Reports are coming in that beloved character actor Fred Ward has sadly passed away at the age of 79. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Ward will probably be best-known to horror movie fans for his excellent turn as Earl Bassett in Tremors, a role he would reprise for the inferior, but still highly watchable sequel, Aftershocks. Other notable parts include Det. Harry Philip Lovecraft in 1991’s underrated Cast a Deadly Spell, the title character in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, and the ruthless Corporal Lonnie Reece in Southern Comfort.
His final screen appearance was in HBO's True Detective in 2015.
“The unique thing about Fred Ward is that you never knew where he was going to pop up, so unpredictable were his career choices,” publicist Ron Hofmann said in a statement via NPR. “He could play such diverse characters as Remo Williams, a cop trained by Chiun, Master of Sinanju (Joel Grey) to become an unstoppable assassin in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, or Earl Bass, who, alongside Kevin Bacon, battle giant, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh in ‘cult’ horror/comedy film, Tremors (1990)."
Ward was indeed a highly versatile performer, and elevated every project he was involved with. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward, and his son Django.
Our thoughts go out to Fred's friends and family.