Bruce Richard Reynolds[1] (born 7 September 1931) was part of the gang behind the 'Great Train Robbery' in 1963 in £2.6 million (2010: £40,558,554) was stolen.
Reynolds was born in London. His mother died in childbirth when he was four. His father, who remarried, was a trade-union activist at the Ford Dagenham assembly plant. He was evacuated to Suffolk and Warwickshire during World War II and worked in the accounts department of the Daily Mail before turning to crime.[2] He had been an antiques dealer and thief and was in prison in 1962.[1]
After the robbery, Reynolds went on the run to Mexico, then went to London, then Torquay, Devon, where he was arrested on 9 November 1968.[3] Following his release in 1979, he has gained a profile as a media 'former criminal' figure and his autobiography The Autobiography of a Thief (1995)[4] was generally well received.
To date there have been 3 films based on The Great Train Robbery, The Gentleman Prefers Payment featuring Horst Tappert as Reynolds, Robbery with Stanley Baker as Reynolds and Buster with Larry Lamb as Reynolds.
Reynolds has a son, Nick.[3]
He is also the subject of the song 'Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds', originally by Nigel Denver and later covered by the UK band Alabama 3. Bruce Reynolds appears on the Alabamba 3 version.