Ward Bond

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Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and 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).

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 Ward graduated from East High School.

Bond attended the Colorado School of Mines and then went to the University of Southern California and played football on the same team as 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 as Marion Robert Morrison, had played tackle for USC in 1926 before an injury ended his career, became lifelong friends and colleagues. Bond, Wayne, and the entire Southern Cal team were hired to appear in Salute (1929), a football film starring George O'Brien and directed by John Ford. During the filming of this movie, Bond and Wayne befriended Ford, and appeared in many of Ford's later films.

Personal life

Bond married Doris Sellers Childs in 1936. They divorced in 1944. In 1954, he married Mary Louise Meyers. They were together until his death in 1960. Bond had epilepsy, which left him ineligible for military service during World War II.

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Film career

Bond made his film debut in Salute and went on to play over 200 supporting characters. In 1935 and 1939, he appeared in 31 films, including 33 in 1935 and 23 in 1939. He appeared in the television series Wagon Train from 1957 to his death in 1960, with rarely playing the lead in dramatic films. He was often depicted in extremes as either a helpful lawman or a brutal henchman. He had a long association with director John Ford and Frank Capra, appearing in films including The Searchers, Drums Along the Mohawk, They Were Expendable, and Fort Apache for Ford, with whom he made 25 films, and Riding High for Capra. Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), Sergeant York (1941), Gentleman Jim (1942), and Raoul Walsh's 1930 widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail, which also stars John Wayne in his first leading role, were among his many well-known films.

Bond appeared in the hit film Wagon Train from 1957 to his death. The Wagon Train was influenced by the 1950 film Wagon Master, in which Bond appeared as well. The Big Trail influenced Wagon Master, who was inspired by the times. Bond was given the lead role of the gritty but compassionate Major Seth Adams, the trail master, in Wagon Train. Bond requested that Terry Wilson be given the role of assistant trail manager Bill Hawks, as well as Frank McGrath's appearance as chef Charlie B. Wooster. Wilson and McGrath followed the show from 1957 to 1965, first on NBC and then on ABC. In 1960, Bond's death was handed over to John McIntire, the trail master position.

Bond was a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, whose main focus was opposition to communists in the film industry in the 1940s. In 1960, Bond ran for Republican presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon. Bond died just three days before Democrat John F. Kennedy barely defeated Nixon.

Bond appears in the casts more often than any other actor on the American Film Institute's "100 Years... 100 Movies" list, as well as the tenth anniversary version (1939), but it was never in a supporting role. (1956) Thousands of People (2002).

Bond appeared in 13 films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (1934), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Golden Eagle (1941), and Mister Roberts (1955), The Quiet Man (1946).

With John Wayne, Bond appeared in 23 films:

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