David Ford (born David Conant Ford; October 30, 1925 – August 7, 1983) was a TV, film and stage actor. He was known for roles on TV's ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'' (1966–1971) and ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'' (1951), and as John Hancock in both the ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

'' Broadway musical and its

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

Career

He appeared in the role of Sam Evans, the alcoholic widower, artist, and father of Maggie Evans (

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott is an American television and film actress and writer who is best known for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows''. Early life and education Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kathryn Kringstad) was born of Norwegian de ...

) on the ABC-TV serial ''

'' from 1966 to 1968. He assumed the role when Mark Allen, who originated the role, departed following episode 22 of the first year. He also played Andre du Pres, the father of

Josette du Pres Josette du Pres (or Josette Collins) is a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the TV serial ''Dark Shadows''. Story Josette and Barnabas Born in 1774 in France, Josette du Pres (Kathryn Leigh Scott)'s ...

, in the show's 1795 storyline. He later played the contract role of Karl Devlin on the CBS soap opera ''

''. He made his Broadway debut as O'Kelly in the 1957 revival of '' Mary Stuart'', and later took over as the Duke of Norfolk in the original production of '' A Man For All Seasons''. On stage, his best known role was

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

in the musical ''1776'' and the 1972 film adaptation.

Personal life

Ford was born in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

. He was a graduate of Arizona State College and the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...

. He studied at the

Dramatic Workshop Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. The German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator began a long association with the school in 1940. Among the facul ...

of the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

. In 1967, he married his ''Dark Shadows'' co-star,

Nancy Barrett Nancy Barrett (born October 5, 1941) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Carolyn Stoddard (among other characters) in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Biography Nancy Barrett was born in Shreveport, Loui ...

; they divorced in 1969.

Death

Ford suffered from alcoholism the better part of his life, and on August 7, 1983, he died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. He was 57 years old. He was buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
David Ford
at Internet Off-Broadway Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, David 1925 births 1983 deaths Male actors from San Diego 20th-century American male actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors People from La Jolla, San Diego Arizona State University alumni University of South Dakota alumni The New School alumni Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery