- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- The Beautiful Beast
- Height6′ 3½″ (1.92 m)
- After a short time working as a merchant seaman, followed by a few appearances on stage, Maxwell Reed moved to London and was signed by the Rank Organisation. He made many British films during the 40s and 50s, rotating between leads in B movies and supporting roles in major productions. He also appeared in a few Hollywood swashbucklers and TV series before succumbing to cancer in the 70s. He was a bona fide teen idol in the late 40s, being the heart throb of many a schoolgirl. He was married to Joan Collins during the early 50s but the marriage ended in divorce.
- IMDb mini biography by: The Captain - Born in Ireland, the son of a boat builder, he went to sea as a galley boy when he was fifteen and served on the 'Spanish Blockade'. His parents eventually persuaded him to return and finish his schooling. Later, deciding he wanted to be an actor, he studied for a term at RADA. On the outbreak of war, he joined the RAF as a pilot. Demobbed after crashing, he joined the merchant navy as an ordinary seaman. After the war, he got some walk-on work in repertory theatre. Not getting anywhere, he returned to Ireland to consider things, then read that film maker Sydney Box at Riverside Studios was looking for young actors, so he applied. The casting director was impressed by him and his appearance and signed him up to be a member of their repertory company, training him in acting, fencing and dancing. Before long, he made his screen debut in 'No Ladies Please', followed by 'Gaiety George','Daybreak' and 'The Brothers'. He married the actress Joan Collins and appeared with her in the film 'The Square Ring'.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5
- SpouseJoan Collins(May 24, 1952 - May 29, 1956) (divorced)
- Joan Collins's first husband, married when she was 19 and Reed was 33. Collins advised him to base his acting style on James Mason. Reed ignored her advice and used Stewart Granger as his role model instead.
- Had an interest in military history (especially World War II), and collected memorabilia from that period.
- At 27 he auditioned successfully for The Rank Organisation and became part of their 'Company of Youth' based at Highbury in London.
- Ex-brother-in-law of Jackie Collins.
- Divorced Joan Collins in 1956, following a separation of two years, and sued her for alimony claiming he only earned $1,000 over 12 months. He later withdrew his claim and Collins wrote in her biography that she was advised to settle for $10,000 and she had to get an advance on her salary at Fox.
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