Don Reed (comedian) facts for kids

Donald Gene Reed, born on November 23, 1959, is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is also known as a storyteller, author, producer, and director. Don Reed has had a long career entertaining audiences in many different ways.

Don Reed's Early Life and Education

Don Reed grew up in Oakland, California. He went to Fremont High School. After high school, he attended Chabot Junior College in Hayward, California.

College Success in Speech and Debate

Don Reed was recruited to the UCLA for their speech and debate team. While at UCLA, he became a national champion. He won awards in competitive events like Speech to Entertain, Poetry, and Dramatic readings.

Don Reed's Entertainment Career

Don Reed's career in entertainment began in the late 1980s. He has worked in television, film, and live shows.

Starting in Television

In 1988, Don Reed was performing stand-up comedy. He impressed comedian Sinbad, who helped him get a role on A Different World. This show was a spin-off of The Cosby Show. Don Reed played "Chip St. Charles" and appeared in two episodes. This was his first time on television. He left the show in 1989.

After A Different World, Don Reed acted in a film called Dance to Win. It was released in December 1989. He also appeared on the HBO show Dream On in 1990. Later, he worked with actor and director Robert Townsend. He was in the HBO special Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime (1991) and the movie The Meteor Man (1993).

Famous Impressions

Don Reed is known for his amazing impressions of famous people. He can sound and act like many different stars. Some of his impressions include:

• Sherman Hemsley (as George Jefferson)
• Mario Lopez
• Todd Bridges
• Ernest Lee Thomas
• Michael Jordan
• Chris Rock
• Bill Cosby
• Richard Pryor
• Bobby Brown
• Michael Jackson
• Mike Tyson
• Luther Vandross

Awards and Voice Acting

Don Reed was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards in 1989. These nominations were for his work on Dream On, The Cosby Show, and Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime.

He also worked as an advertising and promotion executive at NBC for two years. Don Reed has done voice-work for popular cartoons. His voice was heard in Disney's Gargoyles, Spider-Man, and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest.

His movie roles include Unleashed, Fear of a Black Hat, and Once Upon a Forest. Don Reed also joined the cast of NBC's The Rerun Show. On this show, he performed many of his impressions, including Mike Tyson, Sherman Hemsley, and Chris Rock.

Solo Shows and Warm-Up Comedy

In 2008, Don Reed started performing solo shows. These are shows where he tells his own stories. His first solo show was called East 14th: True Tales of a Reluctant Player. He has presented a total of five solo shows.

In the fall of 2009, he became the warm-up comedian for The Jay Leno Show. He was the first African American warm-up comedian for a major late-night show. He performed stand-up comedy to warm up the studio audience for over 1,000 episodes of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Recent Achievements

In 2016, Don Reed won an award from Snap Judgment for NPR/WNYC Performance of the Year. Later that year, his show East 14th received the 2016 TBA award for Outstanding Solo Show from Theater Bay Area.

In 2016, Don Reed also co-starred in the Amazon Prime comedy series Bartlett. He acted alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the musical Hamilton. In 2019, Robert Townsend asked Don Reed to help produce his one-man show, "Living the Shuffle."

In November 2024, Don Reed created and began hosting "Redwood Nights: Storytelling Under the Stars." This event takes place at Deer Park Villa in Fairfax, California. In 2025, Don Reed became an author with Simon & Schuster. He is writing a memoir based on his award-winning solo shows. These shows include East 14th, Can You Dig It?, and The Never Too Late Show.