Simon Ward

Simon Anthony Fox Ward (16 October 194120 July 2012) was a British stage and film actor from Beckenham, England. He was known chiefly for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 1972 film Young Winston. He played many other screen roles, including those of Sir Monty Everard in Judge John Deed and Bishop Gardiner in The Tudors.

Early life and education Simon Ward was born on 16 October 1941 in Beckenham, the son of Leonard Fox Ward, a car dealer, and his wife Winifred. From an early age he wanted to be an actor. He received his formal education at Alleyn's School, London, where from the age of 14 he was one of the founding members of its drama group that became the National Youth Theatre, and stayed for eight years. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1961.

Career Ward made his professional stage debut with the Northampton Repertory in 1963, and his London theatrical debut one year later in The 4th of June. He worked in repertory in Northampton, Birmingham and Oxford and occasionally in London's West End.

His big break in theatre came in 1966 when he played Dennis in Joe Orton's Loot, He believed the attack, which left him with a broken skull that needed brain surgery, caused the chronic blood disorder, polycythaemia that affected his career.

Between 2001 and 2007, he appeared as Sir Monty Everard in the BBC television series Judge John Deed;

Death

Having been afflicted with ill health in his later years, Ward died aged 70, on 20 July 2012 in Taunton.

A memorial service was held in his memory at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, London, on 9 July 2013.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1968 if.... Schoolboy Uncredited 1969 I Start Counting Conductor Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed Karl Holst 1971 Quest for Love Jeremy 1972 Young Winston Winston Churchill 1973 Hitler: The Last Ten Days Hauptmann Hoffmann The Three Musketeers Duke of Buckingham 1974 Bram Stoker's Dracula Arthur TV film The Four Musketeers Duke of Buckingham 1975 All Creatures Great and Small James Herriot TV film Deadly Strangers Stephen Slade Children of Rage Yaakov Valley Forge Major Andre TV film1976 Aces High Lt. Crawford 1977 The Standard Herbert Menis Holocaust 2000 Angel Caine 1978 The Four Feathers William Trench TV film 1979 Dominique Tony Calvert Zulu Dawn Lt. Vereker The Last Giraffe Jock Leslie-Melville TV film La Sabina Philip 1980 The Rear Column Ward TV film 1981 The Monster Club George (segment "Shadmock Story") 1983 Manpower Narrator Short 1984 Supergirl Zor-El 1985 The Corsican Brothers Chateau-Renaud TV film Leave All Fair John Jeune (Young John) 1986 L'étincelle Mike 1992 Double X: The Name of the Game Edward Ross Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights Mr Linton 1995 Nightshade Peter Brady 2000 Atrapa-la Doug TV film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1964 Festival Stephen 1 episode Theatre 625 Dick Jervis Episode: "Carried by Storm" 1965 Thursday Theatre Tom Cherry Episode: "The Flowering Cherry" 1965–1966 The World of Wooster Eustace 2 episodes 1966 Thirteen Against Fate Alain Malou Episode: "The Son" 1966–1968 The Wednesday Play Donald Clenham / John Hardie 2 episodes 1967–1968 Jackanory Storyteller 6 episodes 1970 The Misfit Ted Allenby-Johnson 2 episodes The Black Tulip Cornelius Van Bearle TV mini-series, 6 episodes Roads to Freedom Philippe 3 episodes 1972 No Exit Mark Gray Episode: "A Man's Fair Share of Days" Cinema: A Documentary Himself 1973 ABC Afterschool Specials Various roles Orson Welles Great Mysteries Stephen Barrow Episode: "The Leather Funnel" 1975 BBC2 Playhouse Saunders Episode: "The Breakthrough" 1976 Call My Bluff Himself 1980 The Rear Column Herbert Ward TV film 1981 Diamonds Bernard de Haan 13 episodes 1982 An Inspector Calls Gerald Croft TV mini-series, 3 episodes 1984 Allô Béatrice Archibald Episode: Agnes et ses papas Supergirl: The Making of the Movie Himself 1988 A Taste for Death Stephen Lampart 5 episodes 1989 Around the World in 80 Days Flannigan TV mini-series, 3 episodes 1992 Lovejoy Edward Brooksby 2 episodes 1994 Kurtulus Winston Churchill TV mini-series 1995 Ruth Rendell Mysteries Will Harvey 2 episodes 1996 Challenge Narrator 1999 Real Women II Samuelson 2003–2007 Judge John Deed Sir Monty Everard 20 episodes 2005 Family Affairs Mr. Lee 3 episodes 2006 Heartbeat Maxwell Hamilton Episode: "Kith and Kin" 2009–2010 The Tudors Bishop Gardiner 17 episodes, (final appearance)