Date of Birth

1 May 1916, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Date of Death

30 August 2006, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA

Birth Name

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford

The son of a Canadian railroad executive, his family moved to Santa Monica, California, when he was eight years old. His acting career began with plays at high school, followed by acting in West Coast, a traveling theater company. In 1939 he took a screen test for Columbia Pictures, which won him a contract, although he debuted in 20th-Century-Fox's Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939). His rise to stardom was interrupted by military service during WWII. After the war he jump-started his career with Gilda (1946). His career during the 1940s and 1950s showed that his talents were extensive, playing film noir in The Big Heat (1953), westerns like 3:10 to Yuma (1957) and comedies like The Gazebo (1959) or The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). He has usually been cast as a calm and collected everyday-hero, showing courage under pressure as in Blackboard Jungle (1955).

Legendary actor Glenn Ford was discovered in 1939 by Tom Moore, a talent scout for 20th Century Fox and then subsequently signed a contract with Columbia Pictures the same year. Ford's contract with Columbia marked a significant departure in that studio's successful business model. Its boss, Harry Cohn had spent decades observing other studios' -- most notably Warner Brothers -- troubles with their contract stars and had built his poverty row studio around their loan outs. Basically, major studios would use Columbia as a penalty box for unruly behavior -- usually salary demands or work refusals. The cunning Cohn usually assigned these stars his little studio could not normally afford into pictures directed by his best director, Frank Capra and the studio's status rose immensely as the 1930s progressed. Cohn understandably had long resisted developing his own stable of contract stars (he'd first hired German émigré 'Peter Lorre' in 1934 but didn't know what to do with him) had relented in the late 1930s, first adding 'Rosiland Russell' then signing Ford and fellow newcomer William Holden. Cohn reasoned that the two prospects could be used interchangeably, should one become troublesome. Although often competing for the same parts, the two actors became good friends. Their careers would roughly parallel each other through the 1940s, until Holden became a superstar through his remarkable association with director Billy Wilder in the 1950s. He made his official debut in Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) and continued working in various small roles throughout the 1940s until his movie career was interrupted to join the Marines in World War II. During his service, he helped build safe houses in France for those hiding from the Nazis. Ford continued his military career in the Naval Reserve well into the Vietnam War, becoming one of the few actors to achieve flag-rank. In 1943, he married legendary tap dancer, Eleanor Powell and had one son, Peter Ford. Like many actors returning to Hollywood after the war (including James Stewart and Holden, who had already acquired a serious alcohol problem) he found it initially difficult to regain his career momentum. He was able to resume his movie career with the help of Bette Davis who gave him his first post-war break in the 1946 movie A Stolen Life (1946). However, it was not until his acclaimed performance in the 1946 classic film noir, Gilda (1946) with Rita Hayworth that he became a major star and one of the the most popular actors of his time. He scored big with the film noir classic, The Big Heat (1953) and The Blackboard Jungle (1955). He continued to make many notable films during his prestigious 50 year movie career, but he is best known for his fine westerns such as 3:10 to Yuma (1957), The Rounders (1965), and pulled a hugely entertaining turn in The Sheepman (1958) and many more fine films. In the 1970s, Ford made his television debut in the controversial Brotherhood of the Bell and appeared in two fondly-remembered television series: Cade's County and The Family Holvak. During the 1980s and 1990s, Ford limited his appearance to documentaries and occasional films, including a nice cameo in Superman (1978). Glenn Ford is remembered fondly by his fans for his more than 100 excellent films and his charismatic silver screen presence.

Ford was a US Naval Reserve officer who rose to the rank of Captain.

Glenn appeared in 5 movies with classic leading actress, Rita Hayworth: Affair in Trinidad (1952), The Lady in Question (1940), The Loves of Carmen (1948), The Money Trap (1965) and Gilda (1946).

Parents, with Eleanor Powell, of the actor Peter Ford,

Awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal by the Country of France for his service in World War II. [1992]

Inducted into the Hall of Fame of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. [1978]

Voted the number one box office attraction. [1958]

Often during his career Ford insisted on being shot looking to camera left - he had been kicked in the right side of his jaw by a horse and insisted the left side of his face was his only filmable side.

He is credited with being the fastest "gun" in Hollywood westerns, able to draw and fire in 0.4 seconds, he was faster than James Arness (Matt Dillon of "Gun Law" (1955)) and John Wayne.

Related to Sir John A. Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada.

Portrayed the title character on NBC Radio's "The Adventures of Christopher London" (1950).

He is a direct descendant of President Martin Van Buren

Grandfather of Aubrey Newton Ford (b. 1977), Ryan Welsie Ford (b. 1984), and Eleanor Powell Ford (b. 1988), whose parents are Ford's son, Peter Ford (b. 5 February 1945), and wife Lynda Gundersen.

Served in Vietnam as a reserve military officer.

Went on a jungle mission with a Special Forces Team during the Vietnam War.

Retired from acting in 1991 following heart and circulatory problems.

On May 1st, 2006, Glenn had a gala 90th birthday celebration at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. There was a showing of a newly restored print of "Gilda" and his son Peter hosted the event. Over 700 tickets went on sale and were quickly sold out.

Ford had been scheduled to make his first public appearance in fifteen years at a 90th birthday tribute gala in his honor hosted by the American Cinematheque at Grauman's Eqyptian Theatre in Hollywood on 1 May 2006, but he was unable to attend. He had suffered a series of minor strokes since his retirement, and was consequently very frail.

Was half Welsh, his mother was from Pontypridd in south Wales.

Has family roots in the English town of Horwich, near Bolton, Lancashire.

Played Jonathan Kent in the 1978 film Superman. In Superman Returns, a photograph of him as Jonathan Kent can be seen in Clark Kent's old home.

Like his close friend Ronald Reagan, Ford started as a Democrat but gradually switched to becoming a conservative Republican.

After having been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for a year, he joined the Marine Corps during WWII in December of 1942, and subsequently met first wife, tap-dancing extraordinaire Eleanor Powell, at a war-bond cavalcade. They married in 1943.

His first screen test at 20th Century Fox did not turn out well. He was given a second chance by Columbia a year later, however, and was signed.

During his salad days, he worked in a Santa Monica bar as a barkeep for $5 a week.

Despite his excellence and popularity as a star, he was never nominated for an Oscar.

Parents were Newton and Hannah Ford. His father did not block his movie star aspirations but insisted that he learn a trade first. He listened and became an expert on plumbing, wiring and air-conditioning. He also worked as a roofer and installer of plate-glass windows.

Romantically linked over the years with Joan Crawford, Brigitte Bardot, Linda Christian, Hope Lange, Debbie Reynolds, Dinah Shore and Rita Hayworth.

He was a close friend of William Holden.

Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).

Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV).

He was replaced by Robert Mitchum in "African Skies" (1991) after being hospitalized with blood clots in his legs.

According to a biography of Sam Peckinpah, Ford was considered for Robert Ryan's role in The Wild Bunch (1969).

In 1967, Naval Reserve Officer Lt. Cmdr. Ford (then aged 50) volunteered to serve for three months as a liaison officer attached to a Marine unit with the rank of Colonel in Vietnam, and on several occasions endured enemy shelling.

Quit smoking cigarettes in 1958.

Ford had intended to play Hondo Lane in Hondo (1953), but backed out when John Farrow was chosen to direct. Ford and Farrow had not got along while making Plunder of the Sun (1953). The part was subsequently played by John Wayne.

Actively campaigned for Adlai Stevenson in the 1956 presidential election, and attended the Democratic National Convention that year.

Took up hang gliding at the age of 64.

Was once engaged to Evelyn Ankers.

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