Glenn Ford

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

Awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal (Legion dHonneur), and appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1992, by the French Government for service in World War II. Created to honor extraordinary contributions to the Republic of France, the Legion of Honor is Frances highest distinction.

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

Voted the number one box office attraction for 1958 by the National Association of Theatre Owners.

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 one of the fastest "guns" in Hollywood westerns, able to draw and fire in 0.4 seconds, he was faster than James Arness (Matt Dillon of "Gunsmoke" ) and John Wayne. However, Peter Breck (Nick Barkley of "The Big Valley" ) has been credited by Wild Western Magazine as being able to draw and fire in.16 seconds.

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

He is a direct descendant of the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren.

Grandfather of Aubrey Newton Ford (b. 1977), Ryan Welsie Ford , and Eleanor Powell Ford , whose parents are Fords son, Peter Ford (b. 5 February 1945), and his 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, at age 75, 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 Ford , 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 Graumans 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.

His ancestry included English, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch. He had some 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 Kents old home. "Superman Returns" was released two months and two days prior to Fords death, and this photo reference is the last time he will be referenced as Jonathan Kent, before the Superman reboot with Henry Cavill.

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 , Laraine Day , 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 .

He was replaced by Robert Mitchum in "African Skies" 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 .

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 Marine rank of full Colonel, in Vietnam, and on several occasions endured enemy shelling.

Quit smoking cigarettes in 1958.

Ford had intended to portray Hondo Lane in Hondo , but backed out when John Farrow was chosen to direct. Ford and Farrow did not got along while making Plunder of the Sun , causing Ford to lose interest in the role. The role was subsequently portrayed 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.

In 1938, Glenn Ford was John Beal s understudy in the West Coast stage production of "Soliloquy".

In 1951, RKO Radio Pictures attempted to compose a film-noir, to be entitled "The Sins of Sarah Ferry." The story was to be about a Binghamton, New York courthouse clerk, who finds herself falling in love with a beautiful liar who is accused of armed robbery as well as a hit and run charge involving a death. The cast was to have included Laraine Day , Fred MacMurray , Yvonne De Carlo , Hugh Beaumont , Glenn Ford, Howard Duff , and Evelyn Keyes , with the studio wanting to shoot on location in Binghamton and neighboring Johnson City. The project never materialized because the plot was considered too much of a generic step-up of Double Indemnity , plus the studio never received a reply via phone or standard mail, from the Binghamton Courthouse, or from then Mayor Donald Kramer, granting permission to film on location in the area, and to negotiate a fair range of payment. Based on that neglect, the studio canceled the project and moved on.

Proposed to his 3rd wife, Cynthia Ford (nee Cynthia Howard), at Windsor Castle in England in August 1977.

In support of President Lyndon Johnson s escalation of the Vietnam War, Ford traveled with a combat camera crew from the demilitarized zone south to the Mekong Delta.

He was accused of racism after refusing to sit next to Gail Fisher at the Logie Awards in March 1973. Ford was upset by sentiments expressed by the Australian media and politicians against President Nixon and the Vietnam War and even refused to shake hands with then Labor Senator and Minister for Media Doug McClelland at the Logies ceremony. The biography "Glenn Ford: A Life", written by his son, Peter Ford, states: "Before the end of the trip Prime Minister Whitlam was quoted as saying: Someone should have put a bucket over Glenn Fords head. My father challenged Whitlam to it himself - if he dared." US ambassador Walter Rice felt obliged to offer a formal apology to the nation of Australia.

National defense must be the top priority for our country. If you are,strong, you are safe. Now is the time for every American to be proud.

Americans playing Shakespeare are really ridiculous.

Asked how he wished to be remembered: He did his best and he believed in,God.