Wallace Reid | WatchedThis

Wallace Reid

Wallace Reid

Acting

Biography

Wallace Reid was an American actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". Wallace Reid appeared in several films with his father, and as his career in film flourished, he was soon acting and directing with and for early film mogul Allan Dwan. In 1913, while at Universal Pictures, Reid met and married actress Dorothy Davenport. He was featured as Jeff, the blacksmith, in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and had an uncredited role in Intolerance (1916), both directed by D. W. Griffith; he worked with leading ladies such as Florence Turner, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Elsie Ferguson, and Geraldine Farrar en route to becoming one of Hollywood's major heartthrobs. Already involved with the creation of more than 100 motion picture shorts, Reid was signed by producer Jesse L. Lasky and starred in over 60 films for Lasky's Famous Players film company, which later became Paramount Pictures. Frequently paired with actress Ann Little, his action-hero role as the dashing race-car driver drew young girls and older women alike to theaters to see his daredevil auto thrillers such as The Roaring Road (1919), Double Speed (1920), Excuse My Dust (1920), and Too Much Speed (1921). While en route to a location in Oregon during filming of The Valley of the Giants (1919), Reid was injured in a train wreck near Arcata, California and needed six stitches to close a 3-inch (8 cm) scalp wound. To keep on filming, he was prescribed morphine for relief of his pain and Reid soon became addicted, but kept on working at a frantic pace in films that were growing more physically demanding, and changing from 15–20 minutes in duration to as much as an hour. Reid's morphine addiction worsened at a time when drug rehabilitation programs were non-existent. He died in a sanatorium while attempting to recover.

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for Joan the Woman
MOVIE

Joan the Woman

5.6(0.0K)
Joan the Woman
Eric Trent 1431 / Eric Trent 1917
Poster for Rent Free
MOVIE

Rent Free

9.0(0.0K)
Rent Free
Buell Arnister Jr
Poster for The Love Burglar
MOVIE

The Love Burglar

8.0(0.0K)
The Love Burglar
David Strong
Poster for The Dancin' Fool
MOVIE

The Dancin' Fool

8.0(0.0K)
The Dancin' Fool
Sylvester Tibble
Poster for The Affairs of Anatol
MOVIE

The Affairs of Anatol

5.9(0.0K)
The Affairs of Anatol
Anatol Spencer
Poster for The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
MOVIE

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

7.0(0.0K)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
The Leading LadyMOVIE
MOVIE

The Leading Lady

The Leading Lady
The PhoenixMOVIE
MOVIE

The Phoenix

The Phoenix
Young Reporter
The Indian RaidersMOVIE
MOVIE

The Indian Raiders

The Indian Raiders
Tom
The ReporterMOVIE
MOVIE

The Reporter

The Reporter
Cohn, Jones' Assistant

Production

A Rose of Old MexicoMOVIE
MOVIE

A Rose of Old Mexico

A Rose of Old Mexico
Director
The Ways of FateMOVIE
MOVIE

The Ways of Fate

The Ways of Fate
Director
The Tattooed ArmMOVIE
MOVIE

The Tattooed Arm

The Tattooed Arm
Director
When Jim ReturnedMOVIE
MOVIE

When Jim Returned

5.0(0.0K)
When Jim Returned
Director
The Tattooed ArmMOVIE
MOVIE

The Tattooed Arm

The Tattooed Arm
Writer
When Jim ReturnedMOVIE
MOVIE

When Jim Returned

5.0(0.0K)
When Jim Returned
Writer
The KissMOVIE
MOVIE

The Kiss

The Kiss
Director
The BrothersMOVIE
MOVIE

The Brothers

The Brothers
Director
Poster for The Heart of the Hills
MOVIE

The Heart of the Hills

The Heart of the Hills
Director
Poster for The Heart of the Hills
MOVIE

The Heart of the Hills

The Heart of the Hills
Writer

Gallery

Wallace Reid portrait
Wallace Reid portrait
Wallace Reid portrait
Wallace Reid portrait