What Was Fred Ward's Net Worth?
Fred Ward was an American actor who had a net worth of $3 million at the time of his death in 2022. Fred Ward was probably best known for starring in movies like "The Right Stuff," "Escape from Alcatraz," and the "Tremors" franchise.
After three years in the Air Force, Ward began a career in boxing and then worked as a lumberjack. He began his professional acting career in the early '70s in Italy. He began studying acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Rome and then went on to steady work dubbing Italian films into English. He then played supporting roles in two films by Roberto Rossellini.
Fred made his American film debut in "Hearts of the West" in 1975. From there, he went on to a steady career in both film and television projects, including "Escape from Alcatraz," "The Incredible Hulk," "Silkwood," "The Right Stuff," "Big Business," "Off Limits," "Henry & June," "Tremors," and its sequels, "Thunderheart," "Dangerous Beauty," "Enough," "Grey's Anatomy," "The United States of Tara," and "2 Guns."
Fred Ward died on May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.
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Early Life
Fred Ward was born Freddie Joe Ward on May 8, 1942, in San Diego, California. He is part Cherokee Native American. He had a tumultuous childhood in large part due to his father, an alcoholic who was in and out of prison. His mother decided to leave his father when Ward was three years old, and he was raised by his grandmother for a period of time. His mother reentered his life once she had become more stable and remarried a carnival worker.
After finishing high school, Ward spent three years in the United States Air Force. He was also a boxer for a period of time and had a number of other jobs, including working as a lumberjack in Alaska, a janitor, and a short-order cook.
Career
After serving his time in the Air Force, Ward began studying acting at New York's Herbert Berghof Studio. He also studied at the studio during the time he spent in Rome during his 20s. While in Italy, he worked as a mime, dubbed Italian movies into English, and appeared in films by neorealist director Roberto Rossellini.
Ward returned to the United States in the early 1970s. He worked in experimental theatre and also did some television work. Fred made his first appearance in an American film playing a cowboy in "Hearts of the West" in 1975. His first major role came in the Clint Eastwood vehicle "Escape from Alcatraz" in 1979, in which he played an escapee named John Anglin.
In 1981, he was cast as a violent National Guardsman in Walter Hill's "Southern Comfort." His first starring role in a film came the year afterward when he was cast in "Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann" in 1982. He then was cast in "The Right Stuff," playing astronaut Gus Grissom in 1983. The same year, he also appeared in the action movie "Uncommon Valor" with Gene Hackman and in the drama "Silkwood."
In 1984, Fred co-starred in "Swing Shift" and then appeared in "Secret Admirer" in 1985. His next major role came when he was cast as the title character in the action movie "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," which was directed by Guy Hamilton. The film was supposed to be the first of a series based on "The Destroyer" series of novels. However, despite being well-promoted, the film only grossed around $15 million. Ward then appeared in a few low-budget productions over the next few years until returning to more major productions like "Off Limits" in 1988. He also appeared in "Big Business" and "The Prince of Pennsylvania."
In 1990, Ward starred in the monster movie "Tremors." He also appeared in "Henry & June" with Uma Thurman and in "Miami Blues" with Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The same year, he was also cast in Dennis Hopper's film "Catchfire." In 1991, he played H.P. Lovecraft in the HBO film "Cast a Deadly Spell." Fred also starred in the thriller "Thunderheart," the Hollywood satire "The Player," the mystery-drama "Equinox" and the Western comedy "Four Eyes and Six Guns." For the latter production, he won a Cable ACE Award. Other films he appeared in throughout the 1990s include roles in "Short Cuts," "Naked Gun 33+1/3: The Final Insult," "The Blue Villa," "Tremors II: Aftershocks," "Chain Reaction," "Best Men," "…First Do No Harm," and "Dangerous Beauty."
Ward's career continued to flourish in the 2000s. He starred in the action-thriller "The Chaos Factor" and also appeared in the gangster movie "Circus," the teen movie "Road Trip," and the horror film "The Crow: Salvation." In 2001, he was nominated for a Video Premiere Award as the best male actor in "Full Disclosure." Fred also co-starred in "Joe Dirt," "Summer Catch," "Wild Iris," "Dice," and "Corky Romano." In 2002, he appeared in "Sweet Home Alabama," "Enough," and "Abandon."
Ward took a short break from acting in the mid-2000s and then returned as a guest in the television series "Grey's Anatomy" and then in "ER." He also appeared in "Feast of Love," "Exit Speed," "The Wild Stallion," "Management," and "Armored." In 2009, he starred as Ronald Reagan in the French political thriller "L'affaire Farewell." He also had roles over the next few years in "United States of Tara," "In Plain Sight," "Leverage," and "2 Guns."
Personal Life and Death
Ward was first married to Carla Evonne Stewart in 1965. They divorced a year later in 1966. He then married a woman named Silvia, though that marriage also ended in divorce. Fred married his third wife, Marie-France Boisselle, in 1995. She filed for divorce in August 2013. However, they reconciled later that year. They remained married until Ward's death on May 8, 2022, at the age of 79. His family did not give any information pertaining to his death.
