Oliver Reed

Born: 1938-02-13 in Wimbledon, London, England, UK

Died: 1999-05-02

Known For: Acting

Biography

Robert Oliver Reed (February 13, 1938 – May 2, 1999) was an English actor known for his "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his notable films include The Trap (1966), playing Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner Oliver! (a film directed by his uncle Carol Reed), Women in Love (1969), Hannibal Brooks (1969), The Devils (1971), portraying Athos in The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974); the lover and stepfather in Tommy (1975), Funny Bones (1995) and Gladiator (2000). For playing Antonius Proximo, the old, gruff gladiator trainer in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, in what was his final film, Reed was posthumously nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2000. At the peak of his career, in 1971, British exhibitors voted Reed fifth most popular star at the box office. The British Film Institute (BFI) stated that "partnerships with Michael Winner and Ken Russell in the mid-60s saw Reed become an emblematic Brit-flick icon", but from the mid-1970s his alcoholism began affecting his career, with the BFI adding "Reed had assumed Robert Newton's mantle as Britain's thirstiest thespian".

Filmography

2012

Director of Devils as Self
The Devils Original on-set footage

2005

Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' as Self

2003

Celebrity Naked Ambition as Self (archive footage)

2002

Living Famously as (archive footage)
L'esattore (parodia de "Il gladiatore")

2000

Gladiator as Proximo
The Real Oliver Reed as Self (archive footage)
Hellraisers as Self (archive footage)
Orpheus & Eurydice as Narrator

1999

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' as Self (archive footage)
Parting Shots as Jamie Campbell-Stewart

1998

Jeremiah as General Safan
The Incredible Adventures of Marco Polo as Captain Cornelius Donovan

1996

The Bruce as Bishop Wisharton
Superbrain as Professor Norbert Marcus

1995

1994

The World of Hammer as Narrator
The World of Hammer: Chiller as narrator
The World of Hammer: Vamp as Narrator (voice)
The World of Hammer: Lands Before Time as Narrator
The World of Hammer: Wicked Women as Narrator (voice)
The World of Hammer: Trials of War as Narrator

1993

Return to Lonesome Dove as Gregor Dunnigan

1992

Severed Ties as Dr. Hans Vaughan

1991

The Pit and the Pendulum as Cardinal
Prisoner of Honor as Gen. de Boisdeffre
Alex Higgins: I'm No Angel as Self

1990

The Word
Treasure Island as Billy Bones
A Ghost in Monte Carlo as The Rajah
Hired to Kill as Michael Bartos
That's Action as General Turner (archive footage) (uncredited)
Panama Sugar as Generale

1989

The Return of the Musketeers as Athos
The House of Usher as Roderick Usher
The Revenger as Jack Fisher

1988

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Vulcan
The Lady and the Highwayman as Sir Phillip Gage
Skeleton Coast as Captain Simpson
Blind Justice as Ian Ballinger
Captive Rage as General Belmondo
Rage to Kill as General Turner

1987

The Best of Max Headroom as Self
Gor as Sarm
The Misfit Brigade as The General
Dragonard as Captain Shanks
Master of Dragonard Hill as Captain Shanks

1986

Castaway as Gerald Kingsland
Captive as Gregory Le Vay

1985

The Max Headroom Show as Self
Christopher Columbus as Martin Pinzon
Black Arrow as Sir Brackley

1983

Masquerade as Peter Serkov / Wolfen
Two of a Kind as Beasley
The Sting II as Lonnegan
Spasms as Jason Kincaid
Fanny Hill as Edward Widdlecome
Clash of Loyalties as Colonel Leachman

1981

Lion of the Desert as General Rodolfo Graziani
Venom as Dave Averconnelly
Condorman as Krokov

1980

Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype as Dr. Henry Heckyl/Mr. Hype

1979

The Brood as Dr. Hal Raglan
A Touch of the Sun as Captain Daniel Nelson

1975

Tommy as Frank
Lisztomania as Princess Carolyn's Servant
Royal Flash as Otto von Bismarck

1974

And Then There Were None as Hugh Lombard
The Four Musketeers as Athos
Mahler as Train Conductor (uncredited)
Blue Blood as Tom the butler

1973

The Three Musketeers as Athos
Dirty Weekend as Fabrizo
Revolver as Vito Cipriani
One Russian Summer as Palizyn

1972

Sitting Target as Harry Lomart
Z.P.G. as Russ
The Triple Echo as Arthur, the Sergeant

1971

Film '72 as Self
The Devils as Father Urbain Grandier
The Hunting Party as Frank Calder

1970

The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun as Michael Caldwell
Take a Girl Like You as Patrick Standish

1969

Women in Love as Gerald Crich
The Assassination Bureau as Ivan Dragomiloff
Hannibal Brooks as Brooks

1968

Oliver! as Bill Sikes

1967

I'll Never Forget What's'isname as Andrew Quint
The Shuttered Room as Ethan
The Jokers as David Tremayne
Dante's Inferno as Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1966

The Trap as La Bete

1965

The Party's Over as Moise
The Brigand of Kandahar as Ali Kahn
Always on Sunday as Narrator (voice)
The Debussy Film as Claude Debussy

1964

R3 as Dr. Richard Franklin
The System as Tinker

1963

Paranoiac as Simon Ashby
The Scarlet Blade as Captain Sylvester

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
The Saint as Joe Catelli
The Pirates of Blood River as Pirate Brocaire
Captain Clegg as Harry Cobtree
The Damned as King

1961

The Curse of the Werewolf as Leon Corledo
No Love for Johnnie as Man with Bucket on His Head (uncredited)
The Rebel as Artist in Cafe
His and Hers as Oliver Borlinski

1960

The League of Gentlemen as Chorus Boy (uncredited)
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll as Nightclub Bouncer (uncredited)
Sword of Sherwood Forest as Lord Melton (uncredited)
Life Is a Circus as Spectator at Sideshow (uncredited)
Beat Girl as Plaid Shirt
The Angry Silence as Mick
The Bulldog Breed as Teddy Boy in Cinema Fight (uncredited)
Hello London as Photographer (uncredited)

1959

The Third Man as Pepi
Knight Errant Limited as Benny Falconer
The Captain's Table as Suntanning Passenger (uncredited)
Upstairs and Downstairs as Train Passenger (uncredited)

1958

Monitor as Claude Debussy
The Square Peg as (uncredited)

1955

Value for Money as Extra (uncredited)