Hey, look, guys! It's Fred Ward, years before Gus Grissom, Hoke Moseley, Remo Williams and Rocco DIllon, here playing Niccolo di Conti, a Venetian turned Florentine who explains how he faked his conversion to Islam in episode two of Rossellini's 1972's The Age of Medici. Ward's subsequent career would see him oddly toggling between gruff character roles and peculiar attempts at franchise-building (sure, we all remember Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, but who among us can lay claim to first-hand knowledge of Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann?) before settling into the gruff character roles and parodies thereof. Medici was his first film and it's kind of funny just how fey his characterization is (which I hope is reflected in the screen cap above); that's not really a quality too often associated with the fellow and his roles.
I read on the internet that Ward was "discovered" by Rossellini, but alas, Tag Gallagher's in most respects quite thorough biography of R.R. contains no mention of the actor. And so we are left with the mere but tantalizing fact of his appearance in the film, and in Rossellini's subsequent Cartesius. Soon, a Quincy episode would beckon, with the role of "Hostage Taker..."
Boy, I think the last time I heard a mention of "Timerider" was when I actually saw it on VHS all those many years ago. Always loved Ward...thought he would have made (and probably could still make) a great Philip Marlowe based on his performance in "Cast a Deadly Spell" (obscure Fred Ward reference back in your court, sir).
Strange that a Fred Ward reference would get me to comment on this site but, since it has, allow me a brief moment to say that's a it's a pleasure reading your posts and articles here and elsewhere.
Posted by: chris v. | May 26, 2009 at 04:48 PM
I saw Timerider back in the day. Don't remember much about it, except that I enjoyed Ward in it, as I usually do in most of his roles.
But he's the bee's knees as Grissom and as Henry Miller, both of which were performances directed by the gloriously underrated Philip Kaufman.
P.S. Cast a Deadly Spell is pretty great also.
Posted by: Tony Dayoub | May 26, 2009 at 05:27 PM
I saw "Timerider" in a theater. Which proves I really did see every movie released back then. As I recall, ex-Monkee Mike Nesmith produced it. Along with the other votes for "Cast a Deadly Spell," I'm also a shameless fan of the first two "Tremors" movies.
Posted by: wwolfe | May 26, 2009 at 07:01 PM
He was good as the angry dad in Road Trip. In a just world, he would be raking in heaps of cash as a terrifying-to-teenaged-boys but lovable single dad on ABC.
Henry and the Girls: Tuesdays at 9/8c!
Posted by: Rasselas | May 26, 2009 at 07:18 PM
Hey, speaking of character actors, am I on crack or did The House Next Door just post a review of The Girlfriend Experience by one Lauren Wissot, of Internet Pissing Match With Glenn Kenny fame? WTF?
Posted by: DUH | May 26, 2009 at 08:39 PM
Um, thanks for pointing that out, DUH. I've already violated Fussell's law by dropping a bit of snark over at "House." It's funny—at any old-school media publication, Wissot, what with her obvious axe to grind, would be enjoined from writing about the film at all. And yet, in this bold new media environment, she's been permitted to slag it in two outlets. Although in each one she's never mentioned your Humble Correspondent or his contribution to the film. Which makes me wonder—was she forbidden to bring it up by her editors, or does she just not want to get into a tangle with me again? ("Go ahead, I know you're dying to," one is tempted to coax.) I flatter myself by imagining the latter. But either way, it's bullshit. And either way, it's 100% Wissot. Quite droll, in its way.
Posted by: Glenn Kenny | May 26, 2009 at 09:25 PM
Fred Ward's career is proof to me that I've somehow slipped/slid into a parallel universe.
Where I'm from Fred Ward is a star - with several successful franchises to his name - and is regularly featured on the covers of supermarket magazines and interviewed on popular daytime shows.
It saddens me that this is not the case here in your world.
Posted by: Jett Loe | May 27, 2009 at 08:22 AM
How very strange. I've long been a fan of Fred Ward, although he's the kind of guy who, if he's miscast, you really feel it. But in the right role, he's really pretty wonderful.
Posted by: bill | May 27, 2009 at 08:56 AM
Fred is especially good in the wonderful Miami Blues, playing Hoke Moseley. He looks like his name should be Hoke Moseley. Somewhere Pauline rightly refers to him as "the great Fred Ward."
Posted by: Herman Scobie | May 27, 2009 at 02:11 PM
Fred Ward is always great. I love the way he eats up Henry Miller in HENRY AND JUNE. And let us not forget TREMORS. Ever.
Posted by: Christian | May 27, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Fred Ward IS Remo Williams. I loved that movie when I was a kid.
The book series was re-released in paperback a couple of years ago.
Hollywood needs to get all over the remake on that right now.
And I never understood why Cast a Deadly Spell isn't given more attention (like, say, a DVD release). It's a pretty clever fusion of Lovercraft and noir, and an early HBO movie at that.
Posted by: Brandon | May 27, 2009 at 03:31 PM
Glad to discover a cluster of Fred Ward enthusiasts. Will wager most of them have never seen his wonderful lead in the second of the two great "Noon Wine" TV adaptations (Peckinpah's, with Jason Robards in the same role, is one I've waited 40 years to watch again). Ward's 1986 version, with Pat Hingle and the wonderful Lise Hilboldt, at least reached video status, and is wholly worth tracking-down.
Posted by: jwarthen | May 27, 2009 at 03:47 PM
And Joel Gray's performance in REMO WILLIAMS is fantastic, his best work since CABERET.
Posted by: Christian | May 27, 2009 at 07:05 PM
Wow, I never knew Ward worked with Rossellini. I guess if I had, I wouldn't have found it so odd to see him in the 16th century Venice of DANGEROUS BEAUTY.
Posted by: jbryant | May 28, 2009 at 03:00 AM
Fred Ward is pretty great -- I mean, just rattling off THE RIGHT STUFF, HENRY & JUNE, TREMORS, MIAMI BLUES, SOUTHERN COMFORT, THE PLAYER, SHORT CUTS...he's had a number of excellent roles, and proven himself a reliable tough guy character actor. As for his early Italian film roles, I interviewed Ward a few years ago and he had a chuckle about it -- for a while, those were the only roles he could get. Odd but true. And in the F.W. would-be franchise dept, REMO WILLIAMS is the bomb, but TIMERIDER is borderline unwatchable. - Jeremiah
Posted by: Jeremiah Kipp | May 29, 2009 at 01:06 AM
Hi great blog I enjoy reading this article thanks
I never knew Ward worked with Rossellini. I guess if I had, I wouldn't have found it so odd to see him in the 16th century Venice of DANGEROUS BEAUTY.
thanks
Posted by: Buy Cheap Viagra | November 10, 2009 at 05:07 PM
hey hello excellent post about Remo Williams: The Adventure Is Weird, this blog is very interesting
Posted by: buy viagra | January 12, 2010 at 05:29 PM
that's not really a quality too often associated with the fellow and his roles.
Posted by: buy generic viagra | January 22, 2010 at 03:49 PM
Odd but true. And in the F.W. would-be franchise dept, REMO WILLIAMS is the bomb, but TIMERIDER is borderline unwatchable. - Jeremiah
Posted by: buy generic viagra | February 02, 2010 at 12:47 PM
But in the right role, he's really pretty wonderful.
Posted by: buy penegra online | February 22, 2010 at 04:27 PM