Photo: Trailer screenshot / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ward Bond is the kind of actor I find endlessly satisfying because he's everywhere once you start looking. Over 200 films, and yet he never needed top billing to leave a mark. I love that his two most-remembered turns are small but unforgettable: Bert the cop in It's a Wonderful Life and Captain Clayton in The Searchers. Then he carried Wagon Train on television right up until his death in 1960. To me he's the definition of a character actor, the dependable face that makes a John Ford or Frank Capra picture feel lived-in. That Walk of Fame star feels well earned.
Overview
Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series Wagon Train from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert the cop in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's The Searchers (1956).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ward Bond
- Name (Japanese)
- ワード・ボンド
- Reading
- わーど・ぼんど
- Born
- April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Rabbit
- Origin
- Benkelman, Nebraska, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- character actor / film actor / television actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- East High School
- University
- University of Southern California
Awards & achievements
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Character actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.