Oliver Reed: 2/13/38-5/2/99

Born in 1938 on February 13th in Wimbledon England, Oliver Reed seemed far from Hollywood. But after "bouncing" (quite literally) from job to job, it didn't take this high school dropout long to create his niche as a heavy in the film industry.

Throughout his long-spanning career, Reed's cup runneth over with a double-fisted dose of work and play. With more than 60 films to his credit, he averaged anywhere from 3 to 5 films a year. Likewise his family life was full-- there were children and wives. Though his most famous relative was his uncle, director Sir Carol Reed--who offered him little assistance in the film business. In fact, Reed (the younger) had to persuade Reed (the elder) to cast him as Bill Sykes in the award-winning musical Oliver! in 1968.

Despite assumptions of nepotism, it was Reed's own rough good-looks and dangerous machismo that made him a sought-after actor, especially in England where other leading men paled against Reed's dark screen presence. Indeed, it's hard to believe that his uncle was hesitant to hire him since he was perfect for the part and had already established himself as an actor.

Seven years earlier, Reed landed his first leading role in Curse of the Werewolf, after briefly appearing in the backgrounds of low-budget pictures. Quickly thereafter, he became typecast as the villain in suspense dramas, costumed sagas, and additional horror movies. From The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll in 1960 to Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype in 1980, Reed would spend decades playing similar characters in familiar genres.

Occasionally he got to portray a protagonist. And in these cases he received critical acclaim and international notoriety, particularly with the films directed by Ken Russell (Women in Love, The Devils), Richard Lester (The Three/Four Musketeers) and Michael Winner (The Jokers, I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name). These same directors also required Reed to play antagonists in Tommy, Royal Flash and The Big Sleep, respectively. But whatever the role called for, heroic or evil, Reed delivered. With the exception of a cult following from early Hammer films, almost all of Reed's popular success and cinematic credibility stem from the body of work created by Russell, Lester, and Winner. In fact, a posthumous comeback for Reed can also be attributed to Winner, who cast him in Parting Shots in 1999.

Regardless of his roles, Reed received publicity about his off-screen antics. Reports of his arrests were interspersed with gossip of partying with pals Lee Marvin and Keith Moon and combatting with costars Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson, and Stuart Whitman. Public feuds with Richard Harris and Shelley Winters were also ongoing. In short, Reed became as well-known for madcap drinking and barroom brawls as his fictional screen image personified. These habits invariably led to his demise, as he died shortly after drinking with friends in Malta, where he was shooting Gladiator in May of 1999. --J.R. Via

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