In Memoriam - Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford was found dead in his home on Wednesday, the 30th of August. He was 90 years old.

Glenn Ford was found dead in his home on Wednesday, the 30th of August. He was 90 years old. He was born in Canada on May 1st, 1916. His birth name was Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford. When he signed with Columbia Pictures he changed his name.

Ford made his film debut in 1937's Night in Manhattan. In 1940 he co-starred for the first time with Rita Hayworth in The Lady in Question. That same year he had a role in one of the popular Blondie movie’s, Blondie Plays Cupid. It was not until The Adventures of Martin Eden, in 1942, that Ford finally received top billing in a movie.

Glenn Ford married dancer Eleanor Powell in 1943. They had a son, Peter, born in 1945. Ford took a couple of years off from movie making when he served his country as a marine in World War II. Ford divorced Powell in 1959 and went on to marry three more times.

His first film after leaving the military was a reunion with Rita Hayworth in the classic Gilda. Although the movie is clearly Hayworth’s, Ford gets more screen time. So successful was their pairing that they would work together in three more movies. The made The Loves of Carmen in 1948, to which Ford is reported to have said, “It was one of the greatest mistakes I ever made, embarrassing. But it was worth it, just to work with her again.” They also worked together in Affair in Trinidad, (1952) and The Money Trap, (1965) which was the only film of theirs where he received billing over her.

In the 1950's he appeared in many classic films; including The Big Heat, (1953) and The Blackboard Jungle, (1955) with Sydney Poitier. He was known for such westerns as 3:10 To Yuma, (1957) and Cimarron.(1960). In 1961 he appeared with Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles. He had first worked with Davis in 1946's, A Stolen Life. In 1963 he starred in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. The movie spawned a television show with Bill Bixby playing Ford’s part.

Ford continued acting until 1991 when he began suffering from a series of strokes. Of his later movies he is only remembered for a couple; Midway (1976) and Superman in 1978. My youngest son is a huge Superman fan and only knows Ford as Jonathan Kent. Ford’s career lasted through more than 50 years and several generations of movie goers. He prided himself on saying that he never acted. He just played himself.