Wallace Reid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wallace Reid
|
|
|---|---|
Reid in 1920
|
|
| Born |
William Wallace Halleck Reid
April 15, 1891 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
|
| Died | January 18, 1923 (aged 31) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Other names | Wally Reid |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1910–1923 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2, including Wallace Reid Jr. |
| Parent(s) |
|
William Wallace Halleck Reid (born April 15, 1891 – died January 18, 1923) was an American actor. He was famous in silent films and was known as "the screen's most perfect lover." He also had a short career as a race car driver.
Early Life and Talents
Wallace Reid was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His family was already involved in show business. His mother, Bertha Westbrook, was an actress. His father, James Halleck "Hal" Reid, was a successful playwright and actor.
Wallace started performing on stage when he was very young. But he paused acting to get an education. He went to Freehold Military School in New Jersey. Later, he graduated from Perkiomen Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1909.
Wallace was a talented athlete. He played many sports. He also loved music and learned to play the piano, banjo, drums, and violin. As a teenager, he spent time in Wyoming. There, he learned outdoor skills.
Film Career
Wallace Reid's father helped him get into the growing movie industry. His father started writing, directing, and acting in films. In 1910, Wallace appeared in his first movie, The Phoenix. This film was made at Selig Polyscope Studios in Chicago.
Wallace wanted to direct movies. He used a script his father wrote and showed it to Vitagraph Studios. They not only let him direct but also gave him a big acting role. Wallace was handsome and strong. This made him a perfect "matinée idol" (a popular star). But he also enjoyed working behind the scenes. He often worked as a writer, cameraman, and director.
Wallace Reid made several films with his father. As his movie career grew, he worked with and for early film director Allan Dwan. In 1913, while working at Universal Pictures, Wallace met and married actress Dorothy Davenport.
He played Jeff, the blacksmith, in The Birth of a Nation (1915). He also had a small role in Intolerance (1916). Both of these films were directed by D. W. Griffith. Wallace worked with famous actresses like Florence Turner, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Elsie Ferguson, and Geraldine Farrar. He became one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs.
Wallace had already been part of over 100 short films. Then, producer Jesse L. Lasky signed him. Wallace starred in more than 60 films for Lasky's Famous Players company. This company later became Paramount Pictures.
He was often paired with actress Ann Little. Wallace became known for his action-hero roles, especially as a daring race-car driver. Fans loved his exciting auto thrillers. Some of these films include The Roaring Road (1919), Double Speed (1920), Excuse My Dust (1920), and Too Much Speed (1921). One of his racing films, Across the Continent (1922), was the first movie shown at San Francisco's Castro Theatre when it opened in June 1922.
Wallace loved racing so much that he even entered a car in the 1922 Indianapolis 500 race. However, he decided not to race before the final qualifying rounds.
Death
Wallace Reid passed away on January 18, 1923. He was 31 years old. He died from influenza in a special care center.
He was buried in the Azalea Terrace of the Great Mausoleum. This is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Family After Wallace
His wife, Dorothy Davenport, later co-produced and appeared in a film called Human Wreckage (1923). She was known as Mrs. Wallace Reid.
Wallace and Dorothy had two children. Their son, Wallace Reid Jr., was born in 1917. They also adopted a daughter, Betty Mummert, in 1922 when she was three years old.
Wallace Reid's important work in the movie industry is remembered. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
(see Wallace Reid filmography)
