Zack Ward
Zacharias Ward is a Canadian actor. He made his film debut with a supporting role as Scut Farkus in the comedy film A [Christmas Story]. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ward appeared in multiple television films, and had supporting roles in the films Ed and Wild America.
Ward experienced a career resurgence with his main role as Dave Scoville on the Fox sitcom Titus. Following renewed attention, he had supporting roles in the films Almost Famous, Freddy vs. Jason, and Resident Evil: Apocalypse. During the late 2000s, Ward had the lead role of The Postal Dude in the action comedy film Postal, and also being in the video games series in Postal 2: Paradise Lost and Postal 4: No Regerts, as well as a supporting role in the science fiction film Transformers.
In the 2010s, Ward starred in the films Dark House and Beyond the Law. He had recurring roles as Roger on the seventh season of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story and Lt. Dante on the Syfy series Z Nation. In the 2020s, Ward reprised his Christmas Story role as Scut Farkus in the film's sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas.
Early life
Ward was born on August 31 in either 1970 or 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, the son of actress Pam Hyatt and Todd Allen Ward.Career
He is best known for his character Dave Scoville on the FOX show Titus and as the bully Scut Farkus in the 1983 Christmas classic A Christmas Story. He has had guest roles on popular television series such as NCIS, Lost, and Crossing Jordan, and roles in films such as Almost Famous, Transformers, and Anne of Green Gables. He has appeared in the horror films Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Freddy vs. Jason. Ward also has had leading roles in BloodRayne 2: Deliverance and Postal, and can be seen in Alone [in the Dark II (film)|Alone in the Dark II] and The Devil's Tomb.In 2014, Ward co-founded the film production company Grit Film Works with James Cullen Bressack. The first two films which he co-produced with Grit Film Works were the thriller Bethany and the horror film Restoration.
Ward is the CEO of Global Sports Financial Exchange, Inc since 2017.
In 2022, Ward reprised his role as Scut Farkus in the A Christmas Story sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas for Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max. He has also endorsed popcorn in an outfit reflecting the character.
In 2024, Ward made his directorial debut on the film The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms starring James Hong.
Personal life
On August 18, 2018, Ward married actress and producer, Jennifer McMahan. In an interview about sharing his experiences with his father and his battle with Alzheimer's disease, Ward stated that he stopped drinking in 2021 and smoking in 2023 and instead took the time to try and focus on exercise and a balanced diet.Litigation
In August 2011, Ward sued Warner Bros. over merchandising for A Christmas Story after Warner Bros. authorized a figurine set including the Scut Farkus character from the film without Ward's permission. It was revealed that Ward's contract was under ACTRA, unlike the other actors' contracts, and did not grant likeness rights for merchandising. Warner Bros. argued that the figurine showed a "generic face" that has been used on them since 2006 and that statute of limitations had run out, among other claims. The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2012 by mutual agreement.In December 2012, Ward sued the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, and briefly Warner Bros. again, over his image after attending the annual Christmas Story charity fundraiser convention in Cleveland in November 2010 where a fan handed him a Christmas Story board game, playing cards, and calendar showing his face. The lawsuit was settled three days later.