What is Robert Reed's Net Worth?
Robert Reed was an American actor who had a net worth equal to $3 million at the time of his death in 1992 (after adjusting for inflation). Robert Reed had more than 100 acting credits to his name but he was best-known for starring as Mike Brady on the television series "The Brady Bunch," from 1969 to 1974.
Robert Reed was also known for his work on "The Defenders," "Mannix," "Nurse," and the miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Roots." Reed also acted on the big screen in such films as "Bloodlust!," "Hurry Sundown," and "Star!"
Reed was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for "Rich Man, Poor Man" and "Medical Center" in 1976, and for "Roots" in 1977. Robert Reed passed away on May 12, 1992 at 59 years old from colon cancer and HIV.
Early Life and Education
Robert Reed was born as John Robert Rietz Jr. on October 19, 1932 in Highland Park, Illinois to Helen and John Sr., who were high school sweethearts. Because his father worked in the government, he spent his childhood in various places, including Navasota, Texas and Shawnee, Oklahoma. Reed attended the West Division School in Illinois and Woodrow Wilson Grade School in Oklahoma. As a teenager, he went to Central High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma; there, he performed on stage and sang. Meanwhile, Reed worked as a local radio announcer and wrote and produced radio dramas. He went on to attend Northwestern University back in Illinois, where he appeared in many plays. After graduating, Reed studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London for one term.
Career Beginnings
Reed returned to the United States after his time in London and acted in summer stock in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania. Later, he joined the theater group the Shakespearewrights, and after that joined the Studebaker theater company in Chicago. He eventually began using the stage name Robert Reed, and in the late 1950s moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his career as an actor.
Start of Television Career
Reed debuted on television in 1959, appearing in episodes of "Father Knows Best," "Make Room for Daddy," and "The Californians." Early the next decade, he had guest roles on "Men into Space," "Bronco," "Lawman," and "Tallahassee 7000." Reed had his first starring role on television in the CBS courtroom drama series "The Defenders," which ran from 1961 to 1965. He played defense attorney Kenneth Preston, and starred alongside fellow Studebaker theater actor E. G. Marshall, who played his father. After "The Defenders" ended, Reed had a recurring role on the NBC medical drama "Dr. Kildare," and appeared in episodes of such shows as "Family Affair," "Hondo," "Ironside," and "Journey to the Unknown." In 1968, he began playing the recurring role of Lieutenant Adam Tobias in the detective series "Mannix," which ran until 1975.
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The Brady Bunch
Reed began his most famous role in 1969, starring as patriarch Mike Brady on the ABC sitcom "The Brady Bunch." He acted opposite Florence Henderson as Carol Brady. From the beginning of the show, Reed was deeply dissatisfied with his role, as he felt it was well beneath his stature as a respectable Shakespearean actor. Although the cast got along well with him, the program's creator, producers, and directors did not. Just as Reed was about to be replaced for the sixth season of "The Brady Bunch" due to his uncooperative behavior, the show was canceled in 1974. However, he eventually returned to appear in various "Brady Bunch" television specials, films, and sequel series, including "The Brady Girls Get Married," "A Very Brady Christmas," and "The Bradys."
Further Television Career
While "The Brady Bunch" was still running, Reed appeared in several television films, including "Assignment: Munich," "Haunts of the Very Rich," "Snatched," and "The Man Who Couldn't Talk to Kids." He also showed up in episodes of "The Mod Squad," "Mission: Impossible," and "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law." After the end of "The Brady Bunch," Reed had a notable two-episode role on "Medical Center" as a transgender doctor; he earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. He earned another Emmy nomination for his work in the 1976 miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man," and then another the year after that for his performance in the miniseries "Roots." Reed subsequently appeared in the television films "SST: Death Fight," "The Hunted Lady," "Mandrake," and "Love's Savage Fury." He was also in six episodes of "The Love Boat," four episodes of "The Runaways," and two episodes each of "Vega$" and "Fantasy Island."
In the early 1980s, Reed was in the television films "Casino" and "Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story," as well as the miniseries "Scruples." He also played the main role of Dr. Adam Rose on the short-lived medical drama series "Nurse" from 1981 to 1982. Following that, Reed had guest roles on such shows as "Hotel," "Matt Houston," "Cover Up," "Murder, She Wrote," "Hunter," and "Duet." At the end of the decade, he appeared in episodes of the sitcoms "Day by Day" and "Free Spirit" and the crime dramedy "Snoops." Reed made his final appearance on television in an episode of the crime drama "Jake and the Fatman" in 1992.
Film Career
Reed mostly acted on television, but made some big-screen appearances as well. After going uncredited in the late-50s films "Pal Joey," "The Hunters," and "Torpedo Run," he had a prominent role in the 1961 horror thriller "Bloodlust!" Reed next appeared in Otto Preminger's 1967 drama "Hurry Sundown," starring Jane Fonda and Michael Caine. The year after that, he was in Robert Wise's biographical musical "Star!," starring Julie Andrews. Reed's other film credits include "The Maltese Bippy" and "Prime Target."
Personal Life and Death
Reed was gay, but kept his sexuality a secret from the public so as not to destroy his career. In 1954, he married fellow Northwestern student Marilyn Rosenberger, with whom he had a daughter named Karen. The couple divorced in 1959.
In late 1991, Reed was diagnosed with colon cancer. He passed away in May of the following year in Pasadena, California at the age of 59. Although his death was solely attributed to cancer at the time, details were later made public revealing he had also been HIV-positive.
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