Biography

Reece was born and raised in Normanton, West Yorkshire. He trained at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. This led to a long and successful acting career in television, theatre, film and radio drama.

He has appeared in some of the most celebrated TV shows and films over the last thirty-five years. He starred alongside the late John Thaw in the hugely popular television series Home to Roost, won the Special Jury Prize (International Critics Award) at the Geneva Film Festival for his portrayal of John Brandon in the feature film I.D., played Guildenstern (to Timothy Spall's Rosencrantz) in Kenneth Branagh's highly acclaimed movie of Hamlet, and played Joe McIntyre in Coronation Street from 2008 to 2010. Reece has starred in many high profile TV dramas including Threads, Jim Henson's Storyteller (both BAFTA award winning), Take Me Home, Spooks, Life On Mars, Conviction, Silent Witness and many, many others.

His various stage appearances nationwide include plays at The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Exchange Manchester and, of course, The West Yorkshire (Leeds) Playhouse, where he had the honour of playing the leading role of Jack Rover in Wild Oats in the theatre's inaugural production some twenty-nine years ago. Subsequently he has appeared there in Playboy of the Western World, The Revengers Tragedy, Visiting Mr Green (a two-hander with Warren Mitchell). More recently, Reece played Walter Harrison in James Graham's acclaimed This House at The National Theatre and George Jones in David Hare's The Absence of War (for Headlong), both directed by James Herring. He appeared in Alan Bennett's autobiographical piece, Untold Stories, in which he played the great man himself and for which he received a Yorkshire Award for services to Arts and Entertainment. He followed this up by playing Richard III, and Halvard Solness in an updated version of Ibsen's (the fall of) The Master Builder by Zinnie Harris and set in the heart of West Yorkshire. Reece was made the theatre's first Associate Artist in 2015. In more recent years he has added a new string to his bow and has been busy on the other side of the camera directing six single dramas in the BBC Television series 'Moving On' for Jimmy McGovern... one of which (Eighteen, starring Rosie Cavaliero) won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Daytime Program. Reece recently directed two episodes of the brand new series Pitching In for BBC1.
- IMDb mini biography by: RD