Everything about Robert Reed totally explained
Robert Reed (
October 19,
1932 –
May 12,
1992) was an
Emmy Award-nominated
American stage and
television actor.
Biography
Born
John Robert Rietz, Jr. in
Highland Park, Illinois, Reed spent much of his childhood in
Muskogee, Oklahoma and later studied
Shakespeare in college, where he was a member of
Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Career
He first gained fame in the early 1960s for starring along with
E.G. Marshall in the television drama series
The Defenders from 1961 to 1965 and later on the sitcom
The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974. After winning the role of
Mike Brady, he later became unhappy with his part, feeling that acting in the often silly
sitcom was beneath his serious Shakespearean training. Despite his discontent with the show as a whole, by most accounts he genuinely liked and was beloved as a father figure by his fellow cast members on
The Brady Bunch. As a result of his unhappiness with the
Brady Bunch’s content, Reed constantly argued with the show's creator,
Sherwood Schwartz, and he'd frequently present Schwartz with multi-page memos detailing why a character's motivation didn't make sense, or why it was wrong for one episode to combine elements of different styles, such as farce and satire. One such argument even resulted in his being completely written out of the show's final episode. Reed was happy when the show ended, but he did return for
The Brady Bunch Hour and the made-for-TV movies and series that reunited the
Brady cast in the years to come.
During the run of
The Brady Bunch, Reed also had a recurring role as
Lt. Adam Tobias on the television drama
Mannix from 1967 to 1975 for most of its run.
After the end of
The Brady Bunch in 1974, Reed acted on the stage and made many guest star appearances on other television shows and
television movies, including
Pray for the Wildcats (1974). He won critical acclaim for his portrayal of a doctor who wants to undergo a sex-change operation in a two-part episode of
Medical Center in 1975. Reed also appeared in
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976),
Rich Man, Poor Man(1976) and
Roots (1977). He also guest starred on
Wonder Woman (1976), playing the Falcon. Other notable guest appearances include:
Hawaii 5-0 (1979),
Charlie's Angels (1980),
Vega$ (1981), and
Murder, She Wrote for at least three appearances. Reed played the regular role of Dr. Adam Rose in the hospital drama
Nurse during the 1981-1982 television season. In 1986, he played the role of Lloyd Kendall on the daytime soap opera
Search for Tomorrow.
In 1971, Reed was the defendant in
Anglia TV v. Reed, an important case in English contract common law. Reed lost the lawsuit for £2,750.
Personal life
Like many
gay actors then and now, Reed was secretive about his sexuality. Several of his partners have since come out and stated that he threatened them after sex, that he wanted his homosexuality to remain hidden. Although gay, he was briefly married to Marilyn Rosenberg (1957-1959). The union produced one daughter, Caroline Reed, who was born 1958. Caroline had a small role in an episode of
The Brady Bunch entitled, "The Slumber Caper." Her character's name was Karen and she's credited as "Carolyn Reed". This episode also reunited Reed with his co-star from
The Defenders,
E.G. Marshall. On the Brady Bunch anniversary, "Still Brady after All these Years," the cast mentioned him taking co-star
Florence Henderson out to dinner several times.
Robert Reed died in 1992 at age 59 in
Pasadena, California, from
Cancer; he was suffering from complications of
AIDS at the time. He is buried in
Skokie, Illinois.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Robert Reed'.
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