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Tiny Ward

{{short description|American actor}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}

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| birth_name = Roscoe Samuel Ward

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| occupation = actor

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File:Shanghaied Lovers lc.jpg, Tiny Ward, Kalla Pasha, Harry Langdon in Shanghaied Lovers, March 1924]]

File:His New Mamma (1924).webm

Roscoe Samuel "Tiny" Ward (January 2, 1893 – September 12, 1956) was an American actor. He occasionally was billed as Jack "Tiny" Ward. Due to his appearance in several "classics" he is a fairly well-known face in film history.

Early life

He was born on January 2, 1893, in Indian Point near Abingdon, Illinois the son of Roscoe E. Ward (1855-1925).{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} He was exceptionally tall (6'7") earning him the sarcastic nickname "Tiny".

Career

In the 1920s he worked primarily in Mack Sennett comedies,{{cite web |author1=Los Angeles Examiner |title=Mack Sennett reunion |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/mack-sennett-reunion-29-july-1951-tiny-ward-tom-kennedy-news-photo/1048046070 |website=Getty Images |access-date=12 March 2025 |language=en-us |date=29 July 1951 |quote=Tiny Ward;Tom Kennedy;Chester Conklin;Heinie Conklin;Betty Guren;Mack Sennett;Betty Lou Beauchamp;Charles La Torre;Jean O'Malley.}} frequently under the direction of Harry Edwards and often supporting Harry Langdon. He also worked with Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Lon Chaney.

He was popular and although never achieving a lead role, he was a frequent choice as either a burly policeman or tough guy. He appeared in the "Smith" series of silent films with Raymond McKee but these now fail to receive much recognition despite contemporary success.{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=Brent E. |title=Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel |date=9 May 2013 |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |isbn=978-0-7864-7711-1 |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL28506246M/Mack_Sennett%27s_Fun_Factory |language=en}} Unlike many fellow actors he survive the transition from silent to sound in 1930. Sadly after leaving Mack Sennett as a regular he had few notable roles other than a brief spate of work with The Three Stooges.{{Cite web|url=https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/333|title=Cast Member : Tiny Ward}}

Military service

He served two enlistment periods during World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, Co. B, 164th Infantry at Fargo, Cass County, North Dakota and was discharged 25 Nov 1917 at Camp Green, South Carolina,{{cite web |title=History of the 23rd South Carolina Infantry Regiment |url=https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/south-carolina/23rd-south-carolina-infantry-regiment/ |website=The Civil War in the East |access-date=12 March 2025}} it appears from health issues. The second enlistment was in the Navy on 16 Sep 1918 at San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA and discharged from the same place on 21 Jan 1919.

He appears to have got in "The Old Man's Draft" of April 1942 in the Second World War which did not so much draft men from 45 to 64 as assess the potential of unemployed men to serve the war effort. He was at that time 49. His appearance in the draft suggests unemployment (typical for all actors).{{Cite web|url=https://www.newberry.org/old-mans-draft|title=The Old Man's Draft |website=Newberry Library}}{{cite web| url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1002/?name=Roscoe_Ward&event=_NY&pcat=mil_draft&qh=6e552aa8ebd83ad46e6fa46cbed0b5b6|title=All U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 results for Roscoe Ward | access-date=2023-11-13 }}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}} He does not appear to have had any active service (or reallocation) and reappears in at least two films prior to the end of the war.

Death

He died in Los Angeles on September 12, 1956.{{cite web| url=https://www.lordheath.com/menu1_1854.html | title=Tiny Ward |last1=Lord Heath |first1=Dave |website=LordHeath.com | access-date=2023-11-13}} He is buried with his family in Abingdon Cemetery in Abingdon, Illinois.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Selected filmography

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References

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External links

Metadata

  • https://catalog.afi.com/Person/147172-Tiny-Ward
  • https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/350474%7C147172/Tiny-Ward
  • https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/333
  • https://www.csfd.sk/tvorca/129887-tiny-ward/galeria/
  • https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911883/
  • https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tiny-ward/3030692360/

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Category:1893 births

Category:1956 deaths

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male silent film actors

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:Actors from Illinois