the walking dead | Dayton937

You’ve seen the face, and heard the voice. But, you may not know his name. You also may not know where he’s from. Well, the actor’s name is Vincent M. Ward. And he’s from Dayton.

Vincent M. Ward was born on January 27, 1971 in Dayton, Ohio. Growing up, Vincent participated in basketball, football, and baseball at Trotwood-Madison High School. Given his competitive nature, he excelled in all of these sports, but Vincent’s desire to be great meant that he would have to choose one. He chose basketball, which he still plays this very day. In his four years of high school, Vincent is the first and, so far, the only player on the varsity basketball team selected to start in each game spanning the four years of high school. The high school’s basketball team won All-City First Team, All-City GMVC First Team and the news about the team mentioned Vincent M. Ward as one of the best basketball players in Ohio.

Vincent decided it was a good time to pursue another dream. He decided to dance. He paired up with his childhood friend, Broderick “ Night” Dumas. The two of them went on to enter and win numerous dance contests. They formed a dance duo and called themselves “Night and Day” a.k.a. The Twin Towers, (since “Night” stood 6’5” and Vincent stood 6’4”). The dynamic duo was approached by many professional entertainers to perform. Day and Night signed with Dr. Ease and the Ease Town Posse, and toured with such groups as Public Enemy, MC Light, X-Clan, MC Hammer, Heavy D and The Boys and others. Eventually, Vincent decided to sign with the “Slam Syndicate” which led him to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. One evening, Vincent attended a local play. He was impressed and intrigued by the artistry and performances by the actors. He instantly knew this was what he wanted for a career. He had no training or experience, but he didn’t let that stop him. In fact, that next week, Vincent auditioned for his first play.

Since the year 2000, he’s had over 50 roles in numerous television shows, movies, and plays. This talented actor also has co-starred Black Jesus, Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland, ATLANTA, 2 Broke Girls, Psych, Middle Man, Family Ties, Whitney, Army Wives, General Hospital, Wilfred, Psych, Body Of Proof, Gary Unmarried, Dollhouse, The Game, Girlfriends, Unhitched, Head Cases, C.S.I, The Bold and the Beautiful, Robbery Homicide, Viva Laughlin, CSI Miami, Big Shots, Desperate Housewives, Days Of Our Lives, The Wire and from 2006-2008 he had a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris.

His most notable turn was in the mega hit TV show The Walking Dead, where he played the character of “Oscar” for seven episodes. He mades his debut appearance in the Season 3 premiere alongside Axel, Tomas, Andrew, and Big Tiny. Unlike some of the other prisoners (namely Tomas and Andrew), Oscar is brave, honorable and much nicer, along with Axel and Big Tiny. He dies in the Woodbury assault while trying to save Glenn and Maggie in the mid-season finale of Season 3.

No stranger to the big screenVincent also has supporting rolls in Bringing down the House, Mirror Mirror, -Evil, Oceans 11, and Traffic.

But, you could argue that his performance in this commercial was his real star turn.

Who’s heart didn’t melt while watching that?

Ward is an active actor in Hollywood, and a budding entrepreneur. Bet on him to keep making the Miami Valley proud.

‘Juan of the Dead’ Zombie Dog

Here is something you will not see anywhere else. The Big Ragu and Crew had a VIP experience at last weekend’s Horror Hound convention in Sharonville. We had a Food Adventure with Merle & Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead (Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker)! Featured along with the Cast of the Walking Dead and many celebrities was a Dayton’s own, Zombie Dogz. Typically a food truck, it was a little different this time for the gourmet hot dog masters. They operated out of a catering booth inside the convention center. Owners of Zombie Dogz, Lee and David VanArtsdalen and Horror Hound Magazine’s Eric Crowley personally invited us to the event and set us up for an unforgettable Food Adventure.

The Big Ragu and Crew shared some iconic Dayton foods with the celebrities:

We had a Zombie Dog with a Reservoir Dog. That’s right, we dined and joked with Michael Madsen. Michael was a great sport, and he didn’t carve our ear off. He shared some good Hollywood stories and laughs with us. We also learned he was telling other celebrities about his time with us and the Zombie Dogz.

Legendary horror film director John Carpenter also enjoyed one of Dayton’s Zombie Dogz with us, while he was wearing some pretty sweet black velvet sweat pants. It was almost as scary as his film “Halloween.” Meeting this giant of the film industry was priceless.

We gave a hungry Twisted Sister Frontman Dee Snider some Mikesell’s Good n Hot Potato chips. In fact, the whole cast of his show “Holliston” shared the bag. What does Dee wanna do with his chips? ‘He wants them hot, HOT !’ This Celebrity Apprentice star loved the taste of Mikesells, and we were not ‘fired’ in the boardroom.

Dee Snider from Twisted Sister & Celeb Apprentice loves Mikesells Chips

The star of the scary Candyman movies Tony Todd, loved the box of Esther Price Candies we gave him. He enjoyed them so much, he gave us a high five the next day. Even movie stars like the Candyman love Esther Price Candies !

Remember the classic 60’s TV show The Munsters? Well, we ate Muenster cheese with Eddie Munster, thanks to Murray’s Cheese from Kroger in Centerville. Eddie, played by Butch Patrick, appreciated it so much, he signed a photo for us!

The Big Ragu and Crew ate lunch with Bengals Defensive Tackle Domata Peko . We enjoyed some LaRosa’s Pizza while sitting with his family. Domata is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is also a horror movie fan like us, and was excited to meet the various celebs.

Where else can you see this kind of stuff? Only here, only Food Adventures and Dayton Most Metro. Often imitated, never duplicated.

The Big Ragu also shared French Bread and Perrier Sparkling Mineral Water with 80’s babe Diane Franklin from the movie “Better Off Dead.” If you saw the movie, you get the significance of the food items, ‘and to drink…. Peru’ . These days Diane is promoting her new book “Diane Franklin: The Excellent Adventures of the Last American, French-Exchange Babe of the 80s.” You can buy the book here on Amazon.com.

We hung out with other famous horror actors including Lew Temple, Sid Haig, Tom Savini, Irwin Keyes, Robert Mukes and many other costumed monsters. The original car from the movie Christine was there, we wanted to take it to the Root Beer Stande Drive in but she turned us down. Special mention to our friends at S.T.A.R.S Cincinnati, a costumed fan group of the movie “Resident Evil.” They do charity appearances and their slogan is “We kill zombies for charity.” Speaking of Zombies….

The “Calling in Dead” Zombie Dog has Mac N Cheese on top

About Zombie Dogz:

Have you tried a Zombie Dog? These hot dogs are so big, that they almost look like kielbasa sausages. The menu at Zombie Dogz is pretty simple. It all starts with large, juicy all beef hot dog. The hot dog is placed into a wonderful sandwich roll, strong enough to hold the hot dog and ingredients intact. What makes a zombie dog special is the choice of toppings. Each Zombie Dog has a creative name based on those toppings. The menu is constantly evolving with new creations, but The Big Ragu and Hungry Jax ate these hot dogs all weekend and want to share our favorites.

Zombe’ Grande – The all beef hot dog is topped with cheese queso sauce, lettuce, cilantro sour cream, jalapeno bacon bits and crushed corn chips. The mix of the cheese sauce and crushed corn chips are a gooey, tasty combination that won us over. This was definitely one of our favorites

Juan of the Dead – An all beef frank topped with Swiss cheese, homemade bbq pulled pork, sweet and tangy mustard and pickles. The pulled pork and pickles really make this gourmet hot dog. The Big Ragu say this is a must eat!

The Nibbler – This time they wrap the hot dog in bacon, then smother it in spicy chili. The zombie dog is then topped off with diced red onion, sweet & tangy mustard, and shredded muenster cheese. This one really woke up our taste buds and is a Food Adventure in your mouth.

Owners Dave and Lee VanArtsdalen of Zombie Dogz, with Co-founder/Marketer Michael Whitaker

Calling in Dead – This over the top creation tops the hot dog with homemade mac n cheese. The creamy mac n cheese is cooked in truffle oil for a magnificent flavor. The final touch in this hot dog is a sprinkle of truffle salt and cracker crumbs. This hot dog was so rich, we could hardly finish it. It packed a powerful punch on our appetites, but we couldn’t stop eating it.

Brain Daddy – This was the most Caribbean style hot dog that we tried. The all beef dog is topped with slow roasted mango habanero pulled pork. It was also topped with pineapple-cherry salsa. The final dash of white and black sesame seeds finishes this masterpiece. This gourmet dog promises to have your taste buds dancing the mambo.

The Horror Hound Weekend was incredible. We got to meet Dayton horror film makers like our pals from Concept Media Films. We even bought a couple of their Dayton-made DVD’s! Meanwhile The Big Ragu was distracted by the Jersey girls over at GorgeousAndGory.com. Supporting local people and making new Food Adventure fans seemed to sum up this fantastic experience.

This Zombie Dog is called “The Nibbler”

Miami Valley foodies should keep their eye open for events featuring the Zombie Dogz Food Truck and their unique creations. The hot dogs will satisfy your hunger at the not so bad price of $6.50 per dog. There are even have veggie dog options. Want to catch Zombie Dogz Food Truck’s next event? Then visit Dayton’s Crafty-Con on April 5th. The event will be held from 5pm to 11pm at the Yellow Cab Building on 700 East 4th St. Tell the zombies that The Big Ragu sent you !

Feel free to comment on the Zombie Dogz Food Truck below. Also share any thoughts about Horror Hound Weekend as well.

“Like” Food Adventures on Facebook by clicking here, unless you are scared of zombies and good times.

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Dayton Made: Famous People From Our City: Vincent M. Ward

Walking Dead Food Adventure & Zombie Dogz at Horror Hound Weekend