Ione Reed (1903–1985) was an American
film actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
, a
stunt double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
, and a safety instructor.
She played the
female lead
A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...
in a number of
silent westerns
The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...
.
Reed also worked as a stunt double, including doubling for
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate b ...
in ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' and for
Claire Trevor
Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Key Largo'' (1948), and received no ...
in ''The Desperadoes''.
In 1937 Reed was a member of an expedition to the Glapagos Islands and Central America. Sponsored by the California Zoological Society, the expedition went to collect birds and small animals for the society's Zoopark in Los Angeles. Reed was chosen to participate because of her "wide experience in handling animals".
Reed appeared in newspaper advertisements for
Camel
A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
cigarettes.
A 1941 diagnosis of makeup poisoning led to a change in careers for Reed. A doctor told her that she could not use makeup for a year, so she sought other employment. Her first job was being a hot tinner in a radio factory, and in several months she had been promoted to head of the department. After that, she went to work for Lewyt, a company that manufactured electronic equipment, including radar devices, during World War II, and there her focus turned to plant safety. After she created several devices to protect workers, her boss made her a safety supervisor. She used her acting experience in training sessions to dramatize ways to avoid dangerous situations on the job. Improvements that she suggested led to fewer accidents and increased production at the factory.
Selected filmography
* ''
A Desperate Chance
''A Desperate Chance'' is a 1913 American silent short starring Earle Foxe and Alice Hollister. Directed by Kenean Buel, the drama features the same cast and crew of the film that preceded it that year, '' A Sawmill Hazard''.
Cast
* Alice ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Fighting Luck
''Fighting Luck'' is a 1925 American silent western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Bob Reeves, Ione Reed and Lew Meehan.Munden p.242
Cast
* Bob Reeves as Tiger Slauson
* Ione Reed as Texas Houston
* William Ryno as Silver Ho ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Road Agent
''The Road Agent'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Al Hoxie, Ione Reed and Lew Meehan.Pitts p.286
Cast
* Al Hoxie as Roger Worth / The Kansas Kid
* Ione Reed as Mary Ry ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Texas Terror'' (1925)
* ''
Blue Streak O'Neil'' (1926)
* ''
Chasing Trouble'' (1926)
* ''
Bucking the Truth'' (1926)
* ''
Rider of the Law'' (1927)
* ''
Outlaw's Paradise'' (1927)
* ''
Across the Plains'' (1928)
* ''
Cheyenne Trails
''Cheyenne Trails'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Robert J. Horner and starring Ted Wells, Bud Osborne and William Barrymore.
Cast
* Ted Wells
* Bud Osborne
* Ione Reed
* William Barrymore
* Bill Nestell
Bill N ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Trails of Treachery
''Trails of Treachery'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Robert J. Horner and starring Fred Church (actor), Fred Church and Ione Reed.Langman, p. 465
Cast
* Fred Church (actor), Fred Church
* Ione ...
'' (1928)
* ''
West of the Rockies'' (1929)
* ''
An Oklahoma Cowboy'' (1929)
* ''
Captain Cowboy'' (1929)
* ''
Riders of the Storm'' (1929)
* ''
Below the Border'' (1929)
* ''
The Man from Nowhere'' (1930)
* ''
Western Honor'' (1930)
* ''
Melody Trail'' (1935)
* ''
The Buccaneer'' (1938)
* ''
First Yank into Tokyo
''First Yank into Tokyo'' is a 1945 American war film directed by Gordon Douglas for RKO Radio Pictures, starring Tom Neal, Keye Luke, Barbara Hale, and Richard Loo. It was one of the last American films to be produced during World War II, releas ...
'' (1945)
References
External links
*
1903 births
1985 deaths
American film actresses
Actresses from Texas
{{US-film-actor-1900s-stub