GLENN FORD
Information From IMDb
Date of Birth
1 May 1916,
Sainte-Christine, Quebec, Canada
Date of Death
30 August 2006,
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA (complications from multiple strokes)
Birth Name
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford
Trade Mark
Western cowboy roles
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse
Jeanne Baus (5 March 1993 - 1994) (divorced)
Cynthia Hayward (10 September 1977 - 1984) (divorced)
Kathryn Hays (27 March 1966 - June 1969) (divorced)
Eleanor Powell (24 October 1943 - 23 November 1959) (divorced) 1 child
Trivia
Ford was a US Naval Reserve officer who rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.
Glenn appeared in 5 movies with classic leading actress, Rita Hayworth: Affair in Trinidad (1952), The Lady in Question (1940), The Loves of Carmen (1948), The Money Trap (1965) and Gilda (1946).
Parents, with Eleanor Powell, of the actor Peter Ford,
Awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal by the Country of France for his service in World War II. [1992]
Inducted into the Hall of Fame of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. [1978]
Voted the number one box office attraction. [1958]
Often during his career Ford insisted on being shot looking to camera left - he had been kicked in the right side of his jaw by a horse and insisted the left side of his face was his only filmable side.
He is credited with being the fastest "gun" in Hollywood westerns, able to draw and fire in 0.4 seconds, he was faster than James Arness (Matt Dillon of "Gunsmoke" (1955)) and John Wayne.
Related to Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada.
Portrayed the title character on NBC Radio's "The Adventures of Christopher London" (1950).
He is a direct descendant of President Martin Van Buren
Grandfather of Aubrey Newton Ford (b. 1977), Ryan Welsie Ford (b. 1984), and Eleanor Powell Ford (b. 1988), whose parents are Ford's son, Peter Ford (b. 5 February 1945), and wife Lynda Gundersen.
Served in Vietnam as a reserve military officer.
Went on a jungle mission with a Special Forces Team during the Vietnam War.
Retired from acting in 1991 following heart and circulatory problems.
On May 1st, 2006, Glenn had a gala 90th birthday celebration at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. There was a showing of a newly restored print of "Gilda" and his son Peter hosted the event. Over 700 tickets went on sale and were quickly sold out.
Ford had been scheduled to make his first public appearance in fifteen years at a 90th birthday tribute gala in his honor hosted by the American Cinematheque at Grauman's Eqyptian Theatre in Hollywood on 1 May 2006, but he was unable to attend. He had suffered a series of minor strokes since his retirement, and was consequently very frail.
Was half Welsh, his mother was from Pontypridd in south Wales.
Has family roots in the English town of Horwich, near Bolton, Lancashire.
Played Jonathan Kent in the 1978 film Superman. In Superman Returns, a photograph of him as Jonathan Kent can be seen in Clark Kent's old home.
Like his close friend Ronald Reagan, Ford started as a Democrat but gradually switched to becoming a conservative Republican.
After having been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for a year, he joined the Marine Corps during WWII in December of 1942, and subsequently met first wife, tap-dancing extraordinaire Eleanor Powell, at a war-bond cavalcade. They married in 1943.
His first screen test at 20th Century Fox did not turn out well. He was given a second chance by Columbia a year later, however, and was signed.
During his salad days, he worked in a Santa Monica bar as a barkeep for $5 a week.
Despite his excellence and popularity as a star, he was never nominated for an Oscar.
Parents were Newton and Hannah Ford. His father did not block his movie star aspirations but insisted that he learn a trade first. He listened and became an expert on plumbing, wiring and air-conditioning. He also worked as a roofer and installer of plate-glass windows.
Romantically linked over the years with Joan Crawford, Brigitte Bardot, Linda Christian, Hope Lange, Debbie Reynolds, Dinah Shore and Rita Hayworth.
He was a close friend of William Holden.
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).
Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV).
He was replaced by Robert Mitchum in "African Skies" (1991) after being hospitalized with blood clots in his legs.
According to a biography of Sam Peckinpah, Ford was considered for Robert Ryan's role in The Wild Bunch (1969).
In 1967, Naval Reserve Officer Lt. Cmdr. Ford (then aged 50) volunteered to serve for three months as a liaison officer attached to a Marine unit with the rank of Colonel in Vietnam, and on several occasions endured enemy shelling.
Quit smoking cigarettes in 1958.
Ford had intended to play Hondo Lane in Hondo (1953), but backed out when John Farrow was chosen to direct. Ford and Farrow had not got along while making Plunder of the Sun (1953). The part was subsequently played by John Wayne.
Actively campaigned for Adlai Stevenson in the 1956 presidential election, and attended the Democratic National Convention that year.
Took up hang gliding at the age of 64.
Mini Biography
The son of a Canadian railroad executive, his family moved to Santa Monica, California, when he was eight years old. His acting career began with plays at high school, followed by acting in West Coast, a traveling theater company. In 1939 he took a screen test for Columbia Pictures, which won him a contract, although he debuted in 20th-Century-Fox's Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939). His rise to stardom was interrupted by military service during WWII. After the war he jump-started his career with Gilda (1946). His career during the 1940s and 1950s showed that his talents were extensive, playing film noir in The Big Heat (1953), westerns like 3:10 to Yuma (1957) and comedies like The Gazebo (1959) or The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). He has usually been cast as a calm and collected everyday-hero, showing courage under pressure as in Blackboard Jungle (1955).
Ford made his television debut in the controversial Brotherhood of the Bell and appeared in two fondly-remembered television series: Cade's County and The Family Holvak. During the 1980s and 1990s, Ford limited his appearance to documentaries and occasional films, including a nice cameo in Superman (1978). Glenn Ford is remembered fondly by his fans for his more than 100 excellent films and his charismatic silver screen presence.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Mattias Thuresson
Personal Quotes
When I'm on camera, I have to do things pretty much the way I do things in everyday life. It gives the audience someone real to identify with.
People laugh when I say I'm not an actor, but I'm not, I play myself.
The Western is a man's world and I love it.
I've never played anyone but myself on screen.
If they tried to rush me, I'd always say I've only got one other speed, and it's slower.
"Let's never forget that to remain free we must always be strong. That's an important lesson I learned in my Navy career in World War II. National defense must be the top priority for our country. If you are strong, you are safe. Now is the time for every American to be proud. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. If we are not brave, we will not be free." (2004)
"Never give up. Take what life throws at you and throw it right back. If life keeps throwing then you have a tennis match going. Learn to like tennis." (2002)
Ronald Reagan was a true friend and an American Patriot. We are proud of him and his service to the country. We need men like him today.
[In westerns] you don't have to speak English to understand what's going on. I've always said the talking pictures talk too much anyway.
I'm out of place doing sophistication. I'm so uncomfortable in a tuxedo.
When I see films that go on and on with dialogue, I feel like telling the actors, "Be quiet! Let the audience do some of the work!" (from a 1975 interview with Bob Thomas, Canadian Press)
Some actors count their lines as soon as they receive a script. I'm the opposite. I try to see how many lines I can whittle down...You can say just as much in 4 as you can in 14.
Hell, no actor is going to tell Frank Capra how to make a picture. He has forgotten more about movie-making than most directors ever know.
Americans playing Shakespeare are really ridiculous.
Asked how he wished to be remembered: He did his best and he believed in God.
I wish I were up and around, but I'm doing the best that I can. There's so much I have to be grateful for. (1 May 2006)
Filmography
1. Final Verdict (1991) (TV) .... Rev. Rogers
2. Raw Nerve (1991) .... Capt. Gavin
3. Border Shootout (1990) .... Sheriff John Danaher
... aka Law at Randado (USA: alternative title)
4. Casablanca Express (1989) .... Major Gen. Williams
5. My Town (1986) (TV) .... Lucas Wheeler
6. Happy Birthday to Me (1981) .... Dr. David Faraday
7. Fukkatsu no hi (1980) .... President Richardson
... aka Day of Resurrection (USA)
... aka The End (USA: video title)
... aka Virus (USA)
8. The Gift (1979) (TV) .... Billy Devlin
9. Day of the Assassin (1979) .... Christakis
... aka Día de los asesinos, El (Spain)
10. Beggarman, Thief (1979) (TV) .... David Donnelly
11. The Sacketts (1979) (TV) .... Tom Sunday
... aka The Daybreakers (USA: cut version)
12. The Visitor (1979) .... Det. Jake Durham
... aka Stridulum (Italy)
13. Superman (1978) .... Jonathan Kent
... aka Superman: The Movie
14. Evening in Byzantium (1978) (TV) .... Jesse Craig
15. "Police Story" .... Hayes (1 episode, 1978)
- No Margin for Error (1978) TV episode .... Hayes
16. No Margin for Error (1978) (TV)
17. The 3,000 Mile Chase (1977) (TV) .... Paul Dvorak/Leonard Staveck
18. "Once an Eagle" (1976) TV mini-series .... George Caldwell
19. Midway (1976) .... Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance
... aka Battle of Midway (Philippines: English title) (UK)
... aka The Battle of Midway (USA: video title)
20. "The Family Holvak" .... Rev. Tom Holvak (10 episodes, 1975)
- The Wedding (1975) TV episode .... Rev. Tom Holvak
- The Tribute (1975) TV episode .... Rev. Tom Holvak
- The Devil's Chariot (1975) TV episode .... Rev. Tom Holvak
- Willing Heart (1975) TV episode .... Rev. Tom Holvak
- First Love: Part 2 (1975) TV episode .... Rev. Tom Holvak
(5 more)
21. Punch and Jody (1974) (TV) .... Peter 'Punch' Travers
22. The Greatest Gift (1974) (TV) .... Rev. Holvak
23. The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974) (TV) .... Colonel Pete Moore
24. Santee (1973) .... Santee
25. Jarrett (1973) (TV) .... Sam Jarrett
26. "Cade's County" .... Sam Cade (24 episodes, 1971-1972)
- The Witness (1972) TV episode .... Sam Cade
- The Fake (1972) TV episode .... Sam Cade
- Blackout (1972) TV episode .... Sam Cade
- Jessie (1972) TV episode .... Sam Cade
- Ragged Edge (1972) TV episode .... Sam Cade
(19 more)
27. The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970) (TV) .... Prof. Andrew Patterson
28. Heaven with a Gun (1969) .... Jim Killian/Pastor Jim
29. Smith! (1969) .... Smith
30. Day of the Evil Gun (1968) .... Lorn Warfield
31. The Last Challenge (1967) .... Marshal Dan Blaine
... aka The Pistolero of Red River (UK)
32. A Time for Killing (1967) .... Maj. Tom Wolcott
... aka The Long Ride Home (UK)
33. Rage (1966) .... Doc Reuben
... aka Mal, El (Mexico)
34. Paris brûle-t-il? (1966) .... Général Bradley / Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley
... aka Is Paris Burning? (USA)
35. The Money Trap (1965) .... Joe Baron
36. The Rounders (1965) .... Ben Jones
37. Dear Heart (1964) .... Harry Mork
38. Fate Is the Hunter (1964) .... Sam C. McBane
39. Advance to the Rear (1964) .... Capt. Jared Heath
... aka Company of Cowards? (UK)
40. Love Is a Ball (1963) .... John Lathrop Davis
... aka All This and Money Too (UK)
41. The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) .... Tom Corbett
42. "The Dick Powell Show" .... Guest Host (1 episode, 1963)
... aka The Dick Powell Theatre (USA: new title)
- The Rage of Silence (1963) TV episode .... Guest Host
43. Experiment in Terror (1962) .... John 'Rip' Ripley
... aka The Grip of Fear (UK)
44. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) .... Julio Desnoyers
45. Pocketful of Miracles (1961) .... Dave 'the Dude' Conway
46. Cry for Happy (1961) .... CPO Andy Cyphers
47. Cimarron (1960) .... Yancey 'Cimarron' Cravat (editor, 'Oklahoma Wigwam')
... aka Edna Ferber's Cimarron (USA: complete title)
48. The Gazebo (1959) .... Elliott Nash
49. It Started with a Kiss (1959) .... Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick
50. Torpedo Run (1958) .... Lt. Cmdr. Barney Doyle
51. Imitation General (1958) .... MSgt. Murphy Savage
52. The Sheepman (1958) .... Jason Sweet
... aka Stranger with a Gun (USA: new title)
53. Cowboy (1958) .... Tom Reese
54. Don't Go Near the Water (1957) .... Lt. J.G. Max Siegel
55. 3:10 to Yuma (1957) .... Ben Wade
56. The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) .... Capt. Fisby
57. The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) .... George Temple/George Kelby, Jr.
58. Jubal (1956) .... Jubal Troop
59. Ransom! (1956) .... David G. 'Dave' Stannard
... aka Fearful Decision (USA)
60. Trial (1955) .... David Blake
61. Interrupted Melody (1955) .... Dr. Thomas 'Tom'King
62. Blackboard Jungle (1955) .... Richard Dadier
... aka The Blackboard Jungle (USA: review title)
63. The Violent Men (1955) .... John Parrish
... aka Rough Company (UK)
... aka The Bandits (USA)
64. The Americano (1955) .... Sam Dent
65. Human Desire (1954) .... Jeff Warren
66. City Story (1954) .... Narrator
67. Appointment in Honduras (1953) .... Jim Corbett
... aka Jungle Fury (USA)
68. The Big Heat (1953) .... Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion
69. Plunder of the Sun (1953) .... Al Colby
70. The Man from the Alamo (1953) .... John Stroud
71. Time Bomb (1953) .... Maj. Peter Lyncort
... aka Terror on a Train (USA)
72. Affair in Trinidad (1952) .... Steve Emery
73. Young Man with Ideas (1952) .... Maxwell Webster
... aka Young Man in a Hurry (USA)
74. The Green Glove (1952) .... Michael 'Mike' Blake
... aka Gantelet vert, Le (France)
... aka The Gauntlet (USA)
... aka The White Road (USA)
75. The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) .... Jim Canfield
76. Follow the Sun (1951) .... Ben Hogan
77. The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) .... Gil Kyle
78. The Flying Missile (1950) .... Cmdr. William A. Talbot
... aka The Flying Fish (USA)
79. Convicted (1950) .... Joe Hufford
80. The White Tower (1950) .... Martin Ordway
81. The Doctor and the Girl (1949) .... Dr. Michael Corday
82. Mr. Soft Touch (1949) .... Joe Miracle
... aka House of Settlement (UK)
83. Lust for Gold (1949) .... Jacob 'Dutch' Walz
... aka For Those Who Dare (UK: new title)
84. The Undercover Man (1949) .... Frank Warren
85. The Return of October (1948) .... Prof. Bentley 'Bass' Bassett Jr.
... aka A Date with Destiny (UK)
86. The Loves of Carmen (1948) .... Don José
87. The Man from Colorado (1948) .... Col. Owen Devereaux
88. The Mating of Millie (1948) .... Doug Andrews
89. Framed (1947) .... Mike Lambert
... aka Paula (UK)
90. Gallant Journey (1946) .... John J. Montgomery
91. A Stolen Life (1946) .... Bill Emerson
92. Gilda (1946) .... Johnny Farrell / Narrator
93. Destroyer (1943) .... Mickey Donohue
94. The Desperadoes (1943) .... Cheyenne Rogers
95. Flight Lieutenant (1942) .... Danny Doyle
96. The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942) .... Martin Eden
... aka High Seas (USA: reissue title)
97. Go West, Young Lady (1941) .... Sheriff Tex Miller
98. Texas (1941) .... Tod Ramsey
99. So Ends Our Night (1941) .... Ludwig Kern
100. Blondie Plays Cupid (1940) .... Charlie
101. The Lady in Question (1940) .... Pierre Morestan
102. Babies for Sale (1940) .... Steve Burton aka Oscar Hanson
103. Men Without Souls (1940) .... Johnny Adams
104. Convicted Woman (1940) .... Jim Brent (reporter)
105. My Son Is Guilty (1939) .... Barney
... aka Crime's End (UK)
106. Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) .... Joe Riley
107. Night in Manhattan (1937) (as Gwyllyn Ford) .... Emcee
... aka Headliners (USA: series title)
Producer
1. Pocketful of Miracles (1961) (associate producer)
2. "The Faith of Our Children" (1953) TV series (producer)