Glenn Ford, best character actor, dies

Glenn Ford, one of the most enduring stars of the silver screen, has died at the age of 90. The actor, who appeared in more than 200 films in a career spanning five decades, died at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Ford's health had been declining for a number of years after having suffered a series of strokes.

Although he never achieved the superstardom he craved, Ford was widely acclaimed as one of the best character actors in the business. His most frequent roles were in Westerns, but he played a variety of quietly intense heroes and villains and is best remembered for his non-Western roles.

The Canadian-born actor began his career in 1937 and made a number of lowbudget dramas before joining the US Marine Corps in 1942. Ford's big break came after the Second World War when he starred alongside Rita Hayworth in the 1946 romance Gilda. The movie was a hit and Ford went on to make four more films with Hayworth.

One of his most acclaimed roles was that of a cop out to avenge his wife's murder in director Fritz Lang's The Big Heat in 1953. Although the leading roles dried up in the 1960s he continued making movies and remained a firm favourite with audiences.

Away from the cameras, Ford led an intensely private life, shunning nightspots in favour of a quiet home life. Married four times - most notably to actress Eleanor Powell, from 1943 to 1960 - he is survived by his son Peter, 61, also an actor. Ford was set to make his first public appearance in 15 years at a 90th birthday tribute in Hollywood four months ago, but was unable to attend because of ill health.

In a taped greeting he said: "I wish I were up and around, but I'm doing the best that I can. There's so much I have to be grateful for." Police in Beverly Hills said today that paramedics were called to Ford's home yesterday afternoon and found the actor dead. Ford compared his enduring popularity to that of other strong-but-quiet stars of his generation, such as Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda. "It's the way we say our lines," Ford said. "We don't memorise them, but take the sense and alter the lines to fit our own personalities."

Ford was born Gwyllyn Ford in Quebec in 1916. At seven, he moved with his family to Santa Monica, California, where he worked as a stable boy for cowboy humourist and actor Will Rogers. After finishing school, he drove buses and worked as a salesman while planning an acting career.

An avid horseman and former polo player, Ford appeared in a number of Westerns: 3:10 to Yuma; Cowboy; The Rounders; Texas; The Fastest Gun Alive and the remake of Cimarron among them.

Fellow actors today paid tribute to Ford. Sidney Poitier, who starred alongside him in the 1955 drama The Blackboard Jungle, said: "It comes to mind instantly what a remarkable actor he was. He had those magical qualities that are intangible but are quite impactful on the screen. He was a movie star."

At his birthday party, Shirley Jones, who co-starred with him in the comedy The Courtship of Eddie's Father in 1963, said Ford was "one of the cornerstones of our industry, and there aren't many left." Ford also played Clark Kent's father in the first Superman movie in 1978.