George H. Reed
George H. Reed
The son of slaves, actor George H. Reed was nearing the age of 50 when he made his first screen appearance in 1914. If it is true that Reed was cast in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation, he would have been one of the few genuine black performers in this controversial film, which relied almost exclusively upon white actors in blackface. In contrast to the rampant racism in Birth, Reed's next confirmed appearance was in Realization of a Negro's Ambition (1916), which was relatively sympathetic to the African-American viewpoint. He went on to play escaped slave Jim in the 1920 version of Huckleberry Finn, then was consigned to stereotypical minor roles, bearing such character names as Rastus, Uncle Remus, and the like. During the talkie era, the stately, dignified Reed was often cast as a minister, most memorably as Reverend Deshee in The Green Pastures (1936). From 1939 to 1947, George H. Reed was a regular in MGM's Dr. Kildare series as elderly hospital orderly Conover, whose principal job it was to pilot the wheelchair bearing the curmudgeonly Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmography of George H. Reed:
- They Died With Their Boots On with Errol Flynn , Olivia DeHavilland , Arthur Kennedy , Charles Grapewin , Regis Toomey , Gene Lockhart , Stanley Ridges , Anthony Quinn , Walter Hampden , John Litel , Joseph Sawyer , Minor Watson , Sydney Greenstreet , Hattie R. McDaniel , Roy Barcroft , Hobart Bosworth , William Forrest , Saul Gorss , John Hamilton , Herbert Heywood , William Hopper , Sam McDaniel , Anna Q. Nilsson , Eddie Parker , Eleanor Parker , Bob Perry , John Ridgely , Ray Teal , Minerva Urecal , Gig Young
- Reap the Wild Wind with Ray Milland , John Wayne , Paulette Goddard , Raymond Massey , Robert Preston , Susan Hayward , Lynne Overman , Charles Bickford , Walter Hampden , Martha O'Driscoll , Louise Beavers , Elizabeth Risdon , Hedda Hopper , Davison Clark , Milburn Stone , Stanley Andrews , Monte Blue , Barbara Britton , Billy Elmer , James Flavin , Fred Graham , Raymond Hatton , Frank Lackteen , John Farrell MacDonald , John M. St. Polis , Dorothy Sebastian , Dale vanSickel , Victor Varconi
- Colonel Effingham's Raid with Joan Bennett , William Eythe , Allyn Joslyn , Elizabeth Patterson , Donald Meek , Frank Craven , Thurston Hall , Roy Roberts , Grant Mitchell , Charles Wagenheim , Charles Coburn , Herbert Heywood , Sam McDaniel , Charles Moore , Phil Tead , Minerva Urecal , Cecil Weston
George H. Reed Trivia
