Simon Ward | |
---|---|
Born |
Beckenham, Kent, England, UK |
19 October 1941
Died | 20 July 2012 London, England, U.K. |
(aged 70)
Resting place | Highgate Cemetery, Highgate, London |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1964–2010 |
Spouse(s) | Alexandra Ward (1964 – 2012; his death, 3 daughters) |
Children | Sophie, Claudia and Kitty |
Relatives | Michael McIntyre (son-in-law) |
Simon Anthony Fox Ward (19 October 1941 – 20 July 2012) was an English stage and film actor. He was known for his performance as the young Winston Churchill in the 1972 film Young Winston and for his roles as Sir Monty Everard in Judge John Deed and as Bishop Gardiner in The Tudors.
Simon Ward was born in Beckenham, Kent, the son of Winifred and Leonard Fox Ward, a car dealer. From an early age he wanted to be an actor. He was educated at Alleyn's School, London, the home of the National Youth Theatre, which he joined at age 13 and stayed with for eight years. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he made his professional stage debut with the Northampton Repertory in 1963 and his London theatrical debut one year later in The 4th of June. At RADA he met Alexandra Ward and they were married in 1964. After the Royal Academy, he worked in repertory in Northampton, Birmingham and Oxford and occasionally in London's West End.
His big break in theatre came in 1967 when he played in Joe Orton's Loot, which led to a number of small film and television roles. All of Ward's major film roles were in the 1970s.
Persistent rumours suggest his first film appearance was an uncredited role as one of the sociopathic students in Lindsay Anderson's If.... (1968). Although this has never been verified, his participation in the film is still listed in his IMDb's actor's credits.