William Reynolds (actor)
William Reynolds (born December 9, 1931 in Los Angeles , California ) is an American former actor .
life and career
William Reynolds was born into a family of Norwegian descent in Los Angeles. His mother died when he was just five years old. He studied acting and radio hosting at Pasadena City College in Pasadena . After a few theater appearances, Paramount Pictures signed him to Hollywood. He made his film debut in 1951 with a supporting role in the family comedy Dear Brat , directed by William A. Seiter . In the same year he played in the biography Rommel, the desert fox as Manfred Rommel, the son of the main character.
In the 1950s, he was best known for his supporting roles in Hollywood films, primarily for Universal Pictures . Above all, Reynolds embodied the film sons of the big stars: from Laurence Olivier in William Wyler's drama Carrie (1952), from Fred MacMurray in There's Always a Tomorrow (1956) and as the morally strict son of Jane Wyman in the renowned melodrama What Heaven Permits (1955 ). With three films ( Has Anybody Seen My Gal? , All That Heaven Allows , There is always a tomorrow ) was Reynolds directed by Douglas Sirk , who cast the young actor in the role of each family's son. While Reynolds appearances in larger film productions were limited to supporting roles, he also took on leading roles in some B-movies . He was the main actor in the B-movie The Thing That Couldn't Die , which is still well known today, not least because of its involuntary comedy.
Overall, Reynolds was denied the big breakthrough as a film star. Towards the end of the 1950s, the actor turned more to television and played leading roles in the three rather short-lived television series Pete Kelly's Blues (1959), The Islanders (1960) and The Gallant Men (1962). It was only his role as special agent Tom Colby in the series The FBI that brought him sustained success with a broad television audience. Overall, he played the role in 161 episodes up to 1974. After the setting of The FBI , Reynolds withdrew largely from the acting business and then worked as a businessman in the Los Angeles area. He last appeared in front of the camera in 1989 for David O. Russell's short film Hariway to the Stars .
Reynolds was married to actress Molly Sinclair from 1950 until her death in 1992. You have two children.
Filmography (selection)
- 1951: Dear Brat
- 1951: Rommel, der Wüstenfuchs (The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel)
- 1951: Escape from Death (The Cimarron Kid)
- 1952: Has anyone seen my bride? (Has Anybody Seen My Gal?)
- 1952: The Battle of Apachenpaß (The Battle at Apache Pass)
- 1952: Carrie
- 1952: The son of Ali Baba (Son of Ali Baba)
- 1953: The World Is His (The Mississippi Gambler)
- 1955: Cult of the Cobra
- 1955: All That Heaven Allows (All That Heaven Allows)
- 1956: There's Always Tomorrow (There's Always Tomorrow)
- 1956: Away All Boats
- 1957: The flight to hell (The Land Unknown)
- 1958: The Thing That Couldn't Die
- 1959: Pete Kelly's Blues (TV series, 13 episodes)
- 1960: Twilight Zone (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1960–1961: The Islanders (TV series, 24 episodes)
- 1962–1963: The Gallant Men (TV series, 26 episodes)
- 1964: The Blue Squadron (A Distant Trumpet)
- 1966: Forty Daredevils (Follow Me, Boys!)
- 1966–1974: FBI (TV series, 161 episodes)
- 1978: Project UFO (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1989: Hairway to the Stars (short film)
Web links
- William Reynolds in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Reynolds, William |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 9, 1931 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles , California , USA |