Cinema mogul Leo Ward has died aged 94. Ward was the co-founder the Dublin Cinema Group, which it was announced last week is to be split following a long-running dispute.
Ward grew up playing football for Drumcondra, ultimately getting the call for Manchester City.
He had been working for the Irish International Film agency, which used to distribute a lot of German films in the country, and his half-brother Kevin Anderson went on to take his place at the agency.
His football contract was cancelled with the arrival of the second World War, and he returned to Dublin to set up a film distribution business, Abbey Films, with Anderson.
The two then established a cinema business in 1949 and bought their first cinema in Lucan in 1955. They initially made their money after winning the Irish rights to show James Bond films, and went on to purchase the Savoy on Dublin’s O’Connell Street in 1983.
Last week, Leo’s son Paul and Kevin’s son, also named Paul, brought to an end a long-running dispute, resulting in an agreement to split all assets down the middle.
The Ward family agreed to take control of the Savoy and Screen cinemas in Dublin City Centre, the Omniplex in Santry and a cinema in Tullamore, Co Offaly.