Early life

Ward was born Freddie Joe Ward in San Diego, California. He is of part Cherokee descent. Before acting, Ward spent three years in the United States Air Force. He was also a boxer (breaking his nose three times) and worked as a lumberjack in Alaska, janitor, and short-order cook. He studied acting at New York's Herbert Berghof Studio after serving in the U.S. Air Force. While living in Rome, he dubbed Italian films into English and appeared in films by neorealist director Roberto Rossellini.

Career

'70s and '80s

Ward became an actor after studying at Herbert Berghof Studio and in Rome. While in Italy, he dubbed Italian movies and worked as a mime until he made his debut in two Roberto Rossellini films. Upon returning stateside in the early 1970s, Ward spent time working in experimental theatre and doing some television work. He made his first American film appearance playing a cowboy in Hearts of the West (1975). His first major role came in the Clint Eastwood vehicle Escape from Alcatraz (1979) as fellow escapee John Anglin. He was also notable as a violent National Guardsman in Walter Hill's Southern Comfort (1981).

His first starring role in a motion picture was Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982). He then starred as astronaut Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff, in the action movie Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman and in the drama Silkwood (all 1983).

Remo Williams

After co-starring roles in Swing Shift (1984) and Secret Admirer (1985) he played the title hero in the action movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, which was directed by ex-James Bond-director 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, with Ward appearing on the cover of several movie magazines, it only grossed $15,000,000. He confirmed that he did most of the dangerous stunts by himself.

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 in The Prince of Pennsylvania.

1990s

In 1990 he starred as Earl Bassett in the cult classic monster movie Tremors (with Kevin Bacon), as the American erotic writer Henry Miller in Henry & June (with Uma Thurman) and as cop Hoke Moseley, whose gun, badge and dentures are stolen, in Ward's own-produced motion picture Miami Blues (with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh).

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 in Bob Roberts, starring Tim Robbins.

Notable 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 Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994), the sailor in the French-avant-garde-drama The Blue Villa (1995), plus his reprised role in Tremors II: Aftershocks 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).

2000s

In the new millennium Ward was seen in many motion pictures, but also in productions made for TV and video. In 2000 he starred in the action-thriller The Chaos Factor and co-starred in the gangster-movie Circus, the teen-movie Road Trip and as the Captain in the horror-sequel The Crow: Salvation.

In 2001 he was nominated for Video Premiere Award as the best male 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 he co-starred 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. So, 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 then starred in the ensemble drama Feast of Love, in the brutal action-filled thriller Exit Speed, Management with Jennifer Aniston, The Wild Stallion and as the boss Ashcroft in Armored.

He 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.

Personal life

Ward lives in Venice, California. He married Silvia Ward and had a son, Django Ward. After they divorced, he married Marie-France Boisselle in 1995 and she filed for divorce in August, 2013, but they reconciled later that year.

Awards

• 1993: Special Volpi Cup - Short Cuts
• 1993: Golden Globe Award - Short Cuts
• 1994: CableACE Award - Four Eyes and Six Guns (nominated)
• 2001: Video Premiere Award - Full Disclosure (nominated)

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1973	The Age of the Medici (L'età di Cosimo de Medici)	Niccolò de' Conti	Episode: “Il potere di Cosimo”
1974	Cartesius	N/A	TV movie
	Ginger in the Morning	Truck Driver
1975	Hearts of the West	Sam	Uncredited
1978	Tilt	Lenny
	Quincy, M.E.	Hostage Taker	Episode: “Even Odds” (uncredited)
1979	Escape from Alcatraz	John Anglin
	The Incredible Hulk	Lynch’s Henchman / Marvin	Episodes: “The Disciple” / “Jake”
1980	Carny	Jack
	Cardiac Arrest	Jamie
	Belle Starr	Ned Christie	TV Movie
1981	Southern Comfort	Reece
1982	Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann	Lyle Swann
1983	Silkwood	Morgan
	Uncommon Valor	Wilkes
	The Right Stuff	Gus Grissom
1984	Swing Shift	Archibald “Biscuits” Toue
1985	Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins	Remo Williams
	American Playhouse	Royal Earle Thompson / Mr. Crouch	Episodes: “Noon Wine” / “Triple Play II”
	Secret Admirer	Lou Fimple
	UFOria	Sheldon Bart
1986	Florida Straits	Lucky Boone	TV movie
1987	The Price of Life	Crouch	Short feature
	The Hitchhiker	Luther Redmond	Episode: “Dead Heat”
1988	Catchfire	Pauling
	The Prince of Pennsylvania	Gary Marshetta
	Big Business	Roone Dimmick
	Off Limits	Dix
1990	Henry & June	Henry Miller	Also soundtrack
	Miami Blues	Sgt. Hoke Moseley	Also producer
	Tremors	Earl Bassett
1991	Cast a Deadly Spell	Det. Harry Philip Lovecraft	TV movie
	The Dark Wind	Joe Leaphorn
1992	Four Eyes and Six-Guns	Wyatt Earp	TV movie
	The Player	Walter Stuckel
	Equinox	Mr. Paris
	Thunderheart	Jack Milton
	Bob Roberts	Chip Daley
1993	Short Cuts	Stuart Kane
	Two Small Bodies	Lt. Brann	Festival event
1994	Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult	Rocco
1995	The Blue Villa (Un bruit qui rend fou)	Frank	Festival event
1996	Chain Reaction	FBI Agent Leon Ford
	Tremors 2: Aftershocks	Earl Bassett	Direct-to-video
1997	...First Do No Harm	Dave Reimuller	TV movie
	Best Men	Sheriff Phillips
	Gun	John Farragut	Episode: “Father John”
1998	The Vivero Letter	Andrew Fallon
	Invasion: Earth	Maj. Gen. David Reece	TV miniseries
	Dangerous Beauty	Domenico Venier
1999	The Crimson Code	Randall Brooks
2000	The Crow: Salvation	The Captain
	Ropewalk	Charlie’s Dad
	The Chaos Factor	Max Camden
	Circus	Elmo Somerset
	Road Trip	Earl Edwards
	Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis	John “Black Jack” Bouvier III	TV movie
2001	Summer Catch	Sean Dunne
	Corky Romano	Leo Corrigan
	Joe Dirt	Joe’s Dad
	Full Disclosure	John McWhirter
	Wild Iris	Errol Podubney	TV movie
	Dice	Gacy / Noah Aldis	TV miniseries
2002	Enough	Jupiter
	Sweet Home Alabama	Earl Smooter
	Birdseye	Nolan Sharpless
	Abandon	Lieutenant Bill Stayton
2003	Masked and Anonymous	Drunk
2004	The Last Ride	Darryl Kurtz	TV movie
	10.5	Roy Nolan, FEMA Director	TV miniseries
	Coast to Coast	Hal Kressler	TV movie
2006	ER	Eddie Wyczenski	3 episodes
	Grey's Anatomy	Denny Duquette, Sr.	Episode: “What I Am”
2007	Feast of Love	Bat
2008	Management	Jerry
	Exit Speed	Sergeant Archie Sparks
2009	Armored	Ashcroft
	Farewell (L'affaire Farewell)	Ronald Reagan
	The Wild Stallion	Frank Mills
	United States of Tara	Frank	Episodes: “Transition” / “From This Day Forward”
2010	In Plain Sight	Frank Jergens / Frank Jerome	Episode: “No Clemency for Old Men”
2011	30 Minutes or Less	The Major
2012	Leverage	Steve Reynolds	Episode: “The D.B. Cooper Job”
2013	2 Guns	Admiral Tuwey
2015	True Detective	Eddie Velcoro	Episodes: “Maybe Tomorrow” / “Omega Station”

[ Source: Wikipedia ]