Roger Ward (born 24 July 1937)[1] is an Australian actor and scriptwriter who has had a considerable career in film and television,[2] noted for "tough guy" roles in which he often did his own stunts.[3]

Roger Ward
Born (1937-07-24) 24 July 1937 (age 87)
OccupationActor
Known forSee filmography
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)

Biography

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Ward was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1937.

His career began at an early age with roles on stage and radio. In his late teens he travelled to Tahiti to begin writing what became the controversial novel and film, The Set. The film was produced in 1970 but the novel was not published until 2011.

He was script editor for Homicide, adapted his novel Reflex into the film Brothers and wrote other documentaries and specials. Ward has featured or starred in over fifteen hundred television shows and more than fifty films with such stars as Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Barry Sullivan, Robert Lansing, Ryan O'Neal, Richard Benjamin, Tom Selleck, Paula Prentiss, Peter Graves, Alan Rickman, Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey and Laura San Giacomo.

In Stone (1974) he played the comedic biker Hooks and in The Man From Hong Kong (1975) he played bumbling Australian policeman Bob Taylor. In The Irishman (1978) he was an Irish mounted policeman, and in Mad Max (1979), he played the police hall captain Fifi. Turkey Shoot (1982) saw him as Ritter the guard from hell, and in The Pirate Movie (1982) he was an all-singing, dancing pirate. In Quigley Down Under (1990) he played Brophy, one of the outlaw gang.

He played popular characters in TV series including long-running character Frank 'Weppo' Smith,[4] the Shakespeare-spouting garbage collector in Number 96, who has a romance with Norma Whittaker (Sheila Kennelly)[5] a boxer in Boys from the Bush and also appeared in The Sullivans.

Later independent films in which he was featured include Long Weekend (2008), Bad Behaviour (2010), the remake of Turkey Shoot (2014), Boar (2017) and The Faceless Man (2018).

He has a prominent role in the upcoming Indian film Thariode: The Lost City directed by Nirmal Baby Varghese.[6]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1981 Nude Odyssey (aka Odissea Nuda) Beachcomber (uncredited) Feature film
1962 Mutiny on the Bounty Uncredited Feature film
1966 They're a Weird Mob Bloke at end of bar (uncredited) Feature film
1969 You Can't See 'round Corners Punter (uncredited) Feature film
1969 It Takes All Kinds Bodyguard Feature film
1970 The Set Dancer at Party Feature film
1970 Squeeze a Flower Bosun Feature film
1970 Adam's Woman Flogger (uncredited) Feature film
1971 The Tony Hancock Special Pete TV movie
1973 Dalmas Policeman Feature film
1974 Moving On Stock Agent Feature film
1974 Stone Hooks Feature
1974 Stoner (aka Tie jin gang da po zi yang guan) Motorcycle Thug (uncredited) Feature film
1975 The Man from Hong Kong Bob Taylor Feature film
1976 Mad Dog Morgan Trooper Feature film
1976 Deathcheaters 1st Police Sergeant Feature film
1976 Me and Mr Thorne Hedge TV movie
1976 Rate of Exchange Short film
1977 No Room to Run Delivery Man TV movie
1977 High Rolling Lol Feature film
1977 The Irishman Kevin Quilty Feature film
1979 Mad Max Captain Fifi Macaffee Feature film
1980 Touch and Go Wrestler Feature film
1980 The Chain Reaction Moose Feature film
1981 Lady Stay Dead Officer Clyde Collings Feature film
1981 I Can Jump Puddles Peter McLeod TV movie
1981 The Squad (aka The Homicide Squad) Det Sgt Vernon Dangerfield TV movie
1982 Turkey Shoot Chief Guard Ritter Feature film
1982 Sara Dane Johnny Pigman TV movie
1982 The Pirate Movie Pirate Feature film
1982 Brothers Cameraman One Feature film
1985 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Police Sergeant TV movie
1988 Sands of the Bedouin TV movie
1988 The Tourist TV movie
1988 Young Einstein Cat Pie Cook Feature film
1988 Barracuda Bill 'The Dentist' TV movie
1990 Quigley Down Under Brophy Feature film
1991 Fatal Bond Detective Greaves Feature film
1991 Pirates Island Slavemaster TV movie
1991 Dusty Hearts Short film
1995 Rough Diamonds Merv Drysdale Feature film
1997 The Gift Removalist #1 Short film
1997 Life and Death Short film
2001 When Good Ghouls Go Bad Cheesy the Clown TV movie
2008 Long Weekend Truckie Feature film
2010 Bad Behaviour Voyte Feature film
2010 The Mighty Hand of God Him Short film
2014 Turkey Shoot The Dictator Feature film
2015 Observance Conspirator
2017 Boar Blue Feature film
2018 Are You Scared Yet? Gentleman Caller Feature film
2018 The Faceless Man King Dougie Feature film
2019 Choir Girl William Millard Feature film
2019 The Shinjuku Five Papa Cosgrove Feature film
2020 Dusters Welles Short film
2020 Limbo Merrin Short film
2021 Jane Mr Gordon Short film
2022 The Debt Collector Jimmie O'Hare Feature film
2023 What About Sal? Daisy Feature film
2025 Disease X: The Zombie Experiment Feature film[7]
TBA Death's Waiting Room Bertie Feature film (post-production)
TBA Thariode: The Lost City Pre-production[6][8]

Television

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Year Title Role Type
1965 The Stranger TV miniseries, 1 episode
1966 Australian Playhouse Constable Broughton TV series, 2 episodes
1967-73 Homicide Ray Sullivan / Wolf Kauffman / George Mason / Edwards / Bill Armstrong / Tony Moran / Ted Jacobs / Greg Toomey / Wilf Walls / Harry Parr TV series, 10 episodes
1968 Hunter Humphrey Wilding TV series, 1 episode
1968 Vega 4 Tritonian TV miniseries
1968 The Adventurers TV series
1968 Skippy the Bush Kangaroo Carver TV series, episode: "Tread Lightly"
1969 Riptide Sergeant / Denzil Webb TV series, 2 episodes
1969-72 Division 4 Buster Bell / Bruce 'Hammer' Hamilton / Eddie Walsh / Max Gillies / Stevens TV series, 5 episodes
1972 The Spoiler Keith TV series, 1 episode
1972 Boney Comstable Barnard TV series, 1 episode
1973 Ryan Don TV series, 1 episode
1973 The Evil Touch TV series, 1 episode
1974 Flash Nick from Jindavick Sergeant Carson 1 TV series, 2 episodes
1974 Silent Number Dan Lane TV series, 2 episodes
1971-75 Matlock Police Barry Hawkins / Jack Lewis / Lennie Williams / Wally Moran / Norm Quinn / Mick Smith TV series, 6 episodes
1975-76 Number 96 Frank 'Weppo' Smith TV series, 46 episodes
1976 Alvin Purple Chicka TV series, 1 episode
1976 The Outsiders Dallas TV series, 1 episode
1978 Chopper Squad Security Guard TV series, 1 episode
1979 Doctor Down Under Mr. Phillips TV series, 1 episode
1980 Young Ramsay Phil Angel TV series, 1 episode
1980 Home Sweet Home Billy TV series, 1 episode
1977 Cop Shop Leon Turner / Bailey / Garry Dwyer TV series, 5 episodes
1981 I Can Jump Puddles Peter McLeod TV miniseries, 1 episode
1981 Bellamy Rafe TV series, 1 episode
1982 Sara Dane Johnny Pigman TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1984 Inside Straight Sid TV series, 1 episode
1984 Special Squad Bill Foster / Peaches TV series, 2 episodes
1984 Carson's Law Algernon 'Slammer' McQuade TV series, 3 episodes
1985 Runaway Island Pastor Braithwaite TV series, 2 episodes
1985 Winners Fergus TV series, 1 episode
1985 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Police Sergeant TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1986 Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin Blaggard TV series, 4 episodes
1986 A Fortunate Life Martin TV miniseries, 1 episode
1987 Willing and Abel Mr Dancer TV series, 1 episode
1987 Fields of Fire Bull TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987 Poor Man's Orange Mr Kilroy TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1988 Mission: Impossible Wilson TV series, 1 episode
1988-89 Rafferty's Rules Albert Potts TV series, 2 episodes
1992 Boys from the Bush Rocko TV series, 1 episode
1988-93 A Country Practice Pat O' Connor / Inspector Poulos / Stan Plummer / Bill Hammond / Burrigan 2 (Police Radio Operator) TV series, 6 episodes
1997 Big Sky Barney TV series, 1 episode
1997 Water Rats Jim Lockwood TV series, 2 episodes
1997 Heartbreak High Jon Pavlovic TV series, 1 episode
2020 Lion's Den Thomas E. Shirley TV series, 3 episodes
2021 Axmo Deus Lou Sither TV series, 1 episode
2023 Celebrity House Cleaner Action Movie Star TV series, 1 episode

Accolades

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Ward won Best Supporting Actor at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival for his role in Bad Behaviour.

References

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  1. ^ Wilmingham, Margot "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of. Australian Showbiz}}
  2. ^ "Legendary Ozploitation star joins 'The Shinjuku Five'". Nerdly. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  3. ^ "The Daredevils of the Screen". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 41, no. 5. Australia, Australia. 4 July 1973. p. 15. Retrieved 7 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "The Explosive Story of Number 96". 12 April 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Cancer Scare for Top Actor". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 48, no. 26. Australia, Australia. 26 November 1980. p. 20. Retrieved 7 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ a b "Australian star Roger Ward to make Indian debut with 'Thariode: The Lost City'". Onmanorama. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. ^ Justin (14 September 2024). "Ozploitation star Roger Ward to make Indian debut in Nirmal Baby Varghese's Zombie film". horrorfacts.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Legendary Australian actor Roger Ward joins "Thariode: The Lost City" by Nirmal Baby Varghese". Mathrubhumi. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
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