Gerald Ford

    July 14, 1913 December 26, 2006 • 93 y.o. (110)

    Full Name Leslie Lynch King Jr.
    Place of Birth Omaha, Nebraska, USA
    Place of Death Rancho Mirage, California, USA
    Citizenship United States
    Career 1958 — 2006
    Genres Documentary, History, Drama
    Height 1.83 m

    Facts

    Ford was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. on July 14, 1913, at 3202 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha, Nebraska, where his parents lived with his paternal grandparents. He was the only child of Dorothy Ayer Gardner and Leslie Lynch King Sr., a wool trader. His paternal grandfather was banker and businessman Charles Henry King, and his maternal grandfather was Illinois politician and businessman Levi Addison Gardner. Ford's parents separated just sixteen days after her son's birth and his mother took infant Ford with her to Oak Park, Illinois, where her sister Tannisse and brother-in-law, Clarence Haskins James lived. From there, she moved to the home of her parents in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Gardner and King divorced in December 1913, and she gained full custody of her son. Ford's paternal grandfather paid child support until shortly before his death in 1930.

    Ford later said that his biological father had a history of hitting his mother. In a biography of Ford, James M. Cannon wrote that the separation and divorce of Ford's parents was sparked when, a few days after Ford's birth, Leslie King took a butcher knife and threatened to kill his wife, infant son, and Ford's nursemaid. Ford later told confidants that his father had first hit his mother when she had smiled at another man during their honeymoon.

    After living with her parents for two and a half years, on February 1, 1917, Gardner married Gerald Rudolff Ford, a salesman in a family-owned paint and varnish company. Though never formally adopted, her young son was referred to as Gerald Rudolff Ford Jr. from then on; the name change was formalized on December 3, 1935. He was raised in Grand Rapids with his three half-brothers from his mother's second marriage: Thomas Gardner "Tom" Ford (1918–1995), Richard Addison "Dick" Ford (1924–2015), and James Francis "Jim" Ford (1927–2001).

    Ford was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, and earned that program's highest rank, Eagle Scout. He is the only Eagle Scout to have ascended to the U.S. presidency. Ford attended Grand Rapids South High School, where he was a star athlete and captain of the football team. In 1930, he was selected to the All-City team of the Grand Rapids City League. He also attracted the attention of college recruiters.

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                                Actor — 14

                                2023
                                1
                                2023

                                Documentary, 40 min
                                United Kingdom

                                  2
                                  2023

                                  Documentary, 1 hr 40 min
                                  United Kingdom

                                    3
                                    2023

                                    Documentary, 47 min
                                    United Kingdom

                                      2005
                                      4
                                      2005 — President Gerald Ford

                                      Documentary, 56 min
                                      United States • Craig MacGowan

                                        1999
                                        5
                                        1999

                                        Documentary
                                        United States • Roger Goodman

                                          1998
                                          6
                                          1998

                                          Documentary, 1 hr 10 min
                                          United States • Marino Amoruso

                                            1997
                                            7
                                            1997 — 1998

                                            Documentary, History, 45 min
                                            United States • Lawrence Frank...

                                              1993
                                              8
                                              1993

                                              Documentary
                                              United Kingdom • Steve Ruggi

                                                1989
                                                9
                                                1989 — 1993

                                                Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, 45 min
                                                United States • James Whitmore Jr....

                                                  1981
                                                  10
                                                  1981 — former President of the USA, himself

                                                  Comedy, 2 hours
                                                  United States

                                                    11
                                                    1981 — 1989 — Gerald R. Ford

                                                    Drama, Romance, 45 min
                                                    United States • Irving J. Moore...

                                                      1980
                                                      12
                                                      1980 — President of the United States of America, himself

                                                      Comedy, 2 hours
                                                      United States

                                                        1978
                                                        13
                                                        1978 — Politician on float, uncredited

                                                        Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller, 1 hr 33 min
                                                        Mexico, United States • Alfredo Zacarias

                                                          1956
                                                          14
                                                          1956 — 1958 — Republican

                                                          Documentary, 20 min
                                                          Sweden • Hans Abramson

                                                            Other — 206

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