History Creator / OliverReed

Reed was part of [[TrueCompanions an infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face, which he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/{{Steve McQueen|Actor}}. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s as producers want him for it but felt his well-known hellraising ran against Bond's image and it would be easier to cast someone new than try, likely in vain, to change Reed's image. He was also known for playing crude pranks and for his boorish treatment of women; in one appearance on ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson'', Reed so infuriated fellow guest Creator/ShelleyWinters with his misogynistic comments that Winters spilled a cup of water on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

* ''Film/{{The Damned|1963}}'' (1963) as King

* ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' (1968) as Bill Sikes

Reed was part of [[TrueCompanions an infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face, which he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/{{Steve McQueen|Actor}}. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s as producers want him for it but felt his well-known hellraising ran against Bond's image and it would be easier to cast someone new than try, likely in vain, to change Reed's image. He was also known for playing crude pranks and for his boorish treatment of women; in one appearance on ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson'', Reed so infuriated fellow guest Creator/ShelleyWinters with his misogynistic comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

Reed was part of [[TrueCompanions an infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face, which he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/{{Steve McQueen|Actor}}. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s as producers want him for it but felt his well-known hellraising ran against Bond's image and it would be easier to cast someone new than try, likely in vain, to change Reed's image. He was also known for playing crude pranks and for his boorish treatment of women; in one appearance on ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson'', he so infuriated Creator/ShelleyWinters with his misogynistic comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

* ''Film/BeatGirl'' (1960) as Plaid Shirt – Beat Youth

Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (Its director Creator/CarolReed was his uncle; Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid charges of nepotism.) For a little while in the late [[TheSixties 1960s]] and early [[TheSeventies '70s]], he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (Reed stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by [[TheEighties the '80s]] and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

In fairness, at least ''some'' of Reed's behavior was exaggerated in the telling. Talk shows and interviewers openly encouraged Reed's drunkenness, because they knew it would bring them good ratings. Though Reed often went along with it in the '70s and '80s, later in his life he came to resent this, as many hosts ''only'' wanted to discuss his drinking and never his acting. As his health declined, Reed tried with mixed success to overcome his alcoholism; he reportedly had been several months sober before ''Gladiator'' started filming, only to fall off the wagon during that film's arduous shoot. And Reed could well be a nice guy when he was sober - though to be sure, such moments were relatively rare. One anecdote, as recounted in Robert Sellers's book ''Hellraisers'', describes Reed getting into a barroom brawl and roughing up several policemen. The incident was widely reported, less so its epilogue: Reed regretted the incident and sent the police a bouquet by way of apology. He also bought a man in a pub a house in Scotland simply because he promised he would if he became famous. By his own admission, however, Reed wasn't the easiest guy to live or work with and remains as well-known for his offscreen antics as his acting.

* ''Film/TheDamned1963'' as King

Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his brutish persona and extraordinary real-life drinking. Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (Its director Creator/CarolReed was his uncle; Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid charges of nepotism.) For a little while in the late [[TheSixties 1960s]] and early [[TheSeventies '70s]], he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (Reed stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by [[TheEighties the '80s]] and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his brutish persona and extraordinary real-life drinking. Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (Its director Creator/CarolReed was his uncle; Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid accusations of nepotism.) For a little while in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (He stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by TheEighties and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s as producers want him for it but felt his well-known hellraising ran against Bond's image and it would be easier to cast someone new than try, likely in vain, to change Reed's image. He was also known for playing crude pranks and his boorish treatment of women; in one talk show appearance, he so infuriated Shelley Winters with his misogynist comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reed_5885.jpg]]

->''I do not live in the world of sobriety.''

Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor (13 February 1938 -- 2 May 1999) known for his brutish persona and extraordinary real-life drinking. Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (Its director Creator/CarolReed was his uncle; Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid accusations of nepotism.) For a little while in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (He stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by TheEighties and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s as producers want him for it but felt his well-known hellraising ran against Bond's image and it would be easier to cast someonew new than try, likely in vain, to change Reed's image. He was also known for playing crude pranks and his boorish treatment of women; in one talk show appearance, he so infuriated Shelley Winters with his misogynist comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris, and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s. He was also known for playing crude pranks and his boorish treatment of women; in one talk show appearance, he so infuriated Shelley Winters with his misogynist comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

* ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'' as Athos

* ''Film/Venom1981'' as Dave Averconnelly

* ''Film/TwoOfAKind1983'' as Beasley

* ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum1991'' as The Cardinal

Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor (13 February 1938 -- 2 May 1999) known for his brutish persona and extraordinary real-life drinking. Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (The director, Creator/CarolReed, was his uncle. Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid accusations of nepotism.) For a little while in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (He stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by TheEighties and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s. He was also known for playing crude pranks and his boorish treatment of women; in one talk show appearance, he so infuriated Shelley Winters with his misogynist comments that Winters spilled whiskey on him. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

In fairness, at least ''some'' of Reed's behavior was exaggerated in the telling. Talk shows and interviewers openly encouraged Reed's drunkenness, because they knew it would bring them good ratings. Though Reed often went along with it in the '70s and '80s, later in his life he came to resent this, as many hosts ''only'' wanted to discuss his drinking and never his acting. As his health declined, Reed tried with mixed success to overcome his alcoholism; he reportedly had been several months sober before ''Gladiator'' started filming, only to fall off the wagon during that film's arduous shoot. And Reed could well be a nice guy when he was sober - though to be sure, such moments were relatively rare. One anecdote, recounted in Robert Sellers's book ''Hellraisers'', describes Reed getting into a barroom brawl and roughing up several policemen. The incident was widely reported, less so its epilogue: Reed regretted the incident and sent the police a bouquet by way of apology. He also bought a man in a pub a house in Scotland simply because he promised he would if he became famous. By his own admission, however, Reed wasn't the easiest guy to live or work with, and remains as well-known for his offscreen antics as his acting.

Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor (February 13, 1938 -- May 2, 1999) known for his brutish persona and extraordinary real-life drinking. Some of his minor early roles were in [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer films]], including ''Film/{{Paranoiac}}'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfTheWerewolf'', his first starring role and Hammer's only werewolf movie. He also made several films with Creator/KenRussell, including ''Film/TheDevils'', ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (based on Music/TheWho's rock opera) and ''Film/WomenInLove''. He played Bill Sikes in the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''. (The director, Creator/CarolReed, was his uncle. Oliver had refused to work with him until he was established as an actor to avoid accusations of nepotism.) For a little while in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe. Interestingly, he was the only British star of the period who ''didn't'' have any experience or training in the [[ShakespearianActors theater]]. (He stated in interviews that he considered "life" to be the best teacher for actors, and thought that acting coaches were just actors who couldn't get work.) He played Athos in Richard Lester's trilogy of Musketeer films (including ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973'', ''The Four Musketeers'', and ''The Return of the Musketeers''). His career faltered by TheEighties and he was mostly reduced to doing [[MoneyDearBoy paycheck]] roles, though he did get some respectable work, including playing the god Vulcan in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', Billy Bones in a well-received 1990 TV adaptation of ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'', and the slave dealer Proximo in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. He died while filming that last one, forcing some [[FakeShemp creative]] story alterations.

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of pounds sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

In fairness, Reed could be a nice guy when he was sober - though to be sure, such moments were relatively rare. One anecdote, recounted in Robert Sellers's book ''Hellraisers'', describes Reed getting into a barroom brawl and roughing up several policemen. The incident was widely reported, less so its epilogue: Reed regretted the incident and sent the police a bouquet by way of apology. He also bought a man in a pub a house in Scotland simply because he promised he would if he became famous. Reed also avoided the womanizing of peers like Creator/RichardBurton, though his marriages were undoubtedly strained by his drinking problems. But even sober, Reed often indulged in crude sexism and enjoyed flashing and scandalizing bemused onlookers, both privately and publicly; alcoholism just pushed these traits UpToEleven. By his own admission, Reed wasn't the easiest guy to live with.

He was part of [[TrueCompanions the infamously hard-drinking thespian foursome]] with Creator/RichardBurton, Creator/RichardHarris and Creator/PeterOToole. He got into a bar brawl in 1963 that resulted in a scar on his face that he was afraid would end his career (and accounted for the facial hair he often sported thereafter); another time he threw up on Creator/SteveMcQueenActor. He was close friends with [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]], a relationship which caused him no end of trouble, and also had an OddFriendship with the wayward snooker star Alex "Hurricane" Higgins.[[note]]One boozy night out with Higgins ended with them having a sword fight. On another Reed convinced Higgins to drink a bottle of Chanel No 5; Higgins got revenge by spiking Reed's beer with washing-up liquid.[[/note]] Rumor has it that his alcoholism [[WhatMightHaveBeen cost Reed the role of]] Film/JamesBond in the late 1960s. On the night of his death, he had [[DyingMomentOfAwesome won four arm-wrestling bouts while heavily plastered]]. He also left behind a bar tab measured in ''thousands'' of Pounds Sterling for the ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' crew to take care of. (Newspapers noted the strange similarities between Reed's death and that of Robert Newton, who had played Bill Sykes in a 1948 production of ''Literature/OliverTwist'' and died from one last bout of heavy drinking during the production of what was supposed to be his comeback picture, ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''.)

* ''Theatre/{{Oliver}} (1968) as Bill Sikes

* ''Film/TheStingII'' (1982) as Doyle Lonnegan