Wallace Ford

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21157, 5 July 1940, Page 4

Wallace Ford

Wallace Ford, who portrays a crusading reporter in Universal’s “No Exit,” has experienced as much genuine drama as the average real life newspaper writer ever sees. Orphaned immediately after his birth at Lancashire, England, on a cold February 12, Ford has had to carve his place in the world without the kindly aid of parents. Sent to Canada. Cared for as a youngster in Dr. Bamardo’s Home in London, and later at the Toronto branch of the same institution, he was adopted as a small boy by a farm family in Ingelow, Manitoba, Canada. But fann animals and crops failed to provide enough glamour. So Ford ran away from his foster-parents to become an usher at the Theodore Robert Stock Company in Winnipeg when he was only eleven. Handling every kind of job from janitor to stage hand, he soon had talked his way into small acting roles with this troupe. One thing which makes Ford’s present success seem even more remarkable is the fact that he has never attended school a day in his life. All of his education was secured on the stage and through intensive home studies which have made him a highly informed person. Wins Opportunity Travelling from Winnipeg to St. Joseph, Missouri, the actor soon found work in minor parts which led to an engagement with the Stuart Walker repertoire company in Indianapolis. His first good role with this company was in the popular play, "Seventeen.” Scoring a hit in the Broadway production of the stage play “Abraham Lincoln." the actor soon added to his popularity with performances including the character of Abie in “Abie’s Irish Rose,” “Pigs,” “Broadway.” “Young Sinners,” and “Bad Girl” which he took on tour. His work in “Bad Girl” in Los Angeles prompted director Clarence Brown to sign Ford for the Joan Crawford film. “Possessed.” It marked Fords first screen appearance.