- Thell Reed was born and raised in Downey, California. His father worked hard at maintaining a small chain of BB-Q restaurants to afford him the luxury of spoiling his only son. Being a gun enthusiast, he bestowed on him a pair of match Colt .45s and told him to "Make a living with them!" Thell did just that. He began winning fast draw tournaments before he was legally allowed to enter them. But, Thell was always more than just an exhibition shooter. When he was just 13, his Father took him on a hunting trip to Alaska. An attacking Kodiak took the young gunman by surprise, but Thell's dexterity with a bolt action was too much for the bear and he dropped him at his feet.
Gene Autry became aware of the reputation Thell was building and took the young lad under his wing on his Wild West tour. Soon, he was performing for not only Hollywood royalty, but the British crown as well. Before long, Hollywood came looking for Thell to share his skills and coach the biggest names in the business. It began with Gunsmoke (1955), continued into movies the caliber of L.A. Confidential (1997) and now for over 30 years he has been at the very top of his profession. From his specialty of the Wild West with films like Tombstone (1993) and The Quick and the Dead (1995) to the high powered weapons of today in films like Proof of Life (2000) and Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Thell brings something special to every film he's involved in. He hasn't slowed down a bit and continues to help the best actors in the business from Russell Crowe to Brad Pitt achieve the kind of realistic gun handling that today's film goers require.
- IMDb mini biography by: KC King
- Children
- "Gun Coach to the Stars" Thell Reed has coached everyone with a gun from Steve McQueen to Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Val Kilmer, Jeff Bridges, Edward Norton, Don Cheadle, Sharon Stone, Sam Elliot...
- Holds United States quick-draw record
- Worked very closely with Ben Foster on the film 3:10 to Yuma (2007) to turn the mild-mannered actor into the bloodthirsty pistoleer Charlie Prince.
- Not just fastest with a six-gun... fast, accurate and deadly. In the early 1960s he led a very nervous writer and photographer from a California gun magazine through an active rattlesnake denning area occupied by hundreds of rattlers. Each time a snake threatened them he quick-drew and fired. He never missed. The party eventually emerged at the other side unbitten.
- Fastest Gun Alive... Thell Reed was dubbed this by Colt after winning the title in a live ammunition quick draw competition.
- [working on Tombstone (1993): I've been very impressed with the actors, I've worked with. Coaching Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone, we had to work from a custom-made, shoulder holster, since that's the way Doc carried his gun. Val lived the role. He not only became very adept at drawing and firing from the shoulder holster, he developed the Doc Holliday cough to perfection.
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