Actor Glenn Ford has died in his Beverly Hills home at the age of 90.
Paramedics were called to Ford's home yesterday afternoon and found the actor dead. The cause of his death was not immediately known.
Ford was a handsome and quiet character actor who made his mark in big films like Gildaand The Big Heat.
The Canadian-born actor, who starred in five movies with Rita Hayworth, never quite attained the superstar status he sought, but he won the hearts of moviegoers in a variety of roles.
Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth pictured in 1963
Ford made low-key appearances in more than 200 movies, and became one of the most enduring stars of the silver screen. Away from the cameras, Ford led an private life, shunning nightspots in favour of a quiet home life.
He was set to make his first public appearance in 15 years at a 90th birthday tribute in Hollywood four months ago but was unable to attend because of ill health.
Although most frequently appearing in Westerns, Ford played a variety of quietly intense heroes and villains and is best remembered for his non-Western roles.
His career began in 1939 and was highlighted by starring roles in director Fritz Lang's The Big Heatin 1953, in which he played a cop out to avenge his wife's murder; Richard Brooks' The Blackboard Jungle, in which he played a teacher; and The Teahouse of the August Moon, in which he played a US soldier in Japan.
After his first movie, Ford made a number of low-budget dramas before joining the US Marine Corps in 1942.
After returning from World War Two, he starred in his first big budget film, the romance Gilda, with Hayworth in 1946. The movie was a hit and Bette Davis confirmed his leading-man status by picking him to star with her in A Stolen Life, released the same year.
Ford remained a top box-office draw through the 1950s but even when his career declined in the 1960s, his popularity with audiences remained as fixed as his reserved screen personality and wry smile. The unsuccessful remake of Cimarronin 1960 started his career slide into B-movies and low-budget productions.