Walter Reed (born Walter Reed Smith, February 10, 1916 – August 20, 2001) was an American stage, film and television actor.

Biography

Reed was born in 1916 in Fort Ward, Washington. Following a stint as a Broadway actor, Reed broke into films in 1941. He appeared in several features for

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

, including the last two ''

Mexican Spitfire ''Mexican Spitfire'' refers to a series of eight comedy films released by RKO Pictures between 1940 and 1943 starring Lupe Vélez and Leon Errol. The movies featured the character of Carmelita Fuentes (Lupe Vélez), a sympathetic but temperamen ...

'' comedies (in which Reed replaced Buddy Rogers as the Spitfire's husband). Perhaps his most memorable role was as the spineless wagon driver husband of

Gail Russell Gail Russell (born Betty Gale Russell; September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was an American film and television actress. Early years Gail Russell was born to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in Chicago and then moved to the Los Angeles ...

in the western '' Seven Men from Now''. Reed also appeared in the very first

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

theatrical feature film ''

Superman and the Mole Men ''Superman and the Mole Men'' (titled onscreen as ''Superman and the Mole-Men'', but all posters and advertising omit the hyphen) is a 1951 American independent black-and-white superhero film released by Lippert Pictures. Produced by Barney ...

'' in 1951. In 1951 Reed made two

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

s for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

; Reed strongly resembled former Republic leading man

Ralph Byrd Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television. Early life and career The son of George and Edna May ...

, enabling Republic to insert old action scenes of Byrd into the new Reed footage. Republic wanted to sign Reed for additional serials but Reed declined, preferring not to be type cast as a serial star. After appearing in 90 films and numerous television programs, such as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', John Payne's ''

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...

'', and ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (as Joe Garrett in 1957, series 2, episode 22), Reed changed careers and became a real estate investor and broker in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

in the late 1960s.

Selected filmography

* ''

Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English, it is l ...

'' (1929) - Indian Boy (uncredited) * '' My Favorite Spy'' (1942) - Nightclub Patron (uncredited) * ''

The Mayor of 44th Street ''The Mayor of 44th Street'' is a 1942 film directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars George Murphy and Anne Shirley. The song ''There's a Breeze on Lake Louise'' was nominated for an Academy Award in 1943. Plot George Murphy is a reformed crook wh ...

'' (1942) - Lou Luddy * ''

Mexican Spitfire's Elephant ''Mexican Spitfire's Elephant'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Charles E. Roberts. It is the sequel to the 1942 film '' Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost'', and the seventh of eight in the franchise. The ...

'' (1942) - Dennis Lindsay * ''

Army Surgeon ''Army Surgeon'' is a 1942 American film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Jane Wyatt and Kent Taylor. The plot is about a female surgeon who pretends to be a nurse so she can serve on the front line during World War I.

'' (1942) - Dr. Bill Drake * '' Seven Days' Leave'' (1942) - Ralph Bell * '' Bombardier'' (1943) - Jim Carter * ''

Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event ''Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Charles E. Roberts (writer), Charles E. Roberts and Dane Lussier. It is the sequel to the 1942 film ''Mexican Spitfire's Elephant''. Th ...

'' (1943) - Dennis Lindsay * ''

Petticoat Larceny ''Petticoat Larceny'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Ben Holmes from an original screenplay by Jack Townley and Stuart Palmer. The film stars Ruth Warrick, Joan Carroll, and Walter Reed, and was released by RKO Radio Pictures (who al ...

'' (1943) - Bill Morgan * ''

The Bamboo Blonde ''The Bamboo Blonde'' is a 1946 American romantic comedy directed by Anthony Mann based on an original story "Chicago Lulu" by Wayne Whittaker. A low budget production, it stars singer Frances Langford in the title role, Ralph Edwards – ...

'' (1946) - Montgomery, Magazine Reporter (uncredited) * ''

Child of Divorce ''Child of Divorce'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by Richard O. Fleischer in his directorial debut. RKO Pictures had previously adapted the play as the 1934 film '' Wednesday's Child''. Plot Eight-year-old Roberta "Bobby" Carter catche ...

'' (1946) - Michael Benton * ''

Banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

'' (1947) - Dr. Bob * '' Night Song'' (1947) - Jimmy * ''

Western Heritage ''Western Heritage'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Wallace Grissell. The film is a Tim Holt B Western about land robbers and forgers in the southwest. Although based on an original screenplay the film features Chito Rafferty from ...

'' (1948) - Joe Powell * ''

Return of the Bad Men ''Return of the Bad Men'', also known as ''Return of the Badmen'', is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan and Anne Jeffreys.Jarlett p.192-93 A loose sequel to the 1946 film '' Badman's T ...

'' (1948) - Bob Dalton * ''

Mystery in Mexico ''Mystery in Mexico'' is a 1948 American crime thriller film directed by Robert Wise. It stars William Lundigan, Jacqueline White and Ricardo Cortez. The film centers around the search for an insurance investigator who goes to Mexico in search ...

'' (1948) - Glenn Ames * ''

Angel on the Amazon ''Angel on the Amazon'', also known as ''Drums Along the Amazon'', is a 1948 American adventure film directed by John H. Auer and starring George Brent, Vera Ralston, Brian Aherne and Constance Bennett.Kellow p.463 Plot summary After a plane cr ...

'' (1948) - Jerry Adams * ''

Fighter Squadron A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, ...

'' (1948) - Capt. Duke Chappell * ''

Captain China ''Captain China'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by Lewis R. Foster and Gwen Bagni. The film stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr., Edgar Bergen, Michael O'Shea and Ellen Cor ...

'' (1950) - Martin * '' Young Man with a Horn'' (1950) - Jack Chandler * '' The Eagle and the Hawk'' (1950) - Jones * '' The Torch'' (1950) - Dr. Robert Stanley * ''

The Lawless ''The Lawless'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Joseph Losey and featuring Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands. A crusading newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostl ...

'' (1950) - Jim Wilson * ''Flying Disc Man from Mars'' (1950, Serial) - Kent Fowler * ''The Sun Sets at Dawn'' (1950) - The Chaplain * ''Tripoli (film), Tripoli'' (1950) - Wade * ''Charlie's Haunt'' (1950) - Larry (uncredited) * ''Go for Broke! (1951 film), Go for Broke!'' (1951) - Captain (uncredited) * ''Wells Fargo Gunmaster'' (1951) - Ed Hines * ''Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion'' (1951, Serial) - Hal Duncan * ''The Racket (1951 film), The Racket'' (1951) - Policeman at Roll Call & in Locker Room (uncredited) * ''Superman and the Mole-Men'' (1951) - Bill Corrigan * ''Submarine Command'' (1951) - Chief O'Flynn * ''Bronco Buster (film), Bronco Buster'' (1952) - Fred Wharton, Phoenix Announcer (uncredited) * ''Target (1952 film), Target'' (1952) - Martin Conroy * ''Red Ball Express (film), Red Ball Express'' (1952) - Major (uncredited) * ''Desert Passage (film), Desert Passage'' (1952) - John Carver * ''Caribbean Gold'' (1952) - Evans, MacAllister's Foreman * ''Horizons West'' (1952) - Layton * ''Thunderbirds (1952 film), Thunderbirds'' (1952) - Lt. Hammond * ''The Blazing Forest'' (1952) - Max * ''The Clown (1953 film), The Clown'' (1953) - Joe Hoagley * ''Seminole (film), Seminole'' (1953) - Farmer (uncredited) * ''Sangaree (film), Sangaree'' (1953) - Conspirator in Boat (uncredited) * ''The Man from the Alamo'' (1953) - Billings (uncredited) * ''Latin Lovers (1953 film), Latin Lovers'' (1953) - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) * ''War Paint (1953 film), War Paint'' (1953) - Trooper Allison * ''Those Redheads from Seattle'' (1953) - Whitey Marks * ''Forever Female'' (1953) - Leading Man (uncredited) * ''Dangerous Mission'' (1954) - Ranger Dobson * ''The High and the Mighty (film), The High and the Mighty'' (1954) - Mr. Field (uncredited) * ''The Yellow Tomahawk'' (1954) - Keats * ''Return from the Sea'' (1954) - Captain * ''The Eternal Sea'' (1955) - Operations Officer * ''Hell's Island'' (1955) - Lawrence * ''The Far Horizons'' (1955) - Cruzatte (helmsman) * ''The Last Command (1955 film), The Last Command'' (1955) - Irate Texan in Cantina (uncredited) * ''Bobby Ware Is Missing'' (1955) - Max Goodwin * '' Seven Men from Now'' (1956) - John Greer * ''Emergency Hospital (film), Emergency Hospital'' (1956) - Police Sgt. Paul Arnold * ''Dance with Me, Henry'' (1956) - Drake * ''Three Brave Men'' (1956) - George Pryor (uncredited) * ''Rock, Pretty Baby!'' (1956) - Mr. Reid * ''Last of the Badmen'' (1957) - Fleming (Dillon's aide) (uncredited) * ''The Lawless Eighties'' (1957) - Capt. Ellis North * ''The Helen Morgan Story'' (1957) - Loring Kirk (uncredited) * ''Slim Carter'' (1957) - Richard L. Howard * ''The Deep Six'' (1958) - Paul Clemson * ''Summer Love (1958 film), Summer Love'' (1958) - Mr. Reid * ''How to Make a Monster (1958 film), How to Make a Monster'' (1958) - Detective Thompson * ''Arson for Hire'' (1959) - Chief Hollister * ''Westbound (film), Westbound'' (1959) - Julesburg Doctor (uncredited) * ''The Horse Soldiers'' (1959) - Union Officer * ''13 Fighting Men'' (1960) - Col. Jeffers * ''Sergeant Rutledge'' (1960) - Capt. McAfee (uncredited) * ''Macumba Love'' (1960) - J. Peter Weils * ''Posse from Hell'' (1961) - Olly (uncredited) * ''Sea Hunt'' (1961, Season 4, Episode: "Imposter") - Case Jarrett * ''Advise & Consent'' (1962) - Senate Staff Clerk (uncredited) * ''How the West Was Won (film), How the West Was Won'' (1962) - River Pirate (uncredited) * ''The Carpetbaggers (film), The Carpetbaggers'' (1964) - Monica's Lay-out Artist (uncredited) * ''Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964) - Lt. Peterson (uncredited) * ''Where Love Has Gone (film), Where Love Has Gone'' (1964) - George Babson * ''Fort Courageous'' (1965) - Doc * ''Mirage (1965 film), Mirage'' (1965) - Reporter (uncredited) * ''Convict Stage'' (1965) - Sam Gill * ''The Money Trap'' (1965) - Detective (uncredited) * ''Moment to Moment'' (1966) - Hendricks * ''The Oscar (film), The Oscar'' (1966) - Pereira (uncredited) * ''The Sand Pebbles (film), The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) - Bidder at Red Kettle Bar (uncredited) * ''The Destructors (film), The Destructors'' (1968) - Admiral * ''Star! (film), Star!'' (1968) - Photographer (uncredited) * ''Panic in the City'' (1968) - Frank Devers * ''A Time for Dying'' (1969) - Mayor * ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (1970) - Vice Adm. William S. Pye (uncredited)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Walter Male actors from Santa Cruz, California American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors 1916 births 2001 deaths People from Bainbridge Island, Washington Male actors from Washington (state)