Florence Reed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Florence Reed

Theatre Magazine, February, 1921
Born January 10, 1883
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died November 21, 1967
East Islip, New York
Occupation Actress
Years active 1904-1960
Spouse(s) Malcolm Williams
Parents Roland Reed
Joana Sommer Reed

Florence Reed (January 10, 1883 – November 21, 1967) was a stage, screen and television actress. She is remembered for several outstanding stage productions, including The Shanghai Gesture, The Lullaby, The Yellow Ticket and The Wanderer. Her best remembered movie role was as Miss Havisham in the 1934 production of "Great Expectations". In this version, however, Miss Havisham was changed from a completely insane woman to an eccentric, who did not wear her wedding veil constantly, and who dies peacefully rather than as a result of suffering burns in a fire. In the 1950s Reed performed in several early television shows, such as The Philco Television Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre and The United States Steel Hour.[1]

Early Life & Career

Reed was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to comedy actor Roland Reed(1852-1901) and his wife Joana Sommer (Reed).[2] Her grandfather was John "Pop" Reed, a manager of the old Walnut Street Theatre, who donated his skull to be performed in future theatrical versions of Hamlet. Her father died in 1901 when Florence was 18 and afterward she and her mother came to New York City to seek a career in the theater. She made her first appearance on the stage at Proctor's Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York in 1904 where she gave a monologue by George M. Cohan. She stayed with the Fifth Avenue Theater for years honing her craft. She also trouped the country with May Irwin in The Widow Jones and played Ophelia to E.H. Sothern's Hamlet. Reed appeared with John Barrymore in 1914's "The Yellow Ticket" which proved a popular play of the season. Her biggest stage success was as Mother Goddam in 1926's "The Shanghai Gesture".

Motion Pictures

Reed started making movies in the silent era around 1915. She was a stage star by then and her first movie was The Dancing Girl for Adolph Zukor's Famous Players studio built around her talents. She also made films for several different production companies such as Popular Plays & Players, Astra, Arrow, Tribune and Pathé. In all Reed made 15 silent pictures, the last in 1921 being The Black Panther's Cub. After 13 years she made her first talking film in 1934's Great Expectations. She made two more films but preferred the theater.

Filmography

Wives of Men (1918)
  • The Dancing Girl (1915) as Drusilla Ives
  • Her Own Way (1915)
  • The Cowardly Way (1915)
  • At Bay (1915)
  • New York (1916)
  • The Woman's Law (1916)
  • The Eternal Sin (1917)
  • To-Day (1917)
  • The Struggle Everlasting (1918)
  • Wives of Men (1918)
  • Her Code of Honor (1919)(*BFI Natl. Film & Tv archive, London)
  • The Woman Under Oath (1919)(*copy: BFI Natl. Film & Tv archive, London)
  • Her Game (1919)
  • The Eternal Mother (1920)
  • The Black Panther's Cub (1921)
  • Great Expectations (1934) as Miss Havisham
  • Frankie and Johnnie (1936)
  • Stage Door (1937) (*uncredited)

Personal life

Reed was married to actor Malcolm Williams from February, 1908 to his death in 1937. They often appeared in stage productions together. They had no children. She died on November 21, 1967.

References

  1. ↑ Florence Reed - North American Theatre Online site offered to most colleges and universities for free
  2. ↑ GREAT STARS OF THE AMERICAN STAGE by Daniel Blum c. 1952 Profile #73

External links

Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.