Oliver Reed Biography

Fast Facts

• Was expelled from 13 grammar schools; quit school and ran away from home at the age of 17
• Worked his first job as a bouncer at a Soho strip club
• Had no acting experience prior to making films
• In 1961, landed his first starring role as the title character in The Curse of the Werewolf
• Had a near fatal accident on the set of The Three Musketeers (1973) when he was stabbed in the throat during a dueling scene
• In 1979, wrote the autobiography Reed All About Me, detailing his dramatic life
• Passed away during the filming of Gladiator (2000); director Ridley Scott had to digitally re-create his likeness in order to complete the film