Can you guess the Grease star? Actor looks worlds away from leather-clad punk after his 68th birthday
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Grease is undoubtedly one of the most famous movies of all time, but while the cast portrayed a group of unruly high school students in the 1978 flick, they're now heading toward their 70s.
One particular member of the T-Birds gang recently marked his 68th birthday, but fans of the film could be forgiven for not recognizing him.
The actor in question was pictured out and about on Monday arriving at a voice-over studio in Glendale, California, dressed in blue denim jeans, sneakers and a pale pink long-sleeved shirt.
The father-of-three, who has also starred in television shows such as Magnum, P.I., Bret Maverick, and The Waltons, looked worlds away from his role as a leather-jacket wearing teenager who hung out with John Travolta's Danny Zuko.
Grease, which was directed by Randal Kleiser, tells the story of Danny and his Australian love interest Sandy Olsson (played by the late Olivia Newton-John) who enjoyed a summer romance and then find themselves attending the same high school.
Danny spends his days misbehaving and working on cars with his male pals, Kenickie, Doody, Sonny, and Putzie, otherwise known as the T-Birds.
This Grease actor looks unrecognizable from his days of playing a member of the T-Birds gang in the 1978 film
The movie star in question was spotted arriving at a voice-over studio in Glendale, California on Monday
The 68-year-old actor was dressed in a long-sleeved pale pink shirt and blue denim jeans
Well, Putzie was played by none other than actor Kelly Ward, who was pictured heading to work just one day after celebrating his 68th birthday.
Grease cast member Ward brought the youngest member of the T-Birds to life in a role specifically created for the film.
However, Grease wasn't his first time working with costar Travolta, as the two worked together on 1976's made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.
Five years later, after a handful of TV appearances in shows like M*A*S*H and Quincy M.E., Ward retired from acting on-camera.
He has gone on to become a voice director for Disney Television Animation, and a screenwriter for numerous cartoons, including the feature film All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996).
From 1992 to 1996, he served as Vice President of Animation at MGM studios, and spent 23 years as an adjunct musical theater professor at the University of Southern California's School of Dramatic Arts.
In a past interview with Snakkle, Ward was asked how it felt to have been a part of such an iconic movie.
'It’s a great thing to be a part of that phenomenon. It’s oft repeated, but none of us really had any idea that it would be as successful and pervasive as it is,' he said.
'So it’s always a delight and a surprise when it seems to keep going eternally.'
Kelly played the role of Putzie, who was the youngest member of the T-Birds gang at Rydell High
Kelly starred alongside John Travolta, who played the gang's leader Danny Zuko, as well as Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, and Michael Tucci
Ward pictured in one of the final scenes in Grease alongside Olivia Newton-John, Travolta and Tucci
'But the real source of joy for those of us who did it is the fact that we keep in relatively regular contact. It’s an extended family. We give each other a lot of support. Of course, we’ve lost a few.'
When probed about his 'specific memories' of Travolta and Newton-John, Ward recalled: 'John was very playful on the set. In fact, we found that we were both very blessed as people in the business to have been born into families that were encouraging about the indie arts.
'We found that to be a common bond, and from time to time we would do little soft-shoe kind of steps and tap-dance when there was free time, and that was always fun.'
'And I was head over heels for her. I had the most profound crush on her. She is one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever met, bar none,' he said of Newton-John, who sadly passed away in August 2022.
'Graceful, elegant, gentle, never had an unkind word, and she was — God bless her — she was very flirty, though even at the time I knew she was just being kind.'
