Actor Fred Ward, known for starring in films such as The Right Stuff (1983) and Tremors (1990), has died at the age of 79. His is the latest in a series of sad losses of silver-screen stars (e.g., Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried). The actor’s death was confirmed by his publicist Ron Hoffman. Ward passed away on Sunday, May 8, from undisclosed causes. According to CNN, Ward’s acting career started in the 1970s after serving three years in the U.S. Air Force. He also worked as a boxer, a short-order cook, and a lumberjack before landing his first major role in Clint Eastwood’s Escape from Alcatraz (1979). Ward went on to star as real-life Mercury 7 astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom in The Right Stuff, chain-smoking alcoholic author Henry Miller in Henry & June (1990) and had many other roles in TV and film.
Fred Ward’s Publicist Remembers the Actor
Hoffman honored Ward in an email to NPR, which read:
Along with his acting and all the other jobs he did prior, Fred Ward was also a visual artist. He spent much of his later year’s painting.
Actor Fred Ward is survived by his wife Marie-France Ward and his son Django Ward.
