# RIP Fred Ward **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [May 13, 2022, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365 "2022-05-13T14:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/1 "2022-05-13T14:47:41Z")
> **[Actor Fred Ward dies. He had the right stuff in movies from 'Tremors' to 'The...](https://www.npr.org/2022/05/13/1098760992/actor-fred-ward-dies)** > > Ward died on Sunday at age 79. I really liked him in _The Right Stuff_. Sad to see him go. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/2 "2022-05-13T14:48:40Z")
Blast! Goodbye, Remo… ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/3 "2022-05-13T14:58:04Z")
Dang. I was just watching _Tremors_ last night. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/4 "2022-05-13T15:00:54Z")
Awww. I guess CURE is going to need a new assassin. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/5 "2022-05-13T15:13:03Z")
Ward was an outstanding “Hey, it’s that guy” actor. His son’s name is Django Ward, which I find wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/6 "2022-05-13T15:15:20Z")
‘All right. You can be “Gus”.’ ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/7 "2022-05-13T15:21:01Z")
This is only a half joke but I was hoping Fred Ward and Jon Bernthal would do a father and son movie sometime. I guess that won’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/8 "2022-05-13T16:38:40Z")
I seem to recall Miami Blues being an interesting, weird movie. Tremors, Escape From Alcatraz and The Player are classics, though. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/9 "2022-05-13T16:45:23Z")
_Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins_ was one of the first videos my dad ever rented from the video store. I remember watching it with him. I remember almost nothing about it, I was only like 7 at the time. All I really remember is the running on water part. I need to watch that again sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/10 "2022-05-13T17:20:08Z")
Why did I think he was already dead? Underrated actor, great in _Tremors_ and _Escape from Alcatraz_. _Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins_ was dumb fun that had nothing to do with _The Destroyer_ other than a loose premise and some names but Ward carried it with panache. He was in a bunch of shitty movies (who remembers _Chain Reaction_?; a film that looks like it was assembled from better conspiracy sci-fi thrillers and brought in a name cast with basically an extended cameo by Morgan Freeman to class the joint up) but I don’t think he ever gave an insincere performance. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/11 "2022-05-13T17:30:58Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I seem to recall Miami Blues being an interesting, weird movie. It’s excellent and Ward is excellent in it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/12 "2022-05-13T17:37:17Z")
Not sure I ever saw him in anything but The Right Stuff and Tremors, but he was very memorable in those two. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/13 "2022-05-13T17:55:22Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > _Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins_ was one of the first videos my dad ever rented from the video store. I remember watching it with him. I remember almost nothing about it, I was only like 7 at the time. All I really remember is the running on water part. I need to watch that again sometime. I don’t know that I’d call it a great movie, but it’s light years better than it could have been. It has a certain quirky cleverness to it; one of my guilty pleasures. And _The Right Stuff_ is my favorite movie, ever. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/14 "2022-05-13T17:56:34Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > It’s excellent and Ward is excellent in it. Agreed. I would see it as his best performance where he could play the character naturally instead of fulfilling a stereotypical role. In every performance he was distinctive, reminds me of Bogart, a worldly tough guy. Goodnight Fred, and thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/15 "2022-05-13T18:01:34Z")
Unmentioned thus far: > **[Cast a Deadly Spell (TV Movie 1991) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101550/?ref_=tt_urv)** > > Cast a Deadly Spell: Directed by Martin Campbell. With Fred Ward, David Warner, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown. In a fantastical 40's where magic is used by everyone, a hard-boiled detective investigates the theft of a mystical tome. Entertaining - if not really all that good - detective/Lovecraft pastiche with Mr. Ward well-cast in the lead. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/16 "2022-05-13T18:13:35Z")
It’s been a long time since I saw him in anything. I liked him in _Tremors_ and _Uncommon Valor_. He also had a line that cracked me up in a teen movie called _Secret Admirer_, where he played a police officer with a teenage daughter. When her date comes to her house to pick her up for prom, Ward pats his holstered gun and says " Get her pregnant and I’ll shoot your dick off." Funny what sticks with you after 30+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/17 "2022-05-13T18:17:16Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > Entertaining - if not really all that good - detective/Lovecraft pastiche with Mr. Ward well-cast in the lead. I was a fan of that movie. Ward was really nice in it. When I later started reading the _Dresden Files_ books, they always reminded me of that film. I don’t think I ever disliked Ward in anything, even if he was in something that was bad. And Remo Williams is the first thing I ever think of when I think of him, because I’m pretty sure it was the first thing I saw him star in. (I read the books, and the movie was only tangentially related to them, but I still liked him in the role.) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/18 "2022-05-13T18:20:54Z")
This is the one I came here to mention. Agreed it’s not a good movie, but he’s just right for the part. I wish it had been better done. Needed a better script. I’ve sold a lot of people on _Tremors._ It’s a perfect genre movie. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/19 "2022-05-13T18:42:49Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve sold a lot of people on _Tremors._ It’s a perfect genre movie. I would say that it is _literally_ a perfect horror comedy. There is not a wasted moment or a bad performance, and although Kevin Bacon apparently hated the role and felt that it held him back, I think it is far better remembered today than anything else he did at the time except for maybe _Footloose_, and frankly I’d rather be remembered for a role that was intentionally comedic than one that was just accidentally so. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365/20 "2022-05-13T18:45:13Z")
Yes, you’re either laughing , cringing, or hiding your eyes. We still use the word “graboid.” A lot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-fred-ward/964365.md?page=2)