Roger Ward

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

Biography 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 appeared in over one hundred television shows and films, some of which featured stars such 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, the Shakespeare-spouting garbage collector in Number 96, who has a romance with Norma Whittaker (Sheila Kennelly) 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.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 1961 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 TBA Disease X: The Zombie Experiment Feature film TBA Death's Waiting Room Bertie Feature film (post-production) TBA Thariode: The Lost City Pre-production

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