Biography

David S. Ward was born on October 25, 1945 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Sting (1973), Major League II (1994) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). He is married to Marie-Louis White. He was previously married to Christine Atwood and Rosanna DeSoto.

Teaching three writing courses at Chapman University in Orange, California.

Has one daughter from his former wife, actress Rosanna DeSoto: Sylvana Bonifacia Soto-Ward (Sylvana Ward Durrett) (born 1981) and is father-in-law of Adam Ballard Durrett.

For his contributions to the screenplay for Sahara (2005), which he ultimately did not receive screen credit for, he was paid $500,000.

Has one son from his first marriage to Christine Atwood: Joaquin Atwood-Ward (born 1974) and is father-in-law of Monica Orthurber (Monica Linda Ward).

His Oscar-winning screenplay for "The Sting" led to a protracted legal wrangle, one lasting several years. An eminent academic, Dr. David Maurer, claimed that many details in Ward's plot had been taken from his famous 1940 non-fiction book "The Big Con" - without credit or reimbursement. "The Big Con", a famous book in its day, had, by the early 70s, been out of print for many years, although it has since been reprinted.