Oliver Reed's Real Name: Robert Oliver Reed

Quick answer: Oliver Reed's documented full name is Robert Oliver Reed. A 1999 Guardian obituary closes with that form and the dates February 13, 1938–May 2, 1999. The Irish Times independently records a Wimbledon, England, birth on February 13, 1938, and uses Oliver Reed (The Guardian; The Irish Times).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Oliver Reed. The Guardian's death notice line is "Robert Oliver Reed, actor, born February 13, 1938; died May 2, 1999." The Irish Times does not use the first name Robert. The Irish Times places the birth in Wimbledon, England; the Guardian obituary, by Norman King, independently says he was born in Wimbledon, south London. The same Guardian piece says he attended a succession of boarding schools, then did national service in the medical corps, and later moved into film extra work, with a breakthrough in a children's television serial called Golden Spur.

Career highlights

The Guardian describes a striking presence in more than 90 films and records an early lead in the Hammer film The Curse of the Werewolf, then work with Ken Russell, including Women in Love (1969) and The Devils (1971), plus Hannibal Brooks (1968) and The Assassination Bureau (1968). The Irish Times independently says he peaked in the 1960s and 1970s in Oliver!, Women in Love, The Jokers, and The Devils, with a first leading role in 1961 in Curse of the Werewolf. It puts his film count at 53; the Guardian uses "more than 90," a difference in how credits are tallied. Both agree he was in Malta to film Gladiator, in which the Irish Times says he was due to appear as a trainer of Roman gladiators.

Death

The Guardian dates his death to May 2, 1999, at age 61, in Valetta, Malta, using that spelling. The Irish Times, dated May 3, 1999, says he died "yesterday" at 61 after a suspected heart attack in a Valletta bar, and that police said he died on the way to hospital. The accounts agree on the date, island, city, and age; they differ on the city's spelling and on whether a suspected heart attack is named.

Name notes for searchers

Robert Oliver Reed is the documented full name in the Guardian's obituary close. The Irish Times and the professional billing use Oliver Reed. Searchers looking for the star of Women in Love, Oliver!, or The Devils are usually aiming at the same person.