 3 episodes |
| Episode: "What I Am" |
| Episodes: "Transition" / "From This Day Forward" |
| Episode: "No Clemency for Old Men" |
| Episode: "The D.B. Cooper Job" |
| Episodes: "Maybe Tomorrow" / "Omega Station" |
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