Veteran Hollywood star, Fred Ward, has passed away at 79 years old. He starred in the first two Tremors movie, as well as episodes in Grey's Anatomy and Leverage. He is also known for his roles in The Right Stuff, The Player, Short Cuts, and ...First Do No Harm. His death was confirmed by his publicist, Ron Hoffman.
He leaves behind a wife, and a son.
The Hollywood star acted in tons of movies and tv shows, including a comic book adaptation of 2 Guns with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.
"The unique thing about Fred Ward is that you never knew where he was going to pop up, so unpredictable were his career choices," Hofmann told NPR.
"Or Earl Bass, who, alongside Kevin Bacon, battle giant, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh in 'cult' horror/comedy film, Tremors (1990),"
"Or a terrorist planning to blow up the Academy Awards in The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), or the father of the lead character in Jennifer Lopez's revenge thriller Enough (2002)."
"Impossible to watch Tremors and not instantly fall in love with both Val & Earl. Fred Ward was such a pivotal aspect to the success of those first two movies, and I always held out hope that he'd be back to battle Graboids one more time. It's just not fully Tremors without him." said John Squires.
"RIP Fred Ward. Tremors, The Right Stuff, Short Cuts, Miami Blues... His gruff, down-to-earth tough-guy persona, so many great films, I always adored seeing him in anything."
You and me both.
"THE RIGHT STUFF, TREMORS, SOUTHERN COMFORT, and his Altman collaborations are all gold, but if you’ve never seen MIAMI BLUES, you are missing out on a wonderful time." tweeted another.
“Ward has played many heroes, each with a subtlety that removed them from the cardboard cutout figures that they could have been,” The Chicago Tribune‘s Julia Cameron wrote in 1985.
I couldn't have said it better myself. The movie and television world will be a much sadder place without his contribution.
He also leaves behind his son Django. Our thoughts are with Mr. Ward's family, friends, and fans. He will surely be missed for his good nature and talent.
