Charles Wilson "Charley" Ford (July 9, 1857 – May 6, 1884) was an outlaw, and member of the James Gang. He was the lesser known brother of Robert Ford, the killer of Jesse James. After a period of deep depression following James' death and terminally ill from tuberculosis and a debilitating morphine addiction, Charles Ford committed suicide on May 6, 1884.
Charles Ford was one of the eleven Ford children born to James Thomas Ford and Mary Ann Bruin:
Sarah J. Ford (b. abt. 1841)Georgiana Ford (b. abt. 1843)Mary T. Ford (b. abt. 1845)John Thomas Ford (b: November 6, 1847)Martha Elizabeth Ford (b: April 22, 1849)Harriet Ford (b. abt. 1851)Elias Capline Ford (b: July 10, 1853)Amanda Francis Ford (b: April 1, 1855)Charles Wilson Ford (b: July 9, 1857)Wilber Pottuck Ford (b: November 19, 1859)Robert Newton Ford (b: January 31, 1862)Paul Frees portrayed Charley Ford on the CBS radio show Crime Classics on July 20, 1953 in the episode entitled "The Death of a Picture Hanger."Frank Gorshin played Ford in the 1957 film The True Story of Jesse James.Christopher Guest stars as Ford in 1980's western film The Long Riders.Alexis Arquette portrayed Ford in the 1994 film Frank & Jesse.Charles Ford is played by Sam Rockwell in the 2007 film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, based on the novel by Ron Hansen.
