WARD BOND BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Ward Bond was an American actor born on April 9th, 1903 in Benkelman, Nebraska to parents John W. Bond and mother Mabel L. Bond. He also had a sister, Bernice and the family lived in Benkelman until 1919.  They then moved Denver where Bond graduated from East High School.

He attended college at the University of Southern California and was a football player there.  He got his break first by being hired for some extra work with his team mate, John Wayne on the film, "Salute" (1928) also starring George O'Brien, Helen Chandler, William Janney, Stepin Fetchit and Frank Albertson, a silent film where they were hired to play football players for the United States Naval Academy.  Both gentlemen continued working in films from there on out, however, Wayne earned greater success as an actor.  Ward Bond and John Wayne appeared in a total of 16 films together during their lengthy careers.

Majority of Bond's roles were playing small character parts such as police officers and bus drivers.  He worked on over 200 films playing bit parts.  However, when he portrayed, Cass, a murdered in the film, "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939) starring Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Eddie Quillan and Arlene Whelan, he then began receiving more significant roles.  Director, John Ford was responsible for giving him the majority of his more popular roles on films such as, "The Searchers" (1956) starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., John Qualen, Walter Coy, Natalie Wood, Hank Worden, Henry Brandon, Ken Curtis and Irene Rich, "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939) starring Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Edna May Oliver, John Carradine and Robert Lowery, "The Quiet Man" (1952) starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick and Francis Ford, "Fort Apache" (1948) starring John Wayne, John Agar, Shirley Temple, Henry Fonda, Tim Holt, George O'Brien, Pedro Armendariz, Guy Kibbee, Dick Foran, Irene Rich and Grant Withers, "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Walter Catlett, Barry Fitzgerald, May Robson and Charlie Ruggles, "Gone With the Wind" (1939) starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, George Reeves, Rand Brooks, Victor Jory, Ann Rutherford, Yakima Canutt and Butterfly McQueen, "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Gladys George, Jerome Cowan, Elisha Cook Jr. and Sydney Greenstreet, "Sergeant York" (1941) starring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, George Tobias, Joan Leslie, Noah Beery Jr., Dickie Moore, June Lockhart, Tully Marshall and Howard Da Silva, "The Fighting Sullivans" (1944) starring Thomas Mitchell, Anne Baxter, "They Were Expendable" (1945) starring John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Marshall Thompson, Leon Ames, Jeff York and Cameron Mitchell and "Joan of Arc" (1948) starring Ingrid Bergman, Jose Ferrer, Francis L. Sullivan and J. Carrol Naish.  In 1950, he starred in, "Wagonmaster" along with Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr., which was one of Bonds most lasting roles. 

Bond was cast in the television series, "Wagon Train" from 1957 to 1960 where he finally as able to control a large amount of the series creativity.  This series remained NBC's number one series into the 1960's when sadly, Bond passed away in the shower while suffering from a heart attack on November 5th, 1960 at the age of 57. 
 
Ward Bond was also quite involved with various political groups and was not afraid to express his opinions and beliefs.  He was a member of a group called, The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals.  This groups major goal was to show their support for opposition for communists in the film industry.

A total of eleven films he worked on were nomitated for Adademy Awards for Best Picture such as, "Arrowsmith" (1931) starring Ronald Colman, Helen Hayes and Myrna Loy, "Lady for a Day" (1933) starring Warren William, May Robson, Guy Kibbee and Glenda Farrell, "It Happened One Night" (1934) starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, "You Can't Take It with You" (1938), "Gone with the Wind" (1939), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, John Qualen, Shirley Mills and Darryl Hickman, "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), "Sergeant York" (1941), "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Frank Faylen, Beulah Bondi, H. B. Warner, Gloria Grahame, Frank Albertson and Sheldon Leonard, "The Quiet Man" (1952) and "Mister Roberts" (1955) starring with William Powell, James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Philip Carey, Nick Adams, Ken Curtis, Patrick Wayne, Martin Milner, Tige Andrews and Harry Carey Jr.

He also appeared in several television shows such as "Climax!", "Suspense", "G.E. True Theatre and "Screen Directors Playhouse".

Ward Bond was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry and wasinducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Ward Bond was cremated and his ashes were spread across the Pacific Ocean.  He was married a total of two times throughout his life, first to Doris Sellers from 1936 to 1944 and then to Mary Lou Bond in 1954 until his death. 

Filmography

1957-1961 Wagon Train   
1956  Alias Jesse James
1959  Rio Bravo
1958  China Doll
1957  The Wings of Eagles
1957  The Halliday Brand
1956  Star Stage
1956  Pillars of the Sky
1956  Dakota Incident
1956  The Searchers
1955-1958 The Christophers
1955-1956 Cavalcade of America 
1955  A Man Alone 
1955  Mister Roberts
1955  Screen Directors Playhouse
1955  Climax! 
1954  The Long Gray Line
1954  The Bob Mathias Story
1954  Johnny Guitar
1954  Gypsy Colt
1954  Suspense
1953-1958 G.E. True Theater
1953-1954 The Ford Television Theatre
1953  Hondo
1953  The Moonlighter
1953  Blowing Wild
1952  The Gulf Playhouse
1952  Thunderbirds
1952  Hellgate
1952  The Quiet Man
1952  On Dangerous Ground
1952-1956 Schlitz Playhouse 
1951  Bullfighter and the Lady
1951  Only the Valiant 
1951  The Great Missouri Raid
1951  Operation Pacific
1950  The Silver Theatre
1950  Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950  Wagon Master
1950  Riding High
1950  Singing Guns
1948  3 Godfathers
1948  Joan of Arc
1948  Tap Roots
1948  The Time of Your Life
1948  Fort Apache
1947  The Fugitive
1947  Unconquered
1946  It's a Wonderful Life
1946  My Darling Clementine 
1946  Canyon Passage
1945  They Were Expendable
1945  Dakota
1944  Tall in the Saddle
1944  Home in Indiana
1944  The Fighting Sullivans
1943  A Guy Named Joe
1943  They Came to Blow Up America 
1943  Slightly Dangerous
1943  Hello Frisco, Hello
1942  Gentleman Jim
1942  Hitler--Dead or Alive
1942  Sin Town
1942  Ten Gentlemen from West Point
1942  The Falcon Takes Over
1942  Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1941  Swamp Water
1941  The Maltese Falcon
1941  Doctors Don't Tell
1941  Manpower
1941  The Shepherd of the Hills
1941  Sergeant York
1941  A Man Betrayed
1941  Tobacco Road 
1941  Know for Sure
1940  Santa Fe Trail
1940  The Long Voyage Home 
1940  City for Conquest
1940  Kit Carson
1940  Sailor's Lady
1940  The Mortal Storm
1940  Buck Benny Rides Again
1940  Virginia City
1940  Little Old New York
1940  The Grapes of Wrath
1940  Mexican Spitfire
1939  The Cisco Kid and the Lady
1939  Gone with the Wind
1939  Drums Along the Mohawk
1939  Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
1939  Dust Be My Destiny
1939  Frontier Marshal
1939  Waterfront
1939  The Girl from Mexico 
1939  Young Mr. Lincoln
1939  The Kid from Kokomo
1939  Return of the Cisco Kid
1939  Confessions of a Nazi Spy
1939  Union Pacific
1939  Mr. Moto in Danger Island
1939  Dodge City
1939  Trouble in Sundown
1939  The Oklahoma Kid 
1939  Pardon Our Nerve
1939  Made for Each Other
1939  They Made Me a Criminal
1939  Son of Frankenstein
1938  Going Places
1938  Submarine Patrol
1938  The Law West of Tombstone
1938  Fugitives for a Night
1938  You Can't Take It with You 
1938  The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
1938  Professor Beware
1938  Prison Break
1938  Reformatory
1938  Numbered Woman
1938  Gun Law
1938  Flight Into Nowhere
1938  The Adventures of Marco Polo
1938  Over the Wall
1938  Mr. Moto's Gamble
1938  Hawaii Calls
1938  Bringing Up Baby
1938  Born to Be Wild
1938  The Kid Comes Back
1938  Penitentiary
1938  Of Human Hearts
1937  Fight for Your Lady
1937  The Westland Case
1937  Music for Madame
1937  The Game That Kills
1937  Escape by Night
1937  Dead End
1937  Topper
1937  Marry the Girl 
1937  The Singing Marine
1937  A Fight to the Finish
1937  Mountain Music
1937  The Wildcatter
1937  The Go Getter
1937  They Gave Him a Gun
1937  Night Key
1937  The Soldier and the Lady
1937  23 1/2 Hours Leave
1937  Park Avenue Logger
1937  When's Your Birthday?
1937  You Only Live Once
1937  The Devil's Playground
1937  Woman-Wise
1936  After the Thin Man
1936  Conflict
1936  The Accusing Finger
1936  Legion of Terror
1936  Without Orders
1936  The Big Game
1936  The Man Who Lived Twice
1936  They Met in a Taxi
1936  Second Wife
1936  Crash Donovan
1936  White Fang
1936  High Tension
1936  The Bride Walks Out
1936  The Cattle Thief
1936  Fatal Lady
1936  Avenging Waters
1936  The Case Against Mrs. Ames
1936  The First Baby
1936  Pride of the Marines
1936  Colleen
1936  Boulder Dam
1936  The Leathernecks Have Landed
1936  Muss 'em Up
1936  Two in the Dark
1935  Hitch Hike Lady
1935  We're Only Human
1935  Too Tough to Kill
1935  Broadway Hostess
1935  I Found Stella Parish
1935  Guard That Girl
1935  Western Courage
1935  Three Kids and a Queen
1935  The Last Days of Pompeii
1935  Waterfront Lady
1935  His Night Out
1935  Little Big Shot
1935  She Gets Her Man
1935  Calm Yourself
1935  Murder in the Fleet
1935  Justice of the Range
1935  The Headline Woman
1935  Mary Jane's Pa
1935  Go Into Your Dance
1935  'G' Men
1935  Fighting Shadows
1935  Black Fury
1935  Strangers All
1935  The Crimson Trail
1935  Times Square Lady
1935  One New York Night
1935  Devil Dogs of the Air
1935  Under Pressure
1935  Grand Old Girl
1934  Broadway Bill
1934  Men of the Night
1934  Against the Law
1934  6 Day Bike Rider
1934  Death on the Diamond
1934  Girl in Danger
1934  The Human Side
1934  Chained
1934  The Affairs of Cellini
1934  The Defense Rests
1934  A Man's Game
1934  Here Comes the Groom
1934  The Circus Clown
1934  The Most Precious Thing in Life
1934  I'll Tell the World
1934  The Crime of Helen Stanley
1934  Whirlpool
1934  Voice in the Night
1934  The Fighting Ranger
1934  The Poor Rich
1934  It Happened One Night
1934  Speed Wings
1934  School for Romance
1934  Frontier Marshal
1933  The Fighting Code
1933  Straightaway
1933  Son of a Sailor
1933  College Coach
1933  Police Car 17
1933  Wild Boys of the Road
1933  Lady for a Day
1933  The Wrecker
1933  Heroes for Sale
1933  When Strangers Marry
1933  Unknown Valley
1933  Obey the Law
1933  State Trooper
1933  Lucky Devils
1932  Sundown Rider
1932  Flesh
1932  Air Mail
1932  Virtue
1932  Rackety Rax
1932  White Eagle
1932  Hold 'Em Jail
1932  Hello Trouble
1932  Bachelor's Affairs
1932  The Trial of Vivienne Ware
1932  Careless Lady
1932  High Speed
1932  The Greeks Had a Word for Them
1931  Maker of Men
1931  Arrowsmith
1931  Over the Hill
1931  Blonde Crazy
1931  Sob Sister
1931  The Spider
1931  Three Girls Lost
1931  Quick Millions
1931  A Connecticut Yankee
1930  The Doorway to Hell
1930  Up the River
1930  Born Reckless
1930  The Lone Star Ranger
1929  So This Is College
1929  Salute
1929  Words and Music