Ward Bond

Ward Bond
Ward Bond in Wagon Train, c. 1957
Background information
Born as:	Wardell Edwin Bond
Born	Apr 09, 1903 Benkelman, Nebraska U.S.
Died	Nov 05, 1960 - at age 56 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Spouse(s):	Doris Sellers Childs (1936 - 1944) divorced Mary Louise May (1954 - )
Occupation:	Actor (1929–1960)
Editor's note about articles in this category

Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960)was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series Wagon Train from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert the cop in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's The Searchers (1956). As a character actor, Bond frequently played cowboys, cops, or soldiers.

Early life

Bond was born in Benkelman in Dundy County, Nebraska. The Bond family, John W., Mabel L., and sister Bernice, lived in Benkelman until 1919, when they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Bond graduated from East High School.

Bond attended the Colorado School of Mines and then attended the University of Southern California and played football on the same team with future USC coach Jess Hill. At 6'2" and 195 pounds, Bond was a starting lineman on USC's first national-championship team in 1928. He graduated from USC in 1931 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.

Bond and John Wayne, who had played tackle for USC in 1926 before an injury ended his career, became lifelong friends and colleagues. Bond, Wayne, and the entire USC team were hired to appear in Salute (1929), a football film starring George O'Brien and directed by John Ford. During filming, Bond and Wayne befriended Ford, who later directed them in several films.

Career

Wikipedia article: Ward Bond Career

Personal life and death

Bond married Doris Sellers Childs in 1936, but they divorced in 1944. In 1954, he married Mary Louise Meyers, and they remained together until his death in November 1960.

Bond was an early and virulent anti–communist.

On November 5, 1960, Bond suffered a massive heart attack while at a hotel in Dallas with his wife. He was pronounced dead at a Dallas hospital at the age of 57. His close friend John Wayne delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Bond's will bequeathed to Wayne the shotgun with which Wayne had once accidentally shot Bond on a hunting trip.

On the same day Bond died, country singer Johnny Horton was fatally injured in an automobile accident in Milano, Texas. This led to a rumor that Horton was on his way to Dallas to meet Bond, who was to offer Horton a role on Wagon Train; the rumor was untrue. Bond's actual reason for visiting Dallas was to attend a football game at the Cotton Bowl.

Legacy

For his contribution to the television industry, Bond has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard, which was dedicated on February 8, 1960. In 2001, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Credits

Wikipedia article: Ward Bond Credits

External links

• Ward Bond at the Internet Movie Database
• Literature on Ward Bond

More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Ward_Bond ]

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