Alan Reed
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| Alan Reed | |
| Born | Teddy Bergman August 20, 1907 New York City, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | June 14, 1977 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Alan Reed (August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor and voice artist, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spin-off series. He also appeared in The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Viva Zapata!, Nob Hill and various other films, as well as a guest appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born Teddy Bergman in New York City, he majored in journalism at Columbia University, and then began his acting career in the city, eventually working on Broadway.
[edit] Acting career
For a time, he continued to list himself either as Bergman or Alan Reed, depending on the role he was playing (Reed for more comedic roles, Bergman for more serious ones). He was able to act in 22 foreign dialects, and made a career as a successful radio announcer and stage actor before entering television and movies.
From 1957-1958, Reed appeared in a recurring role of J.B. Hafter, a studio boss, on the CBS sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve, starring Howard Duff and Ida Lupino, then married in real life but appearing as a fictitious acting couple living in Beverly Hills, California. In 1964-1965, he had a recurring role as Mr. Swidler in the ABC sitcom Mickey starring Mickey Rooney as the owner of a resort hotel in Newport Beach, California.
[edit] Radio work
His radio work included the role of Solomon Levy on Abie's Irish Rose; as the "Allen's Alley" resident poet Falstaff Openshaw on Fred Allen's NBC Radio show, and later on his own five-minute show, "Falstaff's Fables", on the American Broadcasting Company; as Officer Clancey and other occasional roles on the NBC Radio show Duffy's Tavern; as Chester Riley's boss on the NBC Radio show The Life of Riley, and as Italian immigrant Pasquale in Life with Luigi on CBS Radio.
[edit] Death
Reed died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California. His final performance of Fred Flintstone was for the latter's cameo guest shot in an episode of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics.
His body was donated for medical research to the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
[edit] References
- Reed, Alan. The Alan Reed Story. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-313-4
- Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924-1984. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. ISBN 0-7864-0351-9
[edit] External links
| Preceded by None |
Voice of Fred Flintstone September 30, 1960 — June 14, 1977 |
Succeeded by Henry Corden |
