Irish-born Maxwell Reed was on stage from 1943. This former seaman
appeared in a number of crime dramas playing heroes, victimised males,
and villains mostly trading on his film star good looks. Once a member
of Rank’s Company of Youth, he is now a largely forgotten figure
of British cinema except for some recognition as the first husband
of Joan Collins. Collins claims she divorced him after he allegedly
tried to sell her to an Arab sheik for £10,000. Some of his
relatives strongly contested Collins' story and claimed that she gave
a highly exaggerated and unfair view of what was a failed marriage
between a 19 year old girl and a man in his early 30's. However, during
the 40s, his handsome looks made him a favourite of British schoolgirls.
After stage experience and a number of unaccredited roles, Reed made
his full screen debut in a support role in the David MacDonald directed
Highland melodrama The Brothers (1947). Subsequently Reed appeared
in a spate of nourish crime dramas; foremost amongst these were the
Eric Portman led Dear Murderer (1947) and Daybreak
(1948), in which Reed is sombrely impressive. After a support role
in the impressive The
Clouded Yellow (1951), and a lead role in The
Dark Man (1951), Reed’s career became inconsistent and began
to wane. He latterly appeared in American television series such as
Captain David Grief (1960) or minor roles in The Notorious Landlady
(1962) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966). Had he listened to his ex-wife
and modelled his style on James Mason rather than Stewart Granger
his film career might have been entirely different.
