Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford’s first wife was Eleanor Powell, an actress and dancer. They got married in 1943 and had one child, Peter Ford. The couple divorced in 1959.

He married three more times. His all subsequent marriages to Kathryn Hays (1966–1969), Cynthia Hayward (1977–1984), and Jeanne Baus (1993–1994) ended in divorce.

He suffered from a series of minor strokes during the later years of his life due to which his health deteriorated. He finally passed away on 30th August 2006 at the age of 90, in his home in Beverley Hills, California.

Glenn Ford was born as Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on 1st May 1916 in Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne, Quebec, in Canada. His mother’s name was Hannah Wood and his father’s name was Newton Ford. He was distantly related to Sir John A Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, as well as Martin Van Buren, who was the eighth President of the United States.

Ford, at the early age of eight, moved to Santa Monica, California, in the United States along with his family. After completing his graduation from Santa Monica High School, he started performing with small theatre groups.

Glenn Ford began his career acting in West Coast stage companies. In 1939, he joined Columbia pictures. He made his film debut with the drama film 'Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence'. Directed by Ricardo Cortez, the film starred him in the main role. Ford's performance in the film earned him the attention of renowned director John Cromwell, who cast Ford in the 1941 film 'So Ends Our Night' in a significant role.

Over the ensuing years, he appeared in several other films such as 'Convicted Woman' (1940), 'The Lady in Question' (1940), 'Go West, Young Lady' (1941), and 'The Desperadoes' (1943).

During the time of the World War II, he appeared in a few war movies such as ‘Flight Lieutenant' (1942), where he portrayed a young pilot. In 1943, he appeared in the war drama 'Destroyer' in a major role along with Edward G. Robinson. The film starred them as U. S. Navy sailors in World War II.

He played an uncredited role in the film 'Guadalcanal Diary', which focused on the fight of the United States Marines in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

During the war years, Ford volunteered for the United States Marine Corps Reserve, though he didn't get to experience combat duty as he had hoped for. However for his three years of service, he was awarded with the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

‘Gilda,’ a 1946 crime drama directed by Charles Vidor, is one of Glenn Ford’s most memorable films. He played the lead role of a gambler going through difficulties. Other actors in the film included Rita Hayworth, George Macready, Joseph Callela and Steven Geray. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.

‘Interrupted Melody’, a 1955 biographical musical film, is one among Ford’s most successful films. The film, which was directed by Curtis Bernhardt, starred Ford in the lead role, along with actors Eleanor Parker, Roger Moore, Cecil Kellaway and Peter Leeds. The film was nominated for three Oscars, out of which it won one.

Another one of his most significant works was his role in the 1978 superhero film ‘Superman’, where he played the foster father of the titular character. Directed by Richard Donner, the film was based on the popular DC Comics superhero Superman. The film focused on the origin, birth, and early life of Superman, and how he later fights evil, disguised as a mild reporter named Clark Kent. It was the most expensive film up to that time. It was commercially successful as well.