Ford, Glenn 1916-2006
Ford, Glenn 1916-2006
OBITUARY NOTICE—
See index for CA sketch: Born May 1, 1916, in Sainte-Christine, Quebec, Canada; died August 30, 2006, in Beverly Hills, CA. Actor and author. Ford was a highly popular film actor who starred in such films as Blackboard Jungle (1955), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), and Midway (1976). Born to Welsh immigrants and given the first name Gwyllyn, he moved to Santa Monica, California, with his family when he was seven. His interest in acting came early, but his father instilled in him the belief that learning a trade was also important. He therefore gained experience as a window installer and roofer, and also worked in a bar, while trying to make it in films. His first movie role was in the 1939 film Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence, and soon after Ford changed his professional name to Glenn. He acted in a number of B movies until 1942, when he enlisted in the marines. Ford later transferred to the navy, serving until the end of World War II. Afterwards, he returned to his career, which began to take off by the 1950s. Blackboard Jungle was one of his biggest successes. Among the over eighty other movies he acted in are The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), The Rounders (1965), and Superman (1978). Ford is also remembered for his many westerns, such as The Man from Alamo (1953), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and Cowboy (1958). He starred in a number of television movies, as well as the short-lived 1971 series Cade's County. Despite his popularity, however, Ford's only major motion picture award was a 1962 Golden Globe for Pocketful of Miracles. For his work on westerns, he was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1978. Ford was the author, with Margaret Redfield and his son, Peter, of the horticulture book Glenn Ford, R.F.D. Beverly Hills (1970).
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Chicago Tribune, August 31, 2006, section 3, p. 7.
Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2006, p. B10.
New York Times, September 1, 2006, p. C11.
Times (London, England), September 1, 2006, p. 68.