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 spinoff series. He also appeared in The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Viva Zapata! (as Pancho Villa), Nob Hill and various other films, as well as a guest appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and voiced Boris in Lady and the Tramp.
Early life[]
Born Edward "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.
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 1957–58, Reed appeared in a recurring role as 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 1964–65, 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.
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 Shrevey the driver on several years of The Shadow; 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.
Family life and Death[]
Reed married the former Finnette Walker (1909-2005), in 1932, a Broadway actress. She appeared on stage in the early 1930s and was a chorus member in the original 1934 Broadway production of Anything Goes with Ethel Merman. They would have three sons, including actor Alan Reed, Jr. (born May 10, 1936).
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. He was survived by his wife, sons and several grandchildren.
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
External links[]
- Alan Reed at the Internet Movie Database
- "Alan Reed". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
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