
Acting
Richard Ward
Born 1915-03-15 · Glenside, Pennsylvania, US
Richard Ward, (March 15, 1915 – July 1, 1979) was a gravel-voiced African American actor on the stage, television, and in films, from 1949 until his death. Though best known through his TV appearances late in life, both in sitcoms and police procedurals, Ward also had an extensive film resume and a distinguished stage career, one of the highlights of the latter being his portrayal of Willy Loman in the 1972 production of Death of a Salesman, staged in Baltimore's Center Stage (the first African American production of Arthur Miller's signature opus, produced with the playwright's blessing); Ward's own favorite among his theatrical vehicles was Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.
Acting credits
7.1The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.
Brubaker
1980
6.6Warren Maxwell, the owner of a run-down plantation, pressures his son, Hammond, to marry and produce an heir to inherit the plantation. Hammond settles on his own cousin, Blanche, but purchases a sex slave when he returns from the honeymoon. He also buys his father a new Mandingo slave named Mede to breed and train as a prize-fighter.
Mandingo
1975
6.9After discovering he's not really black like the rest of his family, likable dimwit Navin Johnson sets off on a hilarious misadventure that takes him from rags to riches and back again. The slaphappy jerk strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be and, in the end, all that really matters to Johnson is his true love.
The Jerk
1979
6.9A young couple in a car exactly like Starsky's is killed by hitmen and word is out on the street that there's a contract out on Starsky and Hutch. This is a TV-pilot that was an ABC Movie of the Week and later turned into the TV-series.
Starsky & Hutch
1975
6.3A kid from the neighborhood goes to work for the Mafia as a collector.
Family Enforcer
1976
6.7In a daring robbery, some $300,000 is taken from the Italian mob. Several mafiosi are killed, as are two policemen. Lt. Pope and Capt. Mattelli are two New York City cops trying to break the case. Three small-time criminals are on the run with the money. Will the mafia catch them first, or will the police?
Across 110th Street
1972
The last few days in the life of Socrates, including his trial.
Barefoot in Athens
1966
5.8Henrietta Robbins borrows money from a loan shark to finance her husband's investment in the stock market. However, when their stock plummets, she scrambles to find a way to pay the money back.
For Pete's Sake
1974
6.3Two disillusioned New York policemen plan a $10 million robbery to fuel their low pensions, only to run into one debacle after another in the process.
Cops and Robbers
1973
6.8The story, set in Kansas during the 1920's, covers less than a year in the life of a black teenager, and documents the veritable deluge of events which force him into sudden manhood. The family relationships and enmities, the fears, frustrations and ambitions of the black teenager in small-town America are explored with a strong statement about human values.
The Learning Tree
1969
7.4Railroad laborer Duff Anderson struggles to maintain his dignity and marriage to a preacher's daughter in the racially segregated South.
Nothing But a Man
1964
5.5The hard-working but struggling crew of a shrimp boat discover a sunken treasure. Trouble ensues in this dramatic black-cast production.
Carib Gold
1956
6.8A policeman devises an unorthodox plan for bringing criminals to justice after his partner is brutally gunned down.
Contract on Cherry Street
1977
6.5An enigmatic man returns to his Alabama hometown as his sister is dying of cancer and incites the suspicion of notable town officials.
Brother John
1971
5.5A fifteen-year-old boy wants to buy a gun from an adult racketeer named Priest, in order to become president of the gang to which he belongs, and to return them to active "bopping" (gang fighting) which has declined in Harlem.
The Cool World
1964
6.2Black Like Me is the true account of journalist and author John Griffin's experiences when he passed as a black man.
Black Like Me
1964
6.0This 1977 drama by Phillip Hayes Dean, deals with the sad division between what a man hopes for and what he achieves. In the title role, Dick Anthony Williams portrays a naïve, ambitious, recklessly optimistic man who is not understood by those closest to him and who finds himself in difficulty because of his unrealistic hopes.
Freeman
1977
7.0Two policemen are suspected of excessive violence and causing two deaths. The investigation brings to light, little by little, the whole truth.
Police Story: No Margin for Error
1978
“As the German blitz raids reach their 39th day further air raids are to be expected at anytime…” At BBC broadcasting House, Bruce Belfrage and the rest of the staff are preparing the nightly news for millions of anxious listeners, but when the building suffers a direct hit they must pull together to face a terrible choice. Inspired by a true story.
All Men's Dead
2012
10.0After moving to Chicago from the South just as the civil rights movement takes hold, the members of an African American family led by steely matriarch Weedy Warren have different reactions to the social upheaval surrounding them.
Sty of the Blind Pig
1974