Trivia

Teaching three writing courses at Chapman University in Orange, California. (September 2005)

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.