David M. Ford is best known publicly as the first husband of American actress and singer Cybill Shepherd and the father of actress Clementine Ford. Unlike Shepherd, whose career has included major film and television roles, Ford has spent most of his life outside the celebrity spotlight. Reliable sources connect him primarily with Memphis, Tennessee, the automotive parts business, and some involvement in music and entertainment.

Ford and Shepherd married in 1978 after Shepherd returned to her hometown of Memphis during a transitional period in her career. Their daughter, Clementine Ford, was born in 1979. The marriage ended in 1982, shortly before Shepherd began the television comeback that would eventually lead to her celebrated role opposite Bruce Willis in Moonlighting.

Because David M. Ford has not maintained the kind of public career associated with his former wife, many basic biographical details about him remain unavailable from authoritative sources. There is no reliable basis for publishing a precise age, date of birth, net worth or current occupation.

Quick Bio

Field	Details
Full Name	David M. Ford
Known For	First husband of Cybill Shepherd
Profession/Public Role	Former auto-parts manager/dealer; also associated with music and management
Nationality	Not reliably confirmed in authoritative public sources
Family/Relationship Connection	Former husband of Cybill Shepherd; father of Clementine Ford
Public Profile	Private individual with limited historical connections to entertainment
Latest Known Information	Recent coverage continues to identify him primarily through his former marriage and daughter; no substantial current public career information is confirmed

Ford’s professional background is described somewhat differently across public sources. A contemporary Washington Post profile identified him as a former auto-parts manager and noted that he played guitar during Shepherd’s performances, while reference material has described him as an auto-parts manager, musician and manager.

Who Is David M. Ford?

David M. Ford is a private figure whose name became part of Hollywood history because of his marriage to Cybill Shepherd.

Shepherd had already achieved major fame before meeting Ford. Her screen career began with Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show and continued with films including The Heartbreak Kid and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. After her relationship with Bogdanovich ended in 1978, she returned to Memphis, where she met Ford.

Recent biographical coverage in People describes Ford as an auto parts dealer whom Shepherd met after returning to Memphis. The couple married after knowing one another for a relatively short period.

Ford was not simply a name appearing beside Shepherd’s in marriage records. Contemporary reporting gives a small but useful picture of his life at the time. In December 1979, The Washington Post described Shepherd as living in Memphis with Ford and their daughter Clementine. Ford was identified as a former auto parts manager and was seen providing guitar accompaniment during Shepherd’s performances.

Why Is David M. Ford Publicly Searched?

Interest in David M. Ford is largely connected to searches about Cybill Shepherd’s husbands, marriages and children.

Shepherd has remained recognizable across several generations. Her early film career made her a prominent figure in 1970s Hollywood, while Moonlighting introduced her to a large television audience during the 1980s. Her later sitcom Cybill brought another period of major television visibility. That continuing interest naturally leads readers to research her personal history.

Ford is particularly relevant because he was Shepherd’s first husband and the father of her eldest child.

His daughter, Clementine Ford, later became an actress herself, appearing in television productions including The L Word. That provides another reason Ford’s name continues to surface in celebrity-family searches.

David M. Ford and Cybill Shepherd

David M. Ford and Cybill Shepherd married on November 19, 1978, according to established biographical reference material. Their relationship developed during Shepherd’s return to Memphis after an intense period of Hollywood fame.

By 1979, Ford and Shepherd were living in Memphis with their daughter Clementine. Contemporary reporting from that period is particularly valuable because it describes Ford while he was actually part of Shepherd’s daily and professional life rather than reconstructing his story decades later.

The marriage ultimately ended in 1982. Modern retrospectives on Shepherd continue to confirm that timeline.

Following the divorce, Shepherd returned her focus to acting. Her television career accelerated during the 1980s, culminating in her breakthrough role as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting.

Ford, meanwhile, remained far less visible publicly.

Their Daughter, Clementine Ford

David M. Ford and Cybill Shepherd have one daughter together, Clementine Ford, who was born in Memphis in 1979.

Clementine eventually followed her mother into acting. Her credits include appearances connected with The L Word, a series in which Shepherd also appeared. Her public biography consistently identifies David M. Ford as her father.

The connection is important when understanding why David Ford remains searchable decades after his marriage ended. He belongs to a family whose members have remained associated with American film and television, even though Ford himself chose—or at least maintained—a much less public presence.

David M. Ford’s Career and Entertainment Background

Descriptions of Ford’s career require some care because online biographies sometimes simplify his occupation to “entertainer.”

Better-documented sources offer a more detailed picture.

A 1979 Washington Post profile described him as a former auto-parts manager and noted that he played guitar during Shepherd’s live performances.

Biographical reference material has likewise described David Ford as an auto parts manager and musician.

A later profile of Shepherd described him as a Memphis auto parts dealer, reinforcing the automotive side of his background.

Some secondary sources describe Ford as a nightclub entertainer. That description is not necessarily inconsistent with his musical activity, but it would be misleading to present “entertainer” as his only firmly established profession. The strongest available evidence suggests that his working life included both the automotive sector and some involvement with music or entertainment.

There is no reliable public record establishing a substantial film or television acting career for David M. Ford.

What Is Publicly Confirmed About David M. Ford?

Several facts can be stated with reasonable confidence.

Ford married Cybill Shepherd in 1978, and they became parents to Clementine Ford the following year. Contemporary journalism places the family in Memphis and describes Ford as having worked in auto parts while also playing guitar. Their marriage ended in 1982.

Reference sources additionally associate him with musical and management work.

These relatively modest facts form the reliable core of David M. Ford’s biography.

That may seem limited compared with the amount of information available about his famous former wife, but publishing only what can be supported is preferable to filling the gaps with assumptions.

What Remains Private?

A substantial portion of David M. Ford’s life remains private.

There is no sufficiently authoritative public information confirming his exact date of birth, present age, education, personal wealth or current occupation.

His nationality should also not be assumed solely from his connection to Memphis. Living and working in the United States does not, by itself, establish nationality, so it is safer to leave that status unconfirmed.

Likewise, there is no credible basis for publishing a specific net worth for David M. Ford. Celebrity-oriented websites sometimes attach financial figures to people connected with famous actors, but such numbers are meaningless without reliable financial records or attributable reporting.

His current personal relationships and living arrangements should also remain outside responsible coverage unless Ford himself or a trustworthy public source makes that information relevant and public.

David M. Ford’s Net Worth

No reliable public estimate of David M. Ford’s net worth is available.

Ford does not have the extensive documentation of an entertainment career, public company holdings, or disclosed business interests necessary to calculate a responsible financial estimate.

Any website presenting a precise figure without evidence should therefore be treated cautiously. Cybill Shepherd’s financial history or career earnings cannot reasonably be used to estimate a former spouse’s personal wealth decades after divorce.

Latest Public Information

As of August 2026, David M. Ford continues to appear mainly in retrospective reporting about Cybill Shepherd and her family rather than through independent news about his own life.

A 2025 People retrospective again identified Ford as the auto parts dealer Shepherd married in Memphis and confirmed their daughter Clementine and their 1982 separation. A 2026 People feature covering the Taxi Driver cast likewise summarized Shepherd’s marriage to David M. Ford from 1978 to 1982 and identified Clementine as their daughter.

Those recent references do not provide a verified current profession, location or new public role for Ford. That absence should not be filled with speculation.

Final Thoughts

David M. Ford occupies an unusual place in celebrity history. He was briefly connected to Hollywood through his marriage to Cybill Shepherd. Yet, the available evidence portrays him largely as a Memphis-based man whose background included the auto parts business, music, and some management or entertainment activity.

He and Shepherd married in 1978, welcomed daughter Clementine Ford in 1979 and divorced in 1982. Those are the central facts supported consistently by historical and modern sources.

Beyond that, David M. Ford has maintained a remarkably limited public footprint. A trustworthy biography should respect that boundary rather than invent an age, fortune, career history or private-life narrative simply because readers are curious.

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(FAQs)

Who is David M. Ford?

David M. Ford is best known as the first husband of actress and singer Cybill Shepherd and the father of actress Clementine Ford. Historical sources also associate him with the auto-parts business and music.

Was David M. Ford married to Cybill Shepherd?

Yes. David M. Ford and Cybill Shepherd married in 1978 and divorced in 1982.

Did David M. Ford and Cybill Shepherd have children?

Yes. They have one daughter together, actress Clementine Ford, born in 1979.

What did David M. Ford do for a living?

Contemporary reporting described Ford as a former auto-parts manager who also played guitar. Other biographical materials describe him as an auto parts manager and musician.

Was David M. Ford an entertainer?

Some sources describe David Ford as an entertainer or nightclub entertainer. Stronger historical sources provide more specific evidence of his work in auto parts and his involvement with music, including playing guitar during Shepherd’s performances.

What is David M. Ford’s net worth?

David M. Ford’s net worth has not been publicly established. There is insufficient credible financial information to provide a reliable estimate.