Profile Text
Birth Name: Robert Oliver Reed
Date of Birth: 13 February, 1938
Place of Birth: Surrey North Eastern, Surrey, England, U.K.
Date of Death: 2 May, 1999
Place of Death: Valletta, Malta
Ethnicity: English, as well as one eighth German
Oliver Reed was a British actor. He was the only or one of the only major British film stars to have never appeared on stage.
Oliver was the son of Marcia (Napier-Andrews) and Peter Reed, a sports journalist. His uncle was director Carol Reed. Oliver was married to Josephine Burge, until his death. He had a son with his former wife Kate Byrne, and a daughter with his former partner, dancer Jacquie Daryl. Oliver lived in Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland for much of his life.
Oliver was a half-first cousin, once removed, of musician Alan Parsons .
Oliver’s paternal grandfather was Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (an actor and theatre manager, born Herbert Draper Beerbohm, the son of Julius Ewald Edward Beerbohm, a corn merchant, and of Constantia Draper). Sir Herbert was born in Kensington, London, England, and was a sibling of author/explorer Julius Beerbohm and author Constance Beerbohm, and a half-sibling of parodist and caricaturist Max Beerbohm. Oliver’s great-grandfather Julius was the son of German parents, Ernst Heinrich Beerbohm, who was born in Memel, East Prussia, now Klaipėda, Lithuania; and Henrietta/Henriette Amalie Radke, who was born in Heydekrug, Prussia. Julius was also said to have had Dutch and Lithuanian ancestry. It does not appear that this is accurate.
Oliver’s great-grandmother Constantia was born in Newington, Surrey, England, the daughter of William Draper and Eliza.
Oliver’s paternal grandmother was Beatrix May/Mae/Beatrice Pinney Reed (the daughter of William Pinney and Henrietta Louisa Rowlatt). May was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England. William was born in Exeter, Devonshire, the son of William Pinney and Elizabeth Vicary. Oliver’s great-grandmother Henrietta was born in Bristol, Somersetshire, the daughter of The Rev. John Charles Rowlatt and Henrietta Pycroft.
Oliver’s maternal grandfather was Lancelot Napier Andrews (the son of Alfred Andrews and Caroline Napier).
Sources: Genealogies of Oliver Reed (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com https://www.wikitree.com