Simon Ward

For a brief period in the 1970s, British actor Simon Ward was among the more popular leading men of stage, screen and television, playing strong-willed, magnetic figures in "Young Winston" (1972), "The Three Musketeers" (1973), and "All Creatures Great and Small" (BBC, 1975). After a lengthy tenure on the stage, he rose to fame as the embodiment of British resolve in "Young Winston," which minted him as a star almost immediately upon release. Ward enjoyed a streak of high-profile roles, including both "Musketeers" movies and the popular "Creatures" TV-movie, but a 1987 assault that put his health in serious jeopardy forced him to cut back on film roles, and Ward soon settled into television and stage projects. In the next century, he worked steadily on the small screen in "Judge John Deed" (BBC One, 2001-07) and "The Tudors" (Showtime, 2007-2010), before illness once again forced him out of the public eye. His death in July 2012 was a sobering reminder of the passage of time, as well as the high quality of his performances that were captured on film.