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Michael Ward (actor)
Encyclopedia
Michael Ward was an English
character actor who appeared in nearly eighty films between 1947 and 1978.
in Cornwall
and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama
. Ward won his is first film role in 1947, playing Mr Trafford in Alexander Korda
's An Ideal Husband.
As well as five Carry On films, Ward also appeared in four Norman Wisdom
movies and six made by the Boulting Brothers.
In the early 1960s television started to take over Ward's career, and until his retirement in 1978 he appeared in (amongst many others) The Jack Benny Program
, The Avengers
, The Morecambe and Wise Show, Dixon of Dock Green
, The Two Ronnies
, Armchair Theatre
, Rising Damp
and Sykes
.
After making what would be his last ever screen outing in 1978
's Revenge of the Pink Panther
, Ward suffered a stroke which forced him to retire. He finally died on 8 November 1997 at St Mary's Hospital in London. He was eighty-eight.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
character actor who appeared in nearly eighty films between 1947 and 1978.
Early life
Christened George William Everard Yoe Ward, he was born in CarnmenellisCarnmenellis
Carnmenellis Hill gives its name to the area of west Cornwall between Redruth, Helston and Penryn. The hill itself is situated approximately three miles south of Redruth....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
. Ward won his is first film role in 1947, playing Mr Trafford in Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
's An Ideal Husband.
Career
In between the years 1947 and 1960 Michael appeared in no fewer than 30 films, making him one of the UK's busiest and most recognisable character actors.As well as five Carry On films, Ward also appeared in four Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
movies and six made by the Boulting Brothers.
In the early 1960s television started to take over Ward's career, and until his retirement in 1978 he appeared in (amongst many others) The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
, The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, The Morecambe and Wise Show, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
, Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
, Rising Damp
Rising Damp
Rising Damp is a television sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV, first broadcast from 1974 to 1978. It was adapted for television by Eric Chappell from his well-received 1971 stage play, The Banana Box The series was the highest-ranking ITV sitcom on the 100 Best Sitcoms poll run in...
and Sykes
Sykes
Sykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Eric Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in Sykes and A... and Sykes and a Big, Big Show ....
.
After making what would be his last ever screen outing in 1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
's Revenge of the Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
, Ward suffered a stroke which forced him to retire. He finally died on 8 November 1997 at St Mary's Hospital in London. He was eighty-eight.
Selected films
- An Ideal HusbandAn Ideal Husband (1947 film)An Ideal Husband, also known as Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, is a 1947 film adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde. It was made by London Film Productions and distributed by British Lion Films and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation . It was produced and directed by Alexander Korda from a...
(1947) - Sleeping Car to TriesteSleeping Car to TriesteSleeping Car to Trieste is a 1948 is a British film directed by John Paddy Carstairs. The film is a remake of the 1932 film Rome Express, with essentially the same characters and many of the same actors.-Plot:...
(1948) - High Jinks in SocietyHigh Jinks in SocietyHigh Jinks in Society is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John Guillermin and Robert Jordan Hill and starring Ben Wrigley, Barbara Shaw, Basil Appleby, Peter Gawthorne and Moore Marriott...
(1949) - Chelsea StoryChelsea StoryChelsea Story is a 1951 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Henry Mollison, Sydney Tafler and Ingeborg von Kusserow.-Selected cast:* Henry Mollison - Mike Harvey* Sydney Tafler - Fletcher Gilchrist...
(1951) - Blind Man's BluffBlind Man's Bluff (1952 film)Blind Man's Bluff is a 1952 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Zena Marshall, Sydney Tafler and Anthony Pendrell.-Cast:* Zena Marshall - Christine Stevens* Sydney Tafler - Rikki Martin* Anthony Pendrell - Roger Morley...
(1952) - The Happy FamilyThe Happy Family (1952 film)The Happy Family is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Stanley Holloway, Kathleen Harrison and Naunton Wayne. The plot of the film centres on resistance by a family to the disruption caused by the construction of the Festival of Britain. It is also known by the...
(1952) - Song of ParisSong of ParisSong of Paris is a 1952 British comedy film directed by John Guillermin and starring Dennis Price, Anne Vernon and Hermione Baddeley. It is also known as Bachelor in Paris.-Cast:* Dennis Price as Matthew Ibbetson* Anne Vernon as Clementine...
(1952) - Whispering Smith Hits LondonWhispering Smith Hits LondonWhispering Smith Hits London is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Francis Searle and starring Richard Carlson, Greta Gynt and Herbert Lom. An American detective is summoned to London to investigate a death in suspicous circumstances.-Cast:...
(1952) - The Tall HeadlinesThe Tall HeadlinesThe Tall Headlines is a 1952 British film directed by Terence Young and starring André Morell, Flora Robson, Peter Burton, Sid James and Dennis Price.-Cast:* André Morell - George Rackham* Flora Robson - Mary Rackham* Michael Denison - Phillip Rackham...
(1952) - Trouble in StoreTrouble in StoreTrouble in Store is a 1953 British comedy film starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his screen debut. For his performance, Wisdom won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. The film broke box office records at 51 out of the 67 London cinemas in which it played...
(1953) - Man of the MomentMan of the Moment (1955 film)Man of the Moment is a 1955 comedy film starring Norman Wisdom, Belinda Lee, Lana Morris and Jerry Desmonde.-Cast:* Norman Wisdom as Norman* Lana Morris as Penny* Belinda Lee as Sonia* Jerry Desmonde as Jackson* Karel Stepanek as Lom...
(1955) - Private's ProgressPrivate's ProgressPrivate's Progress is a 1956 British comedy film based on the novel by Alan Hackney. It was directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, from a script by John Boulting and Frank Harvey.-Plot:...
(1956) - Up in the WorldUp in the WorldUp in the World is a 1956 comedy film starring Norman Wisdom, Maureen Swanson and Jerry Desmonde, directed by John Paddy Carstairs and made by Rank.-Cast:* Norman Wisdom as Norman* Maureen Swanson as Jeannie Andrews* Jerry Desmonde as Major Willoughby...
(1956) - Brothers in LawBrothers in Law (film)Brothers in Law is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough, Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams...
(1957) - Just My LuckJust My Luck (1957 film)Just My Luck is a 1957 British sports comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a worker in a jewellery shop.- Plot :...
(1957) - Carlton-Browne of the F.O.Carlton-Browne of the F.O.Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a 1959 British comedy film made by the Boulting Brothers.-Plot:...
(1959) - The Ugly DucklingThe Ugly Duckling (film)The Ugly Duckling is a 1959 British comedy film, directed by Lance Comfort for Hammer Film Productions and starring Bernard Bresslaw, Jon Pertwee and Reginald Beckwith. The film is a comic adaptation of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
(1959) - I'm All Right JackI'm All Right JackI'm All Right Jack is a 1959 British comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting from a script by Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney, based on the novel Private Life by Hackney...
(1959) - Follow a StarFollow a StarFollow a Star is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom.-Plot:The story is rather similar to the ending of Singin' in the Rain, where a singer fraudulently "borrows" the voice of Norman Wisdom's character....
(1959) - The Rough and the SmoothThe Rough and the SmoothThe Rough and the Smooth is a 1959 British drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Edward Chapman. An archaeologist has an affair with a German woman putting his engagement to another woman in jeopardy...
(1959) - Doctor in LoveDoctor in LoveDoctor in Love is a 1960 British comedy film — part of the Doctor in the House series, starring James Robertson Justice as Sir Lancelot Spratt and Michael Craig as Dr Richard Hare...
(1960) - Mary Had a Little...Mary Had a Little...Mary Had a Little... is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Agnès Laurent, Hazel Court and Jack Watling. It takes its title from the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, and is sometimes credited as Britain's first sex comedy....
(1961) - Carry On RegardlessCarry On RegardlessCarry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of Carry On films to be made. It was released in 1961. By now a fairly regular team was established with Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams all having appeared in previous entries. Hattie Jacques - who was...
(1961) - Carry On CabbyCarry On CabbyCarry On Cabby is the seventh Carry On film. Released in 1963, it was the first one written by series mainstay Talbot Rothwell from a story by Sid Green and Dick Hills...
(1963) - Father Came Too!Father Came Too!Father Came Too! is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott. It is a sequel to The Fast Lady.-Plot:Dexter and Juliet Munro are a married couple who move to a run-down cottage in hopes of escaping from Juliet's overbearing father. However, the couple are soon confronted by their...
(1963) - Carry On CleoCarry On CleoCarry On Cleo is the tenth film in the Carry On film series and was released in 1964. The website ICONS.a portrait of England cites the Carry On films as iconic of British cinema, and describes Carry On Cleo as "perhaps the best". Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles...
(1964) - The Big JobThe Big Job (film)The Big Job is a British comedy film that was first released in 1965. It stars Sid James, Dick Emery, Joan Sims, Sylvia Syms, Jim Dale and Lance Percival....
(1965) - Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
- Carry On ScreamingCarry On ScreamingCarry On Screaming! is the twelfth Carry On film and was released in 1966. It was the last of the series to be distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated before the series moved to The Rank Organisation. It was originally rated in the UK as an 'A' , it is currently rated 'PG'...
(1966) - Man About the HouseMan About the HouseMan About the House is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett that was broadcast for six seasons on ITV from 1973 to 1976. It was created and written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The series was considered daring at the time due to its subject matter of...
(1974) - Frankenstein and the Monster from HellFrankenstein and the Monster from HellFrankenstein and the Monster From Hell is a 1974 British horror film from Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, and David Prowse...
(1974) - Revenge of the Pink PantherRevenge of the Pink PantherRevenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
(1978)