Acting
Wallace Reid
EN cinema · 217 credits
Born
14 April 1891
Died
18 January 1923 (aged 31)
Birthplace
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Also known as William Wallace Halleck Reid
Wallace Reid was an American actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". Wallace Reid appeared in several films with his father, and as his career in film flourished, he was soon acting and directing with and for early film mogul Allan Dwan. In 1913, while at Universal Pictures, Reid met and married actress Dorothy Davenport. He was featured as Jeff, the blacksmith, in The Birth of a Nation (1915) and had an uncredited role in Intolerance (1916), both directed by D. W. Griffith; he worked with leading ladies such as Florence Turner, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Elsie Ferguson, and Geraldine Farrar en route to becoming one of Hollywood's major heartthrobs. Already involved with the creation of more than 100 motion picture shorts, Reid was signed by producer Jesse L. Lasky and starred in over 60 films for Lasky's Famous Players film company, which later became Paramount Pictures. Frequently paired with actress Ann Little, his action-hero role as the dashing race-car driver drew young girls and older women alike to theaters to see his daredevil auto thrillers such as The Roaring Road (1919), Double Speed (1920), Excuse My Dust (1920), and Too Much Speed (1921). While en route to a location in Oregon during filming of The Valley of the Giants (1919), Reid was injured in a train wreck near Arcata, California and needed six stitches to close a 3-inch (8 cm) scalp wound. To keep on filming, he was prescribed morphine for relief of his pain and Reid soon became addicted, but kept on working at a frantic pace in films that were growing more physically demanding, and changing from 15–20 minutes in duration to as much as an hour. Reid's morphine addiction worsened at a time when drug rehabilitation programs were non-existent. He died in a sanatorium while attempting to recover.
Known for
Filmography
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
as Self (archive footage)
The Movie Album
as (archive footage)
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
Rent Free
as Buell Arnister Jr
Thirty Days
as John Floyd
Clarence
as Clarence Smith
Nice People
as Captain Billy Wade
The Ghost Breaker
as Walter Jarvis, a Ghost Breaker
The World's Champion
as William Burroughs
The Dictator
as Brooke Travers
Across the Continent
as Jimmy Dent
The Affairs of Anatol
as Anatol Spencer
The Charm School
as Austin Bevans
Too Much Speed
as 'Dusty' Rhoades
The Hell Diggers
as Teddy Darman
The Love Special
as Jim Glover
Forever
as Peter Ibbetson
Don't Tell Everything
as Cullen Dale
The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel
1921
The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel
as As himself
The Dancin' Fool
as Sylvester Tibble
Double Speed
as 'Speed' Carr
Excuse My Dust
as 'Toodles' Walden
What's Your Hurry?
as Dusty Rhoades
Always Audacious
as Perry Dayton / 'Slim' Attucks
Sick Abed
as Reginald Jay
The Love Burglar
as David Strong
The Dub
as John Craig (The 'Dub')
Alias Mike Moran
as Larry Young
The Lottery Man
as Jack Wright
The Roaring Road
as Walter Thomas 'Toodles' Walden
Hawthorne of the U.S.A.
as Anthony Hamilton Hawthorne
The Valley of the Giants
as Bryce Cardigan
You're Fired
as Billy Deering
The House of Silence
as Marcel Levington
Too Many Millions
as Walsingham Van Doren
The Thing We Love
as Rodney Sheridan
The Man from Funeral Range
as Harry Webb
Rimrock Jones
as Rimrock Jones
Believe Me, Xantippe
as George MacFarland
The Firefly of France
as Devereux Bayne
Less Than Kin
as Hobart Lee / Lewis Vickers
The Source
as Van Twiller Yard
His Extra Bit
1918
His Extra Bit
as The Husband
The Golden Fetter
as James Roger Ralston
The Man Who Saved the Day
1917
The Man Who Saved the Day
as John King, Director
The Prison Without Walls
as Huntington Babbs
The World Apart
as Bob Fulton
The Squaw Man's Son
1917
The Squaw Man's Son
as Lord Effington, aka Hal
The Hostage
as Lieutenant Kemper
The Woman God Forgot
as Alvarado
Big Timber
as Jack Fife
The Devil Stone
as Guy Sterling
Nan of Music Mountain
as Henry de Spain
Joan the Woman
as Eric Trent 1431 / Eric Trent 1917
The Yellow Pawn
as James Weldon
The Wall of Flame
1916
The Wall of Flame
as Wallace - the Fire Inspector
The Wrong Heart
1916
The Wrong Heart
Actor, Director, Scenario Writer
To Have and to Hold
as Captain Ralph Percy
The Love Mask
as Dan Derring
The Selfish Woman
as Tom Morley
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
as Boy Killed in Battle (uncredited)
Maria Rosa
as Andreas
The Craven
1915
The Craven
as Bud Walton
Station Content
as Jim Manning
A Yankee from the West
1915
A Yankee from the West
as Billy Milford aka Hell-in-the Mud
The Chorus Lady
as Danny Mallory
Carmen
as Don Jose
Enoch Arden
as Walter Fenn
Old Heidelberg
as Prince Karl Heinrich
The Golden Chance
as Roger Manning
The Birth of a Nation
as Jeff, the Blacksmith
The Three Brothers
as Jean Gaudet / Will
The Heart of the Hills
as Dave - the Woodsman, Director, Writer
The Wheel of Life
1914
The Wheel of Life
as The Prospector, Director
Fires of Conscience
1914
Fires of Conscience
as Ray - the Prospector, Director
The Greater Devotion
1914
The Greater Devotion
as 'Devotion', Director
A Flash in the Dark
1914
A Flash in the Dark
as A Miner, Director
Breed o' the Mountains
1914
Breed o' the Mountains
as Joe Mayfield, Director
Regeneration
1914
Regeneration
as The Artist, Director
The Voice of the Viola
1914
The Voice of the Viola
as Wallace, Director
The Way of a Woman
1914
The Way of a Woman
as Pierre, Director
The Mountaineer
1914
The Mountaineer
as Jim - the Mountaineer, Director, Writer
Cupid Incognito
1914
Cupid Incognito
as Jack Falkner, Director, Writer
A Gypsy Romance
1914
A Gypsy Romance
as Jose - King of the Gypsies, Director
The Test
1914
The Test
as The Poor Man, Director
The Skeleton
1914
The Skeleton
as Jack - the Young Husband, Director
The Fruit of Evil
1914
The Fruit of Evil
Actor, Director, Writer
Women and Roses
as Wallace, Director, Writer
The Quack
1914
The Quack
as Wallace Rosslyn, Director
The Siren
1914
The Siren
as Dane Northrop, Director
The Man Within
1914
The Man Within
as The Outlaw, Director
Passing of the Beast
1914
Passing of the Beast
as Jacques - the Woodsman, Director
The Intruder
1914
The Intruder
as The Woodsman, Director
The Countess Betty's Mine
1914
The Countess Betty's Mine
as Wallace, Director
Love's Western Flight
1914
Love's Western Flight
as Wally - the Ranch Owner, Director
A Wife on a Wager
1914
A Wife on a Wager
as Wally Bristow, Director
'Cross the Mexican Line
as Lt. Wallace, Director
The Den of Thieves
as Wallace, Director
The City Beautiful
1914
The City Beautiful
as The Country Boy
Down by the Sounding Sea
1914
Down by the Sounding Sea
as John Ward - the Man from the Sea, Scenario Writer
The Avenging Conscience
as The Doctor (uncredited)
Moonshine Molly
1914
Moonshine Molly
as Lawson Keene
The Second Mrs. Roebuck
1914
The Second Mrs. Roebuck
as Samuel Roebuck
Sierra Jim's Reformation
1914
Sierra Jim's Reformation
as Tim - the Pony Express Rider
The High Grader
1914
The High Grader
as Dick Raleigh
Her Doggy
1914
Her Doggy
as The Doctor (unconfirmed)
Her Awakening
1914
Her Awakening
as Bob Turner
A Mother's Influence
1914
A Mother's Influence
as Wallace Burton - the Son
The Niggard
1914
The Niggard
as Elmer Kent
Another Chance
1914
Another Chance
as Detective Flynn
At Dawn
as The Lieutenant
The Exposure
1914
The Exposure
as The Reporter
Arms and the Gringo
as Sullivan
The Little Country Mouse
as Lieutenant Hawkhurst
Love and the Law
1913
Love and the Law
as Sheriff John Allen, Director, Scenario Writer
The Guerilla Menace
1913
The Guerilla Menace
as Captain Bruce Douglas
Song Bird of the North
1913
Song Bird of the North
as Fowle - a Mission Worker
Their Masterpiece
1913
Their Masterpiece
as Jack Sanders
Pride of Lonesome
1913
Pride of Lonesome
as Edward Daton, Director
The Powder Flash of Death
as Captain Bruce Douglas
A Foreign Spy
1913
A Foreign Spy
Actor, Director
Mental Suicide
1913
Mental Suicide
as Reid - a Contractor, Writer
A Rose of Old Mexico
1913
A Rose of Old Mexico
as Paul Hapgood, Director
The Eye of a God
1913
The Eye of a God
as Frank Hammond
The Ways of Fate
1913
The Ways of Fate
as Jim Conway, Director
When Jim Returned
1913
When Jim Returned
as Jim, Director, Writer
The Tattooed Arm
1913
The Tattooed Arm
as Ben Hart, Director, Writer
The Brothers
1913
The Brothers
as Robert Gregory, Director
Youth and Jealousy
1913
Youth and Jealousy
as Ben, Director
The Kiss
1913
The Kiss
as Ralph Walters, Director
Her Innocent Marriage
1913
Her Innocent Marriage
as Will Wayne, Director
A Modern Snare
1913
A Modern Snare
as Ralph - the New Sheriff, Director
On the Border
1913
On the Border
as Bill Reeves - the Cowboy, Director
When Luck Changes
1913
When Luck Changes
as Cal Jim, Director
Via Cabaret
1913
Via Cabaret
as Harry Reeder, Director
Hearts and Horses
1913
Hearts and Horses
as Bill Walters, Director
In Love and War
1913
In Love and War
as David - the Journalist
Women and War
1913
Women and War
as The Boy, Writer
Man's Duty
1913
Man's Duty
as Bill, the Selfish One
The Animal
1913
The Animal
as The Animal
The Harvest of Flame
1913
The Harvest of Flame
as The Inspector, Director, Writer
The Spark of Manhood
1913
The Spark of Manhood
as Humphrey Van Weyden, Director
The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine
1913
The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine
as Reid - Rosson's Brother, Director
The Gratitude of Wanda
1913
The Gratitude of Wanda
as Wally, Director
The Wall of Money
1913
The Wall of Money
as Wallace - McQuarrie's Son
The Heart of a Cracksman
1913
The Heart of a Cracksman
as Gentleman Crook, Director, Writer
The Cracksman's Reformation
1913
The Cracksman's Reformation
as Gentleman Crook, Writer
The Fires of Fate
1913
The Fires of Fate
as Wally - the Doctor, Director, Scenario Writer
Cross Purposes
1913
Cross Purposes
as Wally, Director
Retribution
1913
Retribution
as Reid, Director
A Cracksman Santa Claus
1913
A Cracksman Santa Claus
as Gentleman Crook, Writer
The Lightning Bolt
1913
The Lightning Bolt
as Reid, Director, Writer
A Hopi Legend
1913
A Hopi Legend
Actor, Director, Writer
The Deerslayer
as Chingachgook
The Spirit of the Flag
as Dr. Reid, Writer
His Only Son
as Bob Madden
The Path of True Love
1912
The Path of True Love
as The Country Boy
Chumps
as George - the Denouement, Scenario Writer
Jean Intervenes
1912
Jean Intervenes
as Billy Hallock
Indian Romeo and Juliet
as Oniatore / Romeo
Playmates
as Party Guest at Piano (uncredited)
The Seventh Son
as One of the Beecham Brothers
The Illumination
as Giuseppe's Father
The Victoria Cross
as Lt. Cholmodeley
Fortunes of a Composer
1912
Fortunes of a Composer
as Opera Attendee (uncredited)
Early Days in the West
1912
Early Days in the West
as Dan, a Young Pioneer
Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight
as Basil Underwood
Kaintuck
1912
Kaintuck
as The Artist
Virginius
1912
Virginius
as Icilius
The Gamblers
1912
The Gamblers
as Arthur Ingraham
Before the White Man Came
1912
Before the White Man Came
as Wathuma - the Leopard, Writer
A Man's Duty
1912
A Man's Duty
as Dick Wilson - Union Soldier
At Cripple Creek
as Joe Mayfield
Making Good
1912
Making Good
as Billy Burns
The Secret Service Man
1912
The Secret Service Man
as The Secret Service Man
Hunted Down
1912
Hunted Down
as John Dayton
The Tribal Law
1912
The Tribal Law
as Tall Pine aka Jose Seville - Apache Brave, Director, Writer
A Daughter of the Redskins
1912
A Daughter of the Redskins
as Captain Stark, U.S.A.
An Indian Outcast
1912
An Indian Outcast
as Wally, a Cowboy
The Hidden Treasure
1912
The Hidden Treasure
as Bill Binks, Director
Diamond Cut Diamond
as Clerk
Every Inch a Man
1912
Every Inch a Man
as Robert Chapman - the Son
The Reporter
1911
The Reporter
as Cohn, Jones' Assistant
The Mother of the Ranch
as The Mother's Friend Back East
War
1911
War
as Midas
The Phoenix
1910
The Phoenix
as Young Reporter