US: Glenn Ford, a quiet and handsome character actor who made his mark in films such as Gilda and The Big Heat, died on Wednesday in his Beverly Hills home, police said. He was 90.
Ford was an actor who never quite attained superstar status but nevertheless won the hearts of millions of cinemagoers.
Many critics thought that he was underrated and one, David Shipmann, wrote: "He is a good - if not the best - example of that second-string group, the dependable and efficient actor."
Away from the cameras, Ford led an intensely private life, shunning Hollywood nightlife.
Although most frequently appearing in westerns, he played a variety of quietly intense heroes and villains.
His career began in 1939 and was highlighted by starring roles in The Big Heat in 1953, in which he played a cop out to avenge his wife's murder; Blackboard Jungle in 1955; and The Teahouse of the August Moon in 1956.
In 1946, after returning from service in the second World War, he starred in his first big-budget film, Gilda, with Rita Hayworth.
He remained a top box-office draw throughout the 1950s and even when his career declined in the 1960s his popularity with audiences remained as fixed as his reserved screen personality and wry smile.