Roger Ward (born 1936) is an Australian actor who has had a considerable career in film and television, noted for "tough guy" roles in which he often did his own

stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery sp ...

Biography

Ward was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

in 1936. His career began at an early age with roles on stage and radio. In his late teens he travelled to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

to begin writing what became the controversial novel and film, '' The Set''. The film was produced in 1970 but the novel was not published until 2011. He was script editor for ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'', adapted his novel ''Reflex'' into the film '' Brothers'' and wrote other documentaries and specials. Ward has featured or starred in over fifteen hundred television shows and more than fifty films with such stars as

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, Richard Benjamin,

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and

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. In ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...

'' (1979), he created the memorable bald headed police hall captain "Fifi"; ''

The Man From Hong Kong ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (), originally released in the US as ''The Dragon Flies'', is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Keay ...

'' had him as the bumbling Australian policeman, Bob Taylor. In ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' he was the comedic biker, "Hooks". ''

Turkey Shoot A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to take advantage of a situation with a significant degree of ease. The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intention ...

'' saw him as "Ritter" the guard from hell, and in ''

Quigley Down Under ''Quigley Down Under'' is a 1990 western film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman, and Laura San Giacomo. Plot Matthew Quigley is an American cowboy with a specially modified rifle with which he can shoot accurately ...

'' he played "Brophy", one of the outlaw gang. He was an Irish mounted policeman in the 1978 film ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book ''I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'' and an all-singing, dancing pirate in ''

The Pirate Movie ''The Pirate Movie'' is a 1982 Australian musical romantic comedy film directed by Ken Annakin, and starring Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. Loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera ''The Pirates of Penzance'', the origi ...

''. He played popular characters in TV series including long-running character Frank "Weppo" Smith, the Shakespeare-spouting garbage collector in '' Number 96'', a boxer in '' Boys from the Bush'' and also appeared in ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-cla ...

''. Later independent films in which he was featured include ''

Long Weekend A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday. Many countries also have four-day weekends, in which ...

'' (2008), '' Bad Behaviour'' (2010), ''Elimination Game'', ''Death's Waiting Room'', ''Choir Girl'', ''Debt Collector'', ''Devils Detour'', ''

Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

'' and ''Faceless Man''. He was engaged to appear in another film in 2019.

Filmography

* ''Nude Odyssey'' (1961) as Beachcomber (uncredited) * ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

'' (1962) as Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' ("Tread Lightly") (1968, TV series) as Carver * ''

You Can't See 'round Corners ''You Can't See 'round Corners'' is a 1969 Australian drama film directed by David Cahill and starring Ken Shorter and Rowena Wallace. The film is a theatrical version of the 1967 TV show '' You Can't See 'Round Corners''. Both were based on t ...

'' (1969) as punter (uncredited) * '' It Takes All Kinds'' (1969) as bodyguard * '' The Set'' (1970) as dancer at party * ''

Squeeze a Flower ''Squeeze a Flower'' is a 1970 Australian comedy film directed by Marc Daniels and starring Walter Chiari. Plot Brother George is the only monk at the Italian Monastery who knows the secret recipe of the popular liqueur that is the sole source o ...

'' (1970) as Bosun * ''

Adam's Woman ''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western". Plot In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in Liver ...

'' (1970) as Flogger (uncredited) * '' Dalmas'' (1973) as Policeman * ''Moving On'' (1974) as Stock Agent * ''Tie jin gang da po zi yang guan'' (1974) as Motorcycle Thug (uncredited) * ''

'' (1974) as Hooks * ''

The Man from Hong Kong ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (), originally released in the US as ''The Dragon Flies'', is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Keay ...

'' (1975) as Bob Taylor * '' Mad Dog Morgan'' (1976) as Trooper * ''

Deathcheaters ''Deathcheaters'' is a 1976 Australian action adventure film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring John Hargreaves and Grant Page. Plot Steve and Rodney are two ex-Vietnam commandos who do stunt work for television. They are hired by ...

'' (1976) as 1st Police Sergeant * '' No Room to Run'' (1977, TV Movie) as Delivery Man * ''

High Rolling ''High Rolling'' (also called ''High Rolling in a Hot Corvette'') is an Australian buddy comedy directed by Igor Auzins and written by Forest Redlich. Golden Globe Award winners Joseph Bottoms and Judy Davis are among the cast. The soundtrack for ...

'' (1977) as Lol * ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved ar ...

'' (1977, TV Series) as Bailey * ''

'' (1977) as Kevin Quilty * ''

Chopper Squad ''Chopper Squad'' is an Australian television series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the 0-10 Network (as it was then known).Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 115 The series recounted the work ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as Security Guard * ''

Doctor Down Under ''Doctor Down Under'' was an Australian television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor on the Go'', and was produc ...

'' (1979, TV Series) as Mr. Phillips * ''

'' (1979) as Captain Fifi Macaffee * '' Touch and Go'' (1980) as Wrestler * ''

The Chain Reaction ''The Chain Reaction'' is a 1980 Australian science fiction thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an e ...

'' (1980) as Moose * '' Young Ramsay'' (1980, TV series) as Phil Angel * '' I Can Jump Puddles'' (1981, TV movie) as Peter McLeod * '' The Squad'' (1981, TV Movie) * '' Bellamy'' (TV series) (1981) as Rafe * '' Lady Stay Dead'' (1981) as Officer Clyde Collings * ''

'' (1982) as Chief Guard Ritter * ''

Sara Dane ''Sara Dane'' is a 1982 Australian television miniseries about a woman transported from England to Australia for a crime she did not commit.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p231 Original novel ...

'' (1982, TV movie) as Johnny Pigman * ''

'' (1982) as Pirate * '' Brothers'' (1982) as Cameraman One * '' Special Squad'' (1984, TV Series) * ''

Winners Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a 20-60 ...

'' (1985, TV Series) as Fergus * '' Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe'' (1985, TV movie) as Police Sergeant * '' A Fortunate Life'' (1986, TV Mini-Series) as Martin * ''

Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin ''Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin'' (aka ''Professor Poopsnaggle and His Flying Zeppelin'') was a popular Australian children's television series which aired on the Nine Network, a spin-off from the 1980 series ''Secret Valley''. It was f ...

'' (1986, TV Series) * ''

Poor Man's Orange ''Poor Man's Orange'' is a novel by New Zealand born Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1949, the book is the sequel to '' The Harp in the South'' (1948) and continues the story of the Darcy family, living in the Surry Hills area of Sy ...

'' (1987, TV Mini-Series) as Mr. Kilroy * '' Sands of the Bedouin'' (1988, TV Movie) * '' Mission: Impossible'' (1988, TV Series) as Wilson * ''

Young Einstein ''Young Einstein'' is a 1988 Australian comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Yahoo Serious. It is a fantasized account of the life of Albert Einstein which alters all people, places and circumstances of his life, including r ...

'' (1988) as Cat Pie Cook * ''

Barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which ...

'' (1988, TV Movie) as Bill 'The Dentist' * ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera which broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 5 November 1993, airing at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Altogether, 14 seasons and 1,058 episodes were p ...

'' (1988-1993, TV Series) as Pat O' Connor / Inspector Poulos / Stan Plummer * ''

'' (1990) as Brophy * ''

Fatal Bond ''Fatal Bond'' is a 1991 Australian erotic thriller film, directed by Vince Monton, starring Linda Blair and Jerome Ehlers. It was filmed in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, including Narrabeen Caravan Park. Synopsis Leonie ...

'' (1991) as Detective Greaves * ''

Pirates Island ''Pirates Island'' is a 1990 Australian film about a group of children who are swept away in a balloon to an island where pirates run amok.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p121 Cast * Beth B ...

'' (1991, TV Movie) as Slavemaster * '' Rough Diamonds'' (1995) as Merv Drysdale * '' Big Sky'' (1997, TV Series) as Barney * '' Water Rats'' (1997, TV Series) as Jim Lockwood * '' The Gift'' (1997, Short) as Removalist #1 * ''

When Good Ghouls Go Bad ''When Good Ghouls Go Bad'' is a 2001 Fox Family television film based on a book by R. L. Stine. The story is set in the fictional town of Walker Falls, Minnesota, during the Halloween season. It stars Christopher Lloyd and was directed by Pat ...

'' (2001, TV Movie) as Cheesy the Clown * ''

'' (2008) as Truckie * '' Bad Behaviour'' (2010) as Voyte * '' The Mighty Hand of God'' (2010, Short) as Him * ''

'' (2014) as The Dictator * ''Observance'' (2015) as Conspirator * '' Death's Waiting Room'' (2016) as Bertie * '' The Debt Collector'' (2016) as Jimmy O'Hare * ''

'' (2017) as Blue * '' Are You Scared Yet?'' (2018) as Gentleman Caller * '' The Faceless Man'' (2018) as King Dougie * '' Thariode: The Lost City'' (TBA)

Accolades

Ward won Best Supporting Actor at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival for his role in '' Bad Behaviour''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Roger 1936 births Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Living people Male actors from Adelaide