Simon Anthony Fox Ward

Background

Simon Anthony Fox Ward was born on October 19, 1941, in Beckenham, Kent, to Winifred and Leonard Fox Ward. His father was a car dealer. Ward wanted to become an actor from an early age and entered youth theatre while still a teenager.

He joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13 and remained associated with it for eight years. The organization, founded in London in 1956, provided intensive theatrical experience for young performers and became an important training ground for several generations of British actors.

Education

Ward was educated at Alleyn's School in London, an independent school whose campus was associated with the National Youth Theatre during his youth. He subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of Britain's leading drama schools, established in 1904 to provide professional training in acting and theatre craft.

His education led into repertory theatre, where actors commonly developed their careers by performing varied roles in regional companies before moving into London's West End and screen work. Ward's early professional experience followed this path through Northampton, Birmingham, Oxford, and London.

Career

Ward made his professional stage debut with Northampton Repertory in 1963 and made his London theatrical debut in The 4th of June at the St Martin's Theatre in 1964. He worked in repertory at Birmingham and Oxford before appearing in a succession of London and regional productions, including The Seagull, The Alchemist, Phedre, The Unknown Soldier and His Wife, The Tempest, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Sea Gull.

His major theatrical breakthrough came in 1967 when he played Dennis in Joe Orton's Loot. The success of the production helped lead to wider film and television opportunities. His early screen work included Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and I Start Counting, followed by the title role in Young Winston, Richard Attenborough's 1972 film about the early life of Winston Churchill. The performance brought Ward national and international recognition.

During the 1970s he appeared as the Duke of Buckingham in The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, as Lieutenant Crawford in Aces High, and as Lieutenant William Vereker in Zulu Dawn. Other screen roles included Hitler: The Last Ten Days, Deadly Strangers, Holocaust 2000, and Supergirl. He also worked in television, including The Black Tulip, The Roads to Freedom, Holocaust, and other drama productions.

Ward continued to make theatre a central part of his career. His later stage work included Ross at the Old Vic in 1986, A Meeting by the River on Broadway in 1979, and Cell Mates in 1995, when he took over the role of George Blake after Stephen Fry left the production. He toured nationally in The Madness of George III in 2010 and was associated with productions including An Ideal Husband, Don't Dress for Dinner, Heartbreak House, Dial M for Murder, Paris Match, Henceforward, and Rumours.

In 1987 Ward suffered a serious head injury in an unresolved street attack in north London and underwent brain surgery. He later returned to acting. His later screen appearances included Sir Monty Everard in the BBC legal drama Judge John Deed from 2001 to 2007 and Bishop Stephen Gardiner in The Tudors from 2007 to 2010. His final years included continued stage work, although illness caused him to withdraw from a planned 2011 West End production of Pygmalion. He died in London on July 20, 2012, after a long illness.

Achievements

• Ward's portrayal of the young Winston Churchill in Young Winston brought him international prominence and became the defining screen performance of his career.

• He maintained a substantial stage career across British repertory theatre, the West End, Broadway, and national touring productions while also working extensively in film and television.

Works

• movie

  • Young Winston

    (Richard Attenborough's biographical film about Winston Ch...)

    1972

  • The Four Musketeers

    (Sequel to The Three Musketeers, again featuring Ward as t...)

    1974

  • The Three Musketeers

    (Richard Lester adventure film in which Ward played the Du...)

    1973
  • Zulu Dawn

    (Historical war film in which Ward played Lieutenant Willi...)

    1979

  • Wuthering Heights

    (Film adaptation featuring Ward alongside his daughter Sop...)

    1992
  • Aces High

    (First World War film in which Ward played Lieutenant Craw...)

    1976
  • Holocaust 2000

    (Science-fiction thriller in which Ward played Angel Caine.)

    1977

  • I Start Counting

    (Feature film in which Ward appeared as the conductor.)

    1969
  • Hitler: The Last Ten Days

    (War drama in which Ward played Hauptmann Hoffmann.)

    1973
  • Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

    (Feature film in which Ward played Karl Holst.)

    1969
  • Deadly Strangers

    (Thriller in which Ward played Stephen Slade.)

    1975

  • Supergirl

    (Superhero film in which Ward played Zor-El.)

    1984

• play

  • Cell Mates

    (Simon Gray play in which Ward took over the role of Georg...)

    1995

  • The Madness of George III

    (Alan Bennett play in which Ward appeared in the title rol...)

    2010

  • Ross

    (Terence Rattigan's play about T. E. Lawrence, revived at ...)

    1986

• television film

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    (Television film adaptation in which Ward played the veter...)

    1975
  • The Four Feathers

    (Television adaptation in which Ward played William Trench.)

    1978

• TV series

  • The Tudors

    (Historical television series in which Ward played Bishop ...)

    2007
  • Judge John Deed

    (BBC legal drama in which Ward played Sir Monty Everard fr...)

    2001

Membership

Ward joined the National Youth Theatre in 1956 at the age of 13 and remained associated with it for eight years. The organization was created to give young people professional theatrical training and performance experience, and it became a significant institution in British theatre.

• Participated as a young actor and member.

  National Youth Theatre , United Kingdom

  1956 - 1964

Personality

Ward described himself in a 2010 interview as not being a go-getter and said that he had never desperately wanted fame or riches. His public career nevertheless combined sustained stage work with prominent film and television roles over several decades.

Quotes from others about the person

• Ward was described by his agents and by contemporary obituaries as one of the respected and admired actors of his generation. His performance as Winston Churchill in Young Winston was recognized for bringing him international prominence.

Connections

Ward married Alexandra Malcolm in 1964 after meeting her while both were training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. They had three daughters: Sophie, who became an actress, Claudia, and Kitty. Kitty later married the British comedian Michael McIntyre.

Ward appeared with Sophie Ward in the 1992 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Alexandra and their daughters were with him during his final illness.

Father:

Leonard Fox Ward

A car dealer.

Mother:

Winifred Ward

Wife:

Alexandra Malcolm

Married Ward in 1964 after meeting him at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Daughter:

Sophie Ward

An actress who appeared with Ward in the 1992 film Wuthering Heights.

Daughter:

Claudia Ward

Daughter:

Kitty Ward

Married the British stand-up comedian Michael McIntyre.

References

• Simon Ward obituary Obituary documenting Ward's stage and screen career, major film roles, 1987 head injury, later theatre work, marriage, and children.
  2012
• Simon Ward, British Actor Who Played Churchill Biographical account of Ward's birth, National Youth Theatre membership, RADA training, Young Winston, television work, and death.
  2012
• Young Winston Golden Globes reference documenting Ward's performance as Winston Churchill and his 1973 nomination for New Star of the Year—Actor.
• Most Promising Newcomer To Leading Film Roles BAFTA reference identifying Ward as a nominee for Young Winston in the Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles category.
• Young Winston actor Simon Ward dies at 70 Theatre obituary documenting Ward's stage debut, RADA training, Loot, major films, Broadway appearance, later theatre work, and family.
  2012