George Reeves
George Reeves Bessolo (* 5. January 1914 as George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock , Iowa ; † 16th June 1959 in Beverly Hills , Los Angeles ) was an American actor. He became known as Superman in the television series Superman , which was made from 1952 to 1958.
Life
After Reeves decided against a planned career as a boxer, he began to gain experience as a theater actor at the Pasadena Playhouse . Reeves made his film debut in 1939 with a supporting role in the classic film Gone With the Wind , together with Fred Crane he played the red-haired Tarleton twins in the opening scene of the film. The athletic actor then received notable supporting roles in films such as A Woman's Heart Never Forgets (1941) or Courageous Women (1943), for which he was liked by fans and critics. After his service in the Second World War , Reeves could not build on these successes, but mostly had to be content with roles in B-movies.
After the pilot film Superman and the Mole-Men in 1951, he played between 1952 and 1958 in a total of 102 episodes the role of the superhero Superman in the television series of the same name. The fledgling medium of television suddenly made him a famous actor, although he was determined to play the role of Superman. It is often said that he did not receive any more lucrative offers after the series was discontinued, but at the time of his death he is said to have had several film projects in the starting blocks.
Three days before his planned wedding to Leonore Lemmon, Reeves was killed by a gun in his bedroom. Officially declared as suicide , there are still doubts about this version. In the film The Hollywood Conspiracy (2006), which deals with the investigation into the death of the actor, Ben Affleck plays the leading role of Reeves, for which he was honored with the Coppa Volpi as "best actor" at the 2006 Venice Film Festival .
Filmography (selection)
- 1939: Gone with the Wind ( Gone with the Wind )
- 1940: Tropical Zone ( Torrid Zone )
- 1941: Most Beautiful in Town ( The Strawberry Blonde )
- 1941: Charlie Chan on the treasure hunt ship ( Dead Men Tell )
- 1941: King of the Toreros ( Blood and Sand )
- 1941: A woman's heart never forgets ( Lydia )
- 1943: Freight for Missouri ( Buckskin Empire )
- 1943: Courageous Women ( So Proudly We Hail! )
- 1943: The Sheriff of Kansas (The Kansan)
- 1948: The Secret of Zimbalu ( Jungle Jim )
- 1949: The Great Lover ( The Great Lover )
- 1949: Samson and Delilah ( Samson and Delilah )
- 1951: Superman and the Mole-Men
- 1951: I Love Lucy (TV series, episode)
- 1952: Angel of the Hunted ( Rancho Notorious )
- 1952: The Black Riders of Dakota ( Bugles in the Afternoon )
- 1952–1958: Superman - Savior in Need ( Adventures of Superman ; TV series, 102 episodes)
- 1953: Gardenia - A woman wants to forget ( The Blue Gardenia )
- 1953: From Here to Eternity ( From Here to Eternity )
- 1953: A Woman's Spicy Years ( Forever Female )
- 1956: Train of the Fearless ( Westward Ho, the Wagons! )
Web links
- George Reeves in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ George Reeves at Allmovie. (American English).
- ↑ George Reeves at Allmovie. (American English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Reeves, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bessolo, George Lescher |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 5, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Woolstock , Iowa |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 16, 1959 |
| Place of death | Beverly Hills , Los Angeles |