Oliver Reed

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oliver Reed, 1968

Robert Oliver Reed (born February 13, 1938 in Wimbledon , London , † May 2, 1999 in Valletta , Malta ) was a British actor .

life and work

Oliver Reed came from a famous family: his grandfather was the renowned stage actor Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ; his uncle the well-known film director Sir Carol Reed ( The Third Man ). However, the actor has always emphasized that his uncle was not helpful in his acting career. In fact, it wasn't until 1968, when Oliver Reed was already established as a star, that Oliver Reed starred in a film made by his uncle ( Oliver ) .

From the late 1950s, Reed took on minor film and television roles. Before that he had neither taken acting classes nor gained experience as a stage actor. The actor first caused a stir in the hammer film The Curse of Siniestro from 1961, in which he appeared as a werewolf. Reed also appeared in horror films several times in the following years ( The Gang of Captain Clegg , 1962, House of Horror , You Are Damned , Both 1963, The Locked Door , 1967).

Reed quickly rose to become an international star and took on high-profile roles in films of all genres. He has appeared in adventure films such as The Pirates on the River of Death (1962), The Scarlet Blade (1963), The Last of Fort Kandahar (1965) or Like a Scream in the Wind (1966), but also in dramas such as The System (1964) and what comes after ...? (1967) or in comedies such as Mini Skirt and Crown Jewels (1967). Reed celebrated his first major success in 1968 under the direction of his uncle Carol Reed with the successful musical Oliver !, which won five Oscars in 1969 , including that for the best film of the year (Reed himself was never nominated for an Oscar). At the time, Reed was also under discussion for the role of James Bond , but the producers were of the opinion that the actor was not suitable for the role because of his lifestyle (see below).

In 1969, Reed caused a stir when he played a minute-long catch scene completely naked with Alan Bates in the romantic drama Loving Women , directed by Ken Russell . At the time, Reed was one of the highest paid stars in British cinema. He appeared in the action adventure Mörder GmbH (1969), in the war comedy Hannibal Brooks (1969) and alongside Gene Hackman in the western Quiet Blowing the Wind of Death (1971). Oliver Reed caused a special stir in 1971 in Ken Russell's The Devils , a film drama set in 17th century Paris. In addition to Vanessa Redgrave , Reed can be seen as a priest who is desired by a loving abbess and who ends up at the stake. Due to its explicit sex and torture scenes, Die Teufel became a scandal film.

In 1972 Reed appeared in the pessimistic science fiction thriller ZPG and in the action thriller Blood Red Morning . In 1973/74 he was seen alongside an international star cast in The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers - The Vengeance of Milady in the role of the hard-drinking musketeer Athos (he suffered a life-threatening stab wound on the neck while filming). In the mid-1970s he worked again for director Ken Russell in smaller roles in the films Mahler (1974) and Lisztomania (1975). He also stood in front of the camera for Russell in the film adaptation of the rock opera Tommy (1975), where he was able to prove his singing talents again after Oliver . In 1976, Reed starred in the horror film Country House of Dead Souls .

After Reed had appeared regularly in international box office hits, his career stalled in the late 1970s. Well-known character actors were rarely found in high profile roles. In 1978 he appeared in a small role in Dead Sleep Better, alongside Robert Mitchum , whom he admired , and in 1981 alongside Anthony Quinn in the adventure epic Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert . From the 1980s on, the actor was often seen in supporting roles ( Two of the same kind , 1983, Die Abenteuer des Baron Münchhausen , 1988) or appeared increasingly in TV films, including the German TV film Die Tunnelgangster von Berlin (1996). . Reed was unable to build on his earlier successes.

On May 2, 1999, Oliver Reed died of a heart attack in Valletta , Malta, while filming the film Gladiator . For the remaining scenes for which he was no longer available himself, his image was subsequently inserted from existing film material with the help of computer animation.

Oliver Reed was notorious for excessive alcohol and a dissolute lifestyle. For example, he had to leave the television talk show After Dark after appearing drunk in the studio and kissing feminist Kate Millett . Many anecdotes tell of Reed's drinkability. However, it annoyed him when he was asked about his alcohol consumption rather than his latest film on talk shows. Reed was known as a Conservative patriot and hung his house with a giant Union Jack flag during the Falklands War . He has been heavily criticized by feminists for his traditional views and behavior towards women. In 1979 he published his autobiography Reed All About Me .

Reed was married twice; from 1959 until his divorce in 1969 with Kate Burn , with whom he had a son, Mark Reed, and from 1985 until his death with Josephine Burge . From 1969 he lived with the dancer Jackie Daryl , whom he met while filming the musical film Oliver . They had a daughter, Sarah Reed.

Filmography (selection)

Individual evidence

  1. Archived copy ( memento of the original from May 10, 2009 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oliverreed.net

Web links

Commons : Oliver Reed  - Collection of Images