45 years ago, on January 25, 1971, cult leader Charles Manson was convicted, along with followers. The psychedelic summer of 1969 comes to life in the Lifetime Original Movie, Manson’s Lost Girls, featuring the next generation of Hollywood stars MacKenzie Mauzy, (Into the Woods), Eden Brolin (I Dream Too Much), Greer Grammer (Awkward) and Christian Madsen (Divergent). The film paints a new picture of Charles Manson's (Jeff Ward, The Mentalist) world, as told through the stories of Linda Kasabian (Mauzy) and the other women who fell under his demonic spell to create one of the most famous cults of all time. Brolin stars as Susan Atkins, Grammer is Leslie Van Houten, Madsen portrays Tex Watson, Grace Victoria Cox (Under the Dome) is Lynnette “Squeaky” Fromme, Isabel Shill (Orange is the New Black) stars as Patricia Krenwinkel and Garrett Coffey (Battle for Skyark) is Bobby Beausoleil.
follows Linda as she first arrives at the seemingly idyllic Spahn Ranch hippie commune where she is embraced with open arms. Seduced by the group’s free-love lifestyle, Linda revels in the sisterhood and acceptance. Taken with Manson, he soon draws her into criminal activities, including late-night “creepy crawls” to steal from lavish homes. Linda reluctantly becomes an accomplice in Manson’s “Helter Skelter,” a drug-fueled murder spree that included the brutal death of actress Sharon Tate. She ultimately breaks away and turns herself in as a witness for the prosecution and helps to convict Manson.
ABOUT JEFF WARD AKA “CHARLES MANSON”
Jeff Ward has always known he wanted to be an actor. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ward fueled his creative passion by participating in theatrical productions where he honed his acting technique. While Ward was in the first grade, he was cast in Tom Thumb in the Toy Room , an original play written and directed by his teacher, in which he played the lead, Tom Thumb Sr. At the tender age of eleven, Ward’s grandmother founded a theatre camp called “Stagedoor Manor” where he spent six whole summers perfecting his craft. Ward’s passion for cinema and love for acting was affirmed and he knew that pursuing a career in the entertainment industry would require him to leave the comfort of his home in Philadelphia.
In an effort to further learn his craft, after high school Ward headed to New York City to enroll at the prestigious Tisch Drama at NYU, where he graduated in 2009. As a freshman, Ward was in the Stella Adler studio program for two years before switching to the Experimental Theatre Wing, where he worked with Kathleen Turner, Moises Kauffman, and workshopped a one-man show that he had written with Sam Shepard. He continued his studies abroad in the International Theatre Workshop program in Amsterdam. During his time in Amsterdam, Shakespeare played a huge part in his training, which ultimately varied between that and the styles of Stanislavsky, Adler, Grotowski and Strasberg.
When Ward finished school, he began working in New York with various film, theater and television projects. He understudied for Ben Foster in the Broadway hit “Orphans,” also starring Alec Baldwin. Ward continued to be casted in productions at such performance halls as The Public, Manhattan Theater Club, Skirball Center and The Working Theater.
Continuing his success in theatre, Ward ventured to Los Angeles where he joined the world premiere of Marjorie Prime , a production by Jordan Harrison, a writer on Orange is The New Black. He played, “Walter Prime”, the new technological incarnation of Marjorie Prime’s late husband, played by Lois Smith. The play was shown at the Mark Taper Forum and was runner up for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize.
As his rise to the top continues, Ward will play Charles Manson in the highly anticipated film Manson’s Lost Girls alongside next generation stars Greer Grammer, Eden Brolin, Christian Madsen and Mackenzie Mauzy. The latest adaptation about the much talked about notorious killer brings a new take on the girls who worshipped Manson and lived with him on Spahn Ranch. The film is set to air on Lifetime February 6th.
Aside from his new role as Manson, Ward is no stranger to the small screen with his guest roles on The Mentalist , Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Rosewood just to name a few. He is also set to star alongside Zosia Mamet in the upcoming film The Boy Downstairs.