NEWS
'A steward for the ABQ theater community': Actor, director and educator Paul Ford dies
Former student: 'He impacted so many people through his teaching, through his directing, through his acting'
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Paul Ford is remembered for his “deep roles” in plays like “King Lear” and inspiring countless aspiring actors and actresses in Albuquerque.
Ford died on Feb. 17. The family did not release the cause of death. He was 77.
“He was really just a steward for the Albuquerque theater community,” said Doug Montoya, Ford’s former student and founder of the Cardboard Playhouse Theatre Company. “He did so much. He impacted so many people through his teaching, through his directing, through his acting.”
As an actor, Ford starred in many productions like "King Lear.”
“He took on big, deep roles and did them in a very humane and strong way,” Ford’s friend David Jones said. “He wasn’t theatrical in the showy sense, sort of like we think of the cliche ‘theatrical actor’ who’s always displaying himself in public. He was actually very modest as a human being, but as an actor he was fearless and deep.”
If he wasn’t performing on stage, Ford was directing plays like “A Streetcar Named Desire” and teaching actors and actresses of all age groups and experience levels.
"His biggest legacy is all of the people he trained through his Theater-in-the-Making program and at (the University of New Mexico), who are still acting in the community and have gone on to careers outside of Albuquerque," said Ford’s friend Leslee Richards. "And so, almost anybody who has been on stage in Albuquerque has been influenced by Paul Ford’s work either directly or because somebody he trained is now working with them.”
Ford was born in Sacramento, California, in 1949. He graduated from the University of California, Davis where he studied theatre and drama, according to his LinkedIn account. In 1986, Ford moved to Albuquerque where he ran the children’s theater section of the Southwest Repertory Theater and started Theatre-in-the-Making.
“(Theatre-in-the-Making) offers programs that (give) sort of an entry-level approach to what acting is, development of the idea of creative dramatics and the use of that and developing character and performance experiences for those young people,” he said in a 2003 interview, “so that they have the opportunity to run through the process of finding their basic skills, taking ownership of their skills and their techniques and … establishing that moment of real success of mastery over material and over themselves in that moment on stage.”
In 1989, Ford got a job with the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Ed Chavez said he was a freshman when someone suggested he take one of Ford’s classes.
“I’m glad I did because he (would become) the best acting teacher I’ve ever had,” Chavez said. “He had such a deep love and affection for acting, for performing and for the work. He just taught us that, ‘You’ve got to throw everything you’ve got into this work. Because if it means something to you, if it’s significant to you, it’s going to be significant to the audience.’”
Ford retired from UNM in 2013, but continued to be involved in the theater until he died.
“I think he made generations of actors even better because of his wisdom and what he taught us,” Chavez said. “He was so easygoing. He was a real actor’s director. He encouraged you to try new stuff. He’d say, ‘Let’s try doing the scene this way. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But just give it a try.’ … His biggest legacy is all the inspiration that he gave to so many actors.”
Outside the theater, Ford enjoyed playing tennis, hiking and photography.
“Paul’s absence leaves a profound and heartbreaking void,” the Albuquerque Little Theatre wrote in a social media post. “His voice, his spirit, and his quiet brilliance will be deeply missed, yet his influence will continue to echo through the stages, classrooms, and lives he touched.”
A celebration of life will take place at 6 p.m. March 22 at the Rodey Theatre, 1 University of New Mexico.
Ford is survived by his daughter Jennifer Ford.
Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.
