Oliver Reed

Overview

Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. His notable films include The Trap (1966), playing Bill Sikes in the Best Picture Oscar winner Oliver! (1968), Women in Love (1969), Hannibal Brooks (1969), The Devils (1971), Revolver (1973), portraying Athos in The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974); the lover/stepfather in Tommy (1975), The Brood (1979), Lion of the Desert (1981), Castaway (1986), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Funny Bones (1995) and Gladiator (2000).
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao

He died of a heart attack in a bar after downing three bottles of Captain Morgan's Jamaica rum, eight bottles of German beer, numerous doubles of Famous Grouse whiskey and Hennessy cognac, and beating five much younger Royal Navy sailors at arm-wrestling. His final bar bill was 270 Maltese lira, about £450 or $600.
Reed died during the filming of Gladiator (2000). It cost the company $3 million to recreate his face so he could "appear" in the scenes he still had left to shoot.
While filming The Three Musketeers (1973), he was stabbed in the throat during the windmill duel scene and nearly died.
Some obituaries mentioned the similarities between Reed's death and Robert Newton's. Newton, a notoriously heavy drinker, remained sober while filming Around the World in 80 Days (1956), which was supposed to be his big comeback. Toward the end of filming, he indulged in one final drinking marathon and died from a heart attack.
A 1963 bar fight caused facial cuts requiring 36 stitches. It left him with a permanent scar, which he initially feared would put an end to his screen career.

You meet a better class of people in pubs.
I do not live in the world of sobriety.
My only regret is that I didn't drink every pub dry and sleep with every woman on the planet.
I believe that my woman shouldn't work outside the home. When I come home and I'm tired from filming all day, I expect her to be there and make sure that everything is cool for me. You know, like drawing my bath and helping me into bed. That's the kind of job she had and, in return for it, she can bear my children and if any man talks bad to her, I'll hit him.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) was about the only time I've been allowed to do what I want with a part. You can be over-directed by people, but Terry [Terry Gilliam] let me have my own way. There was a scene we rehearsed on Saturday where we really hit our stride. When we resumed, Terry said on the Sunday, "You seemed to be having much more fun with the character yesterday. Could you take it a bit further? I didn't need to be told twice! Once I realized I could get away with it, off I went!