Thell Reed is an American exhibition shooter, stuntman,
armorer
Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. Historically armourers were often men, but women could also undertake the occupation: for example Alice la Haubergere worked as an armourer in Cheapside i ...
, and movie consultant.
Shooting career
As a teenager, Reed competed in
Jeff Cooper
John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine Corps officer and firearms instructor. He is the creator of the " modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small ...
's Big Bear "Leatherslaps" shooting competitions at
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the Western United States, western United States, located in the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California. It is a snow and rain-fed lake, having no other m ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The Leatherslaps became the "South Western Combat Pistol League" or "SWCPL". Reed competed so successfully that he became one of six "Combat Masters", so called because they would almost always take the first six places in the competition. Of the six Combat Masters (Reed, John Plähn,
Jack Weaver
John Harold Weaver (November 1, 1928 – April 7, 2009) was a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff and the developer of the Weaver stance, a popular shooting stance for firing handguns.
Biography
Weaver was born on November 1, 1928, in South Gate, ...
, Elden Carl,
Ray Chapman
Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player. He spent his entire career as a shortstop for the Cleveland Indians of the American League.
Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by pitch ...
, and Cooper), Reed had the quickest draw. After the SWCPL matches, Reed went on to compete in fast draw competitions in which he achieved fame.
Reed's success in firearms competitions gained him entry into the movie industry and he became an advisor to motion pictures and television. He trained actors such as
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...
and
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
for acting roles involving the use of pistols. He also trained
Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn ( or ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in ''The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens (film), Aliens'' (1 ...
for the film ''
Tombstone
A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...
'', where Biehn portrayed gunfighter
Johnny Ringo
John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882) was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County War in Texas during which h ...
.
Personal life
Reed is the stepfather of set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was the head armorer for ''
Rust
Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...
'' during the October 2021
''Rust'' movie set shooting incident.
See also
*
Weapons master
The weapons master, sometimes credited as the armorer, weapons specialist, weapons handler, weapons wrangler, or weapons coordinator, is a film crew specialist that works with the property master, director, actors, stunt coordinator and script s ...
*
Fast Draw
Fast draw, also known as quick draw, is the ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it upon a target in the process. This skill was made popular by romanticized depictions of gunslingers in the Western genre, which in turn were in ...
References
External links
*
The SWPCL competitions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Thell
American male sport shooters
American stunt performers
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)