Zacharias Ward (born August 31, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Scut Farkus in the 1983 film A Christmas Story and its 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas.

Early life

Ward was born on August 31, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario, the son of actress Pam Hyatt and Todd Allen Ward.

Career

He is best known for his character Dave Scoville (Titus's stoner half-brother) on the FOX show Titus and as the bully Scut Farkus in the 1983 Christmas classic A Christmas Story. He has had guest roles on popular television series such as NCIS, Lost, and Crossing Jordan, and roles in films such as Almost Famous, Transformers, and Anne of Green Gables. He has appeared in the horror films Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Freddy vs. Jason. Ward also has had leading roles in BloodRayne 2: Deliverance and Postal, and can be seen in Alone in the Dark II and The Devil's Tomb. In 2014, Ward co-founded the film production company Grit Film Works with James Cullen Bressack. The first two films which he co-produced with Grit Film Works were the thriller Bethany and the horror film Restoration. Ward is the CEO of Global Sports Financial Exchange, Inc since 2017. In 2022, Ward reprised his role as Scut Farkus in the A Christmas Story sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas for Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max (now Max).

Personal life

On August 18, 2018, Ward married actress and producer, Jennifer McMahan.

Litigation

In August 2011, Ward sued Warner Bros. over merchandising for A Christmas Story after Warner Bros. authorized a figurine set including the Scut Farkus character from the film without Ward's permission. It was revealed that Ward's contract was under ACTRA, unlike the other actors' contracts, and did not grant likeness rights for merchandising. Warner Bros. argued that the figurine showed a "generic face" that has been used on them since 2006 and that statute of limitations had run out, among other claims. The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2012 by mutual agreement. In December 2012, Ward sued the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, and briefly Warner Bros. again, over his image after attending the annual Christmas Story charity fundraiser convention in Cleveland in November 2010 where a fan handed him a Christmas Story board game, playing cards, and calendar showing his face. The lawsuit was settled three days later.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games