Robert Reed | |
---|---|
Reed in 1971
|
|
Born |
John Robert Rietz, Jr. October 19, 1932 Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | May 12, 1992 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
(aged 59)
Cause of death | Colon cancer complications due to HIV |
Resting place | Memorial Park Cemetery |
Education | Central High School |
Alma mater |
Northwestern University Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation | Actor, television director |
Years active | 1957–1992 |
Spouse(s) | Marilyn Rosenberger (m. 1954; div. 1959) |
Children | 1 |
Robert Reed (October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor.
From 1961 to 1965, he portrayed Kenneth Preston on the popular legal drama The Defenders, alongside E. G. Marshall. He is best known as the father Mike Brady, opposite Florence Henderson's Carol Brady, on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974. He reprised the role of Mike Brady in several later reunion programs. In 1976, he earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his guest-starring role in a two-part episode of Medical Center and for his work on the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. The following year, Reed earned a third Emmy nomination for his role in the miniseries Roots.
Reed was born John Robert Rietz, Jr., in the northern Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois. He was the only child of Helen (née Teaverbaugh) and John Robert Rietz, Sr., who were high-school sweethearts and married at 18. Reed attended the West Division School in Community Consolidated School District 62 until 1939. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a homemaker. Reed spent his later childhood years in Muskogee, Oklahoma, as well as Navasota, Texas. In Oklahoma, his father, John Sr., worked as a turkey and cattle farmer.
In his youth, Reed joined the 4-H agricultural club and showed calves, but was more interested in acting and music. While attending Central High School in Muskogee, he participated in both activities. Reed also took to the stage, where he performed and sang. He also worked as a radio announcer at local radio stations and wrote and produced radio dramas. Reed graduated from Muskogee Central in 1950, and enrolled at Northwestern University to study drama. During his years at Northwestern, Reed appeared in several plays under the direction of Alvina Krause, a celebrated Northwestern drama coach. Reed performed in more than eight plays in college, all with leading roles.