ROBERT REED

ACTOR

Although Robert Reed often worked on stage and in films, he is most famous for his career on television, particularly for his portrayal of Mike Brady, the father of a large family in the ABC series The Brady Bunch (1969-1974).

Born John Robert Rietz in Chicago, October 19, 1932, Reed studied at Northwestern University. In the 1950s he played small parts in Broadway plays in New York City before going into movies. His films included The Hunters (1958), Hurry Sundown (1967), Star! (1968), and Conquest of the Earth (1980). A fairly versatile actor, he worked constantly once he became established in television. He was nominated for Emmy Awards in 1975 for Medical Center, in 1976 for Rich Man, Poor Man, and in 1977 for Roots.

Reed appeared regularly in The Defenders (1961-1965) and Mannix (1969-1975) and made frequent guest appearances on such shows as Jake and the Fat Man (1987). He is warmly remembered for his role in The Brady Bunch, a sitcom about wholesome life in the suburbs. In its original run the show was always rated among the Top Twenty programs then on TV. Revived for reruns in the early 1990s, it was shown daily on 100 stations.

Married and divorced in his twenties, Reed had a daughter. After he died of AIDS on May 12, 1992, Florence Henderson (who had played his wife on TV) and other Brady Bunch actors closed ranks to protect his privacy. They all refused to discuss ways in which he might have contracted the disease. One of them told a reporter from People magazine, "If Dad Brady can get AIDS, anybody can get AIDS."

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AIDS AWARENESS: PEOPLE WITH AIDS

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