Fred Ward, who starred in films such as The Right Stuff, Henry and June, and The Player, died on Sunday at 79.

There was no mention of a cause of death.

Ward's challenging man portrayals were infused with sensitivity.

Ward was a former boxer, lumberjack, and short-order cook who served in the U.S. Air Force earlier.

Ward attended acting school and began his start as a mime when he came to Rome as a young man.

After that, Ward worked as a voice-over actor for quite some time.

Being a voice-over actor allowed Ward to connect a few appearances by Italian neorealist pioneer Roberto Rossellini in television programs.

Ward debuted in the United States as an inmate with Clint Eastwood in the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz.

Some of his hit movies include Tremors (1990), Two Small Bodies (1993), The Final Insult (1994), and Jennifer Lopez's revenge thriller Enough (2002).