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Timothy Lee Reid Sr. (born December 19, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in
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American
television program A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via Terrestrial television, over-the-air, Satellite television, satellite, and cable te ...
s, such as
Venus Flytrap The Venus flytrap (''Dionaea muscipula'') is a carnivorous plant native to the temperate and subtropical wetlands of North Carolina and South Carolina, on the East Coast of the United States. Although various modern hybrids have been created ...
on ''
WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...
'' (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Brown on ''
Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...
'' (1983–87), Ray Campbell on '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–99) and William Barnett on ''
That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
'' (2004–06). Reid also starred in a CBS series, '' Frank's Place'', as a professor who inherits a Louisiana restaurant. Reid is the founder and president of Legacy Media Institute, a non-profit organization "dedicated to bringing together leading professionals in the film and television industry, outstanding actors, and young men and women who wish to pursue a career in the entertainment media".


Early years

Reid was born in
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, and raised in the Crestwood area of Chesapeake, formerly Norfolk County, Virginia. He is the son of William Lee and Augustine (née Wilkins) Reid. He had experienced segregation growing up in Norfolk, the majority of businesses around him being black-owned. He earned his
Bachelor of Business Administration A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is an undergraduate degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of four years and typically 120 credits of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of busine ...
degree at Norfolk State College in 1968. Reid also became a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...
fraternity. After graduation, he was hired by
Dupont Corporation Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname), a surname of French origin * Du Pont family, one of the wealthiest families in the United States Companies * DuPont, one of the world's largest chemical compan ...
, where he worked for three years.Tim Reid profile
,
Museum of Broadcast Communications The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum that showcases historic and contemporary radio and television content. It is headquartered in Chicago. Museum locations (1987–present) The Museum of Broadcast Communications wa ...
website; accessed January 11, 2014.
Reid's entertainment career also began in 1968. He and insurance salesman Tom Dreesen met at a
Junior Chamber of Commerce The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...
meeting near Chicago.Leopold, Todd (October 2, 2008)
"'WKRP' vet Reid, standup Dreesen's previous life"
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.
They were "put together to promote an anti-drug program in the local schools" and, prompted by a comment from a child, decided to form a comedy team. The team, later billed as " Tim and Tom", was the first interracial comedy duo. Years later, Reid and Dreesen wrote a book about those years called ''Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White'' (2008), co-written with sports writer Ron Rapoport.


Television acting career

Reid started out on the short-lived ''
The Richard Pryor Show ''The Richard Pryor Show'' is an American comedy variety show starring and created by Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977, at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's ''Laverne & Shirley'' and ''Happy Days''. The show was produced ...
''. Reid starred as DJ "
Venus Flytrap The Venus flytrap (''Dionaea muscipula'') is a carnivorous plant native to the temperate and subtropical wetlands of North Carolina and South Carolina, on the East Coast of the United States. Although various modern hybrids have been created ...
" on the hit CBS sitcom ''
WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...
'', in what is perhaps his best known TV role. Reid starred as Lieutenant Marcel Proust "Downtown" Brown (episodes 43–127) on the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
detective series ''
Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...
''. In 1988, Reid won an award from Viewers for Quality Television Awards as "Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series" in '' Frank's Place''. In 1988, the same role earned him an
Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...
for "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series". Reid played the adult Mike Hanlon in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's epic horror novel '' It''. He made an appearance as Sgt. Ray Bennett of the Seacouver Police Department in three first-season episodes of '' Highlander: The Series''. He had a starring role in the series '' Sister, Sister'' as Ray Campbell for the entire six-season run. On April 13, 2009, Reid appeared opposite former co-star Tamera Mowry on the short-lived
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
series '' Roommates'' as Mr. Daniels. Reid had a recurring role on ''
That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
'' as William Barnett.


Directing

Reid has directed various television programs, as well the 1996 film '' Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored'', based on a similarly titled memoir by Clifton L. Taulbert. Reid directed and adapted a children's TV show called '' Bobobobs'' that aired in the late 1980s. He is the creator of Stop the Madness, an after-school special video in the fight against drugs, recorded on December 11, 1985.


New Millennium Studios

Tim and Daphne Maxwell Reid built New Millennium Studios in 1997. Located in Petersburg, Virginia, the 57.4-acre site with its 14,850-square-foot sound studio was both the only Black-owned film studio in the United States since the 1930s, and also one of the largest independent film studios outside of Hollywood. New Millennium Studios was used in dozens of movie and television productions, including scenes from the 2001 film '' Hearts in Atlantis'' of the
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
book of the same name; parts of 2000's '' The Contender'' and elements of
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
's 2012 film '' Lincoln'' were all shot there. The Reids also produced feature films of their own. Due to "a lack of incentives in the state" to bring film production to Virginia, the Reids sold the property in March 2015 for $1.475 million to Four Square Property Management LLC, a company formed by Four Square Industrial Constructors, based in Chester, Virginia.


Personal life

In 1966, Reid married Rita Ann Sykes; they divorced on May 9, 1980. They have two children together: Timothy II (born 1968) and Tori Reid (born 1971). On December 4, 1982, he married actress Daphne Maxwell Reid. In July 2011, Reid was named to the board of directors of the American Civil War Center at Tredegar Iron Works. On May 10, 2014, Reid received a Virginia Commonwealth University honorary doctorate for his many outstanding and distinguished contributions after he delivered a commencement speech. During the 1980s and 1990s, Reid served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute. A native Virginian, Reid resides in Glensheallah,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, Virginia.


Filmography


References


External links


Tim Reid Productions
*

* ttp://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/709000.html An excerptfrom ''Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White'' by Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen with Ron Rapoport
Alpha Phi Alpha News.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Tim 1944 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American comedians 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American comedians 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors People from Hampton Roads African-American film directors African-American male comedians African-American comedians American male comedians American male television actors Film directors from Virginia Male actors from Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk State University alumni Comedians from Virginia