Biography
Although her earthy and somewhat plain appearance might have prevented her from landing the sort of glamorous parts Hollywood seems to reserve for A-list beauty queens, actress Pamela Reed still managed to maintain a healthy career with a series of winning supporting roles. A Washington native who spent the majority of her childhood in Maryland, Reed moved back to the Northwest for an opportunity to work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. There, she began to study drama at the University of Washington, where she stood out amongst her classmates due to her age (she was nearly 30 when she graduated and began seeking out roles in New York and L.A.). She later appeared off-Broadway in Curse of the Starving Class and impressed audiences with her performance in Aunt Dan and Lemonand her skillful interpretation of Shakespeare in All's Well That Ends Well. In 1978, Reed made her Broadway debut in a production of The November People. With a solid stage resumé, the actress moved to the screen in
Walter Hill's 1980 Western
The Long Riders. Reed could bring style and depth to even the most threadbare of roles, and in the years that followed, she made a name for herself by essaying key supporting parts in such films as
Eyewitness (1981) and
The Right Stuff (1983); though her characters rarely broke the mold of supportive wife/girlfriend, her performances were always graceful and believable.
Reed took a turn toward the small screen with a role in the 1990 comedy series
Grand, and alternated frequently between film and television for the remainder of the decade. From her scene-stealing turn alongside
Arnold Schwarzenegger in
Kindergarten Cop (1990) to her performance as a housewife with a history in the made-for-TV mystery
Woman With a Past, Reed proved equally adept at both comedy and drama. Following a memorable role in
Tim Robbins' 1992 political satire (and directorial debut)
Bob Roberts, the actress returned to television in 1995 for the short-lived comedy series The Home Court. She built a sturdy fan base of Lifetime viewers with such made-for-cable features as
The Man Next Door (1995), and continued to appear in such hit features as
Bean (1997) and
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). Reed later starred in the 2000 blockbuster
Proof of Life, and appeared in the small-screen drama
Book of Days (2003) and
Glory Days in 2004. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide