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Rex Reed

Biography

Rex Reed

Overview

  • Born
    October 2, 1938 · Fort Worth, Texas, USA
  • Died
    May 12, 2026 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (short illness)
  • Birth name
    Rex Taylor Reed

Mini bio

  • Rex was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Louisiana. He became one of the most prolific movie critics in the country, and for decades has written entertainment columns for The New York Observer.

    In 1970, Rex made his movie debut, playing Myron in Myra Breckinridge (1970) - Myron was the young man whose post sex-change operation persona was played by Raquel Welch. But Rex's success came in reviewing movies, not starring in them.

    Rex currently lives in New York - at the Dakota, one of Manhattan's most expensive and exclusive apartment buildings (John Lennon was shot there). Rex also owns a spread in an elite corner of rural Connecticut, and is a single man-about-town. Movie stars may come and go, but movie reviews by Rex Reed go on forever.
    - IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Trivia

  • Rex Reed was arrested for allegedly shoplifting three CDs from a record store in February, 2000 after leaving a Tower Records in Manhattan with compact discs by Mel Tormé, Peggy Lee, and Carmen McRae in his jacket pockets. Reed, who had just purchased two other CDs, says he forgot about the other three CDs and his offer to pay for them was refused. According to Reed, several days after the arrest, Peggy Lee sent him her entire catalog of CDs, because "she was so thrilled I wanted one of her CDs enough to put myself through so much hell". The charges were later dropped.
  • Reed lived in a two-bedroom apartment at The Dakota building in New York City, which he bought for $30,000 in 1969.
  • April 2000: Manhattan Judge Suzanne Mondo dismissed the charges against Rex Reed. That happened with none of the publicity that had surrounded his arrest, regarding 3 CDs worth less than $10.
  • Has lived in the famed Dakota apartment building in New York City since 1970. His first neighbors were Boris Karloff, Lauren Bacall and Robert Ryan.
  • His mother was from Oklahoma and her family lived among the outlaws. Her second cousins were the Dalton gang. His maternal grandfather was rocked as a child by Jesse James.

Quotes

  • [on the difficulties of making Myra Breckinridge (1970)] Mae West spoke to no one but God, Raquel [Raquel Welch] spoke only to the head of the studio, the head of the studio spoke only to God, who then related the message back to Mae West.
  • [on Myra Breckinridge (1970) in which he made his acting debut] It was so disappointing to me and it was so disappointing to Raquel [Welch]. And Mae West didn't care what happened as long as she got her song.
  • [on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)] The most disturbing movie I have ever seen.
  • [on Marlon Brando] Most of the time he sounds like he has a mouth full of wet toilet paper.
  • [on Vanilla Sky (2001)] A good example of what self-destructive cinematic havoc can be wrought by handing over millions of dollars to movie stars to produce their own ego trips.

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