Tremors actor Fred Ward has sadly died aged 79, confirmed by his publicist, Ron Hoffmann.
Ward was born 30 December 1942 and gained mainstream recognition playing astronaut Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff filmed in 1974.
Fred Ward was my Jon Bernthal. RIP pic.twitter.com/izJj2KkjlC
— Charlie (@CharlieTweets81) May 13, 2022
He had a long and successful career in the film industry featuring in movies like The Player, Short Cuts, …First Do No Harm, Tremors and TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Leverage.
Rest easy Fred Ward… loved you in Tremors, Remo Williams and many other films #ripfredward pic.twitter.com/BDskV0I5og
— SalamanderGojira (@GojiraOmega) May 13, 2022
His final onscreen role was in True Detective 2 in 2015. Ward’s publicist told NPR:
“The unique thing about Fred Ward is that you never knew where he was going to pop up, so unpredictable were his career choices,”
“He could play such diverse characters as Remo Williams, a cop trained by Chiun, Master of Sinanju (Joel Grey) to become an unstoppable assassin in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, 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 detective in the indie film Two Small Bodies (1993) directed by underground filmmaker Beth B., 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).”
Fred Ward, the beloved character actor from Tremors, The Right Stuff, Miami Blues, Southern Comfort and more, has passed away at age 79. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/WZqBXWMDUN
— Fandango (@Fandango) May 13, 2022
No cause of death has yet been released. Ward is survived by his wife of 27 years Marie-France Ward as well as their son Django.
Our condolences to family, friends and fans. RIP.
