Carl Benton Reid

American actor (1893–1973)

Carl Benton Reid
Carl Benton Reid in The North Star (1943)
Born	(1893-08-14)August 14, 1893 Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Died	March 16, 1973(1973-03-16) (aged 79) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1929–1949 (stage) 1940–1966 (film)
Spouse	Hazel Harrison (until his death)
Children	1 daughter

Carl Benton Reid (August 14, 1893^{[citation needed]}– March 16, 1973) was an American actor.

Early years

Reid was born in Lansing, Michigan.^[1] He used his full name professionally because when he worked in radio, four other people in the business were named Carl Reid.^[2]

Career

Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Dingle, Carl Benton Reid and Dan Duryea in the original Broadway production of *The Little Foxes* (1939)

For seven years, Reid performed in leading-man roles of productions at the Cleveland Play House. He achieved fame on the Broadway stage in 1939 as Oscar Hubbard, one of Regina Giddens's (Tallulah Bankhead) greedy, devious brothers in the play The Little Foxes,^[3] and made his film debut reprising his role opposite Bette Davis in the 1941 film version. He also appeared in several Shakespeare plays on Broadway, and in the original production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, as Harry Slade. His stern, cold demeanor quickly stereotyped him in villainous, and/or unpleasant characters, although he could play a sympathetic role, as he did occasionally in such films as the 1957 TV-movie version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Here he played the Mayor of Middelburg, who unsuccessfully requests help from the Mayor of Hamelin (Claude Rains), when Hamelin is the victim of a flood. The flood leads to the famous plague of rats which invade Hamelin, and set the main plot in motion. He played the American Admiral, who is leading the peace talks between the Americans and Chinese during the Korean War in MGM's Pork Chop Hill. His last film role was the judge in Madame X (1966).

On old-time radio, Reid played Roger Allen in the soap opera Big Sister.^[4]

On television, Reid had the role of the U.S. spymaster known only as The Man in Amos Burke, Secret Agent.^[5] He made four guest appearances on Perry Mason during the show's nine-year run between 1957 and 1966. His final television role was as Claude Townsend in the TV series The F.B.I..

Personal life

Reid was married to actress Hazel Harrison, whom he met at the Cleveland Play House. They had a daughter, Shirley Jane.^[3]

Death

On March 16, 1973, Reid died at his home in Studio City, California, at age 79. He was survived by his wife and his daughter.^[3]

Selected filmography

The Little Foxes (1941) as Oscar Hubbard
Tennessee Johnson (1942) as Congressman Hargrove
The North Star (1943) as Boris Simonov
In a Lonely Place (1950) as Captain Lochner
Convicted (1950) as Captain Douglas
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) as Mr. Christy
The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) as Health Commissioner Ellis
Stage to Tucson (1950) as Dr. Noah Banteen
The Flying Missile (1950) as Dr. Gates, USN
Smuggler's Gold (1951) as 'Pop' Hodges
The Great Caruso (1951) as Park Benjamin
Lorna Doone (1951) as Sir Ensor Doone
Criminal Lawyer (1951) as Tucker Bourne
The Family Secret (1951) as Dr. Steve Reynolds
Indian Uprising (1952) as John Clemson
Boots Malone (1952) as John Williams
The First Time (1952) as Andrew Bennet
The Sniper (1952) as Mr. Liddell (uncredited)
Carbine Williams (1952) as Claude Williams
The Brigand (1952) as Prime Minister Triano
The Story of Will Rogers (1952) as Senator Clem Rogers
Main Street to Broadway (1953) as Judge Robbins in Fantasy Sequence
Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) as Colonel Owens
The Command (1954) as Colonel Janeway
Broken Lance (1954) as Clem Lawton
The Egyptian (1954) as Senmut
Athena (1954) as Mr. Griswalde
Wichita (1955) as Mayor Andrew Hope
One Desire (1955) as Sen. Kenneth A. Watrous
The Left Hand of God (1955) as Father Cornelius
The Spoilers (1955) as Judge Stillman
A Day of Fury (1956) as Judge John J. McLean
The First Texan (1956) as President Andrew Jackson (uncredited)
Strange Intruder (1956) as James Carmichael
The Last Wagon (1956) as General Howard
Battle Hymn (1957) as Deacon Edwards
Spoilers of the Forest (1957) as John Mitchell
Time Limit (1957) as Lieutenant General J. Connors
Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958) as Dr. Sturdy
The Last of the Fast Guns (1958) as John Forbes
Have Gun – Will Travel (1959) (Season 1 Episode 24: "Girl from Picadilly") as Martin Westrope
Gunsmoke (1959) (Season 4 Episode 19: "Passive Resistance") as Gideon Seek
Bonanza (1959) (Season 1 Episode 11: "The Truckee Strip") as Luther Bishop
The Trap (1959) as Sheriff Lloyd Anderson
Pork Chop Hill (1959) as American Admiral at Peace Conference
The Bramble Bush (1960) as Sam McFie
The Gallant Hours (1960) as Vice-Admiral Robert Ghormley
Wagon Train (1960) (Season 3 Episode 22: "The Tracy Sadler Story") as Fletcher Forest
Lassie (1961) (Season 8 Episode 1: "Lassie and the Grand Canyon") as Richard Bliss
Bonanza (1962) (Season 3 Episode 33: "The Mountain Girl") as Josiah Parker
The Underwater City (1962) as Dr. Junius Halstead
Pressure Point (1962) as Chief Medical Officer
The Ugly American (1963) as Senator at Confirmation Hearing
The Andy Griffith Show (1963) (Season 3 Episode 15: "Barney and the Governor") as Governor Ed
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 31: "Run for Doom") as Horace Reed
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) (Season 2 Episode 17: "The Jar") as Gramps Medknowe
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1965) (Season 3 Episode 13: "Where the Woodbine Twineth") as Captain King Snyder
Madame X (1966) as The Judge

References

^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 96. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
^ "Popular Name". Belvidere Daily Republican. Illinois, Belvidere. November 30, 1938. p. 5. Retrieved July 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Carl Benton Reid, Actor, Dies at 79". The New York Times. March 21, 1973. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.