Ben Bard (January 26, 1893 – May 17, 1974) was an American movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedianJack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedyduo in vaudeville.[1]
Bard became the head of the New Talent Department at Twentieth-Century-Fox in September 1956,[2] eventually resigning in August 1959. He re-opened his school, Ben Bard Drama, in 1960.
Ben Bard Theater
For at least 20 years Bard operated the Ben Bard Theater in Hollywood. The theater had two primary functions — presenting plays and training new actors. In 1952 it presented a new show every week, put on by 150 students and seven directors. Actors who participated in the theater included Turhan Bey, Jack Carson, Alan Ladd, Kathy Lewis, and Gig Young. Talent scouts regularly attended productions to recruit new talent.[3] Facilities at the theater included classrooms, a dance auditorium, a miniature theater, study halls, and offices.[4]
In 1929 he married the serial film star Ruth Roland, and was married to Roland until her death in 1937.
In 1939, he married Roma Clarisse, an actress and last recipient of the Ruth Roland Scholarship to Ben Bard Drama. They had 3 children before she died in 1947.