Walter Reed (actor)

Walter Reed
Reed in The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950)
Born
Walter Reed Smith

(1916-02-10)February 10, 1916
DiedAugust 20, 2001(2001-08-20) (aged 85)
OccupationActor
Years active1925–1972
Spouse
Elizabeth Boyer Bryce
(m. 1937; died 1988)
Children3[1]

Walter Reed (born Walter Reed Smith, February 10, 1916 – August 20, 2001) was an American stage, film and television actor.[2]

Biography

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Reed was born in 1916 in Fort Ward, Washington. Following a stint as a Broadway actor, Reed broke into films in 1941. He appeared in several features for RKO Radio Pictures, including the last two Mexican Spitfire comedies (in which Reed replaced Buddy Rogers as the Spitfire's husband). Perhaps his most memorable role was as the spineless wagon driver husband of Gail Russell in the western Seven Men from Now. Reed also appeared in the very first Superman theatrical feature film Superman and the Mole Men in 1951.

In 1951 Reed made two film serials for Republic Pictures; Reed strongly resembled former Republic leading man Ralph Byrd, enabling Republic to insert old action scenes of Byrd into the new Reed footage. Republic wanted to sign Reed for additional serials but Reed declined, preferring not to be type cast as a serial star.

After appearing in 90 films and numerous television programs, such as Perry Mason, John Payne's The Restless Gun, and Gunsmoke (as Joe Garrett in 1957, series 2, episode 22), Reed changed careers and became a real estate investor and broker in Santa Cruz, California in the late 1960s.

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/walter-reed-9130275.html [bare URL]
  2. ^ "WALTER REED". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
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