Alan Reed

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Alan Reed (* 20th August 1907 in New York City as Theodore Bergman ; † 14. June 1977 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor.

life and career

Alan Reed was born into a Jewish family in New York under the name Theodore Bergman. In the beginning of his career he occasionally appeared under this maiden name before he later discarded it entirely.

After Reed first studied journalism, he later decided to pursue an acting career. In the 1930s he was seen at the Provincetown Playhouse on Broadway , where he became known for his ability to imitate a total of 22 foreign dialects . Parallel to his theater career, Reed also worked with his distinctive, grumpy voice as an announcer for radio programs. He was featured on some of the most popular radio shows of the day such as The Shadow , The Fred Allen Show , Life with Luigi and My Friend Irma . From 1944 Reed also worked regularly as a film actor in Hollywood , where he impersonated mostly comedic, extroverted supporting roles. His most famous film roles included Kennedy in the film noir Im Netz der Passenschaften (1946) and the Mexican General Pancho Villa in Viva Zapata! (1952). In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) he made a brief appearance alongside Audrey Hepburn as the felon Sally Tomato, who is visited by her in Sing-Sing prison.

In English-speaking Reed on probably best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone in the animated series The Flintstones be, which was produced from 1960 to 1,966. In subsequent films and television series, he played the role of Fred Flinstone until his death. Reed was also considered the inventor of Fred Flintstone's famous exclamation Yabba Dabba Doo! , which has become a household word in the USA. In the 1970s, Reed withdrew from the acting business, with a few exceptions. He died of a heart attack in 1977, two months before his 70th birthday, after a long illness. He was married to his wife Finette Walker (1909-2005) from 1932 until his death, they had three children. One of them is the former actor Alan Reed junior (* 1936).

Filmography (selection)

  • 1937: Teddy Bergman's Bar-BQ (short film)
  • 1944: Days of Glory
  • 1945: Nob Hill
  • 1946: The Postman Always Rings Twice (The Postman Always Rings Twice)
  • 1950: Mordache - Liebe (Perfect Strangers)
  • 1951: Wedding Parade (Here Comes the Groom)
  • 1952: Viva Zapata!
  • 1952: Life with Luigi (TV series)
  • 1953: I am the judge (I, the jury)
  • 1954: Duffy's Tavern (TV series, 38 episodes)
  • 1954: The world belongs to women (Woman's World)
  • 1955: Susi und Tramp ( Lady and the Tramp ; voice only)
  • 1955: The Far Horizons
  • 1955: On a Day Like Any Other (The Desperate Hours)
  • 1956: On the Rails to Hell (Time Table)
  • 1957: Duel in the Clouds (The Tarnished Angels)
  • 1957–1958: Mr. Adams and Eve (TV series, six episodes)
  • 1958: The Love of Marjorie Morningstar (Marjorie Morningstar)
  • 1960–1966: The Feuerstein family (TV series, 166 episodes; voice only)
  • 1961: Breakfast at Tiffany's (Breakfast at Tiffany's)
  • 1962–1963: The New Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Series (TV series, 38 episodes; voice only)
  • 1965: The Addams Family (TV series, episode)
  • 1966: Dr. Kildare (TV series, three episodes)
  • 1969: Matzoukas, the Greek (A Dream of Kings)
  • 1970: Shinbone Alley
  • 1971: The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (TV series, 16 episodes; voice only)
  • 1977: Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (TV series, 40 episodes; voice only)
  • 1978: The Seniors

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Alan Reed at the New York Times
  2. ↑ Alan Reed in the Internet Movie Database (English)
personal data
SURNAME Reed, Alan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bergman, Theodore (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 20, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH June 14, 1977
Place of death Los Angeles , California