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George Reeves

George Reeves
George Reeves - 1948.jpg
Reeves in The Sainted Sisters (1948)
Born George Keefer Brewer
(1914-01-05)January 5, 1914
, U.S.
Died June 16, 1959(1959-06-16) (aged 45)
Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death Suicide
Resting place Mountain View Cemetery
Pasadena Mausoleum, Sunrise Corridor
Altadena, California, U.S.
34°11′02″N 118°08′59″W / 34.1840°N 118.1497°W / 34.1840; -118.1497
Nationality American
Other names George Bessolo
Education Polytechnic School (1929), Pasadena, California
Alma mater Pasadena Junior College
Occupation Actor
Years active 1933–1959
Known for Portraying Superman in Adventures of Superman
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Spouse(s) Ellanora Needles (m. 1940; div. 1950)

George Reeves (January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman.

His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains a polarizing topic; the official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting.

Reeves was born George Keefer Brewer on January 5, 1914, in , the son of Don Brewer and Helen Lescher. Reeves was born five months into their marriage and the couple separated soon after Reeves' birth. At this time, Reeves and his mother moved from Iowa to her home of Galesburg, Illinois.

Later, Reeves' mother moved to California to stay with her sister. There she met and married Frank Bessolo while Reeves' father married Helen Schultz in 1925. Reeves reportedly never saw his father again. In 1927, Frank Bessolo adopted George as his own son, and the boy took on his stepfather's last name, becoming George Bessolo. The Bessolo marriage lasted 15 years, ending in divorce, with the couple separating while Reeves was away visiting relatives. When he returned, his mother told him his stepfather had committed suicide.

According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College.

While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. They had no children and divorced 10 years later.

Reeves' film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors in Gone with the Wind. It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane were in the film's opening scene. (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) Reeves was contracted to Warner Brothers soon after being cast. Warner changed his professional name to "George Reeves". His Gone with the Wind screen credit reflects the change. Between the start of Gone With the Wind production and its release 12 months later, several films on his Warner contract were made and released, making Gone With the Wind his first film role, but his fifth film release.


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