Evelyn Mae Ward (May 21, 1923 – December 23, 2012) was an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known from her stage musical performances and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

appearances. Her son was the actor-singer

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

Background

Ward was born and raised in

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.

, the daughter of Frederick and Ethel Laurinda (née Wheeler) Ward. Her ancestors were among the founders of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

Career

Ward began her performing career as a teenager dancing with the Roxyettes at the Roxy Theater. After

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...

ing

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific'' (194 ...

in the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

''Dancing in the Streets'', which closed "out of town" in the spring of 1943, Ward made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut that summer in the musical ''Early to Bed''. Her subsequent Broadway musical credits include ''

The Firebrand of Florence ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1945), ''Spring in Brazil'' (1945), '' Billion Dollar Baby'' (1946), and ''Along Fifth Avenue'' (1949). Her subsequent theatrical credits were mostly in regional theater, but she did return to the Broadway musical stage in the spring of 1958, replacing

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

in the lead role in '' New Girl in Town''. In 1967, Ward appeared in the play ''And So to Bed'' at the LA Theater Center and her son David Cassidy also was featured in the cast. In 1996, she left retirement to co-star in ''Such a Pretty Face''. She also performed in nightclubs in New York City and Boston, and in 1954 performed in a Las Vegas

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

. In 1949, Ward was a regular on the CBS game show ''Hold It Please'', and in 1950–1951, she was a regular on the ABC variety series ''The College Bowl'' (also known as ''The Chico Marx Show''). Her other television credits include ''

Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secr ...

'', ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

'', '' Dr. Kildare'', ''Perry Mason'', '' Mike Hammer'', ''The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen'', and ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

''.

Personal life

Ward married actor Jack Cassidy on June 28, 1948: the couple had met in 1945 while appearing in the Broadway musical ''The Firebrand of Florence''. Ward and Cassidy had one son, David Bruce Cassidy, born on April 12, 1950. The family resided in Ward's native West Orange. The marriage of Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward ended in a

Mexican divorce In the mid-20th century, some Americans traveled to Mexico to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A divorce in Mexico was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most U.S. states, which then only allowed at-fault divorces requiring extensive ...

in July 1956. In August 1956, Cassidy married actress

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

, with whom he had been romantically involved since the previous summer. According to Jones, Cassidy and Ward had been separated twice and then got back together prior to her meeting Cassidy, and their marriage had remained rocky. After her divorce from Cassidy, Ward and the couple's son resided with Ward's parents in West Orange until 1961, when Ward married film director Elliot Silverstein. Ward had known Silverstein for several years, as she had acted in Boston-area stage productions directed by Silverstein in 1955 and 1957. Ward and Silverstein divorced in 1968. Ward is sometimes mistaken as the onetime wife of film director

Norman Z. McLeod Norman Zenos McLeod (September 20, 1898 – January 27, 1964) was an American film director, screenwriter and cartoonist. McLeod's most acclaimed work was made in collaboration with major comic performers of the 1930s, and included such films as ...

. However, McLeod's wife, also named Evelyn Ward, was born in Iowa between 1900 and 1902. Later, Ward married Al Williams, who died in 2005.

Death

Ward died on December 23, 2012, from complications from dementia.David Cassidy Opens Up About His Dementia Diagnosis, on Dr. Phil Show
youtube.com; accessed August 25, 2017. She was survived by her son, David (who died of liver failure on November 21, 2017), and two grandchildren, Katie Cassidy and Beau Cassidy.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Evelyn Actresses from New Jersey American stage actresses American television actresses 1923 births 2012 deaths People from West Orange, New Jersey 20th-century American actresses Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in California 21st-century American women