Actor. Born in St. Louis, Missouri into a loving, theatrical family. He began performing on the stage as a child with his parents as they toured the country. Wally attended Freehold Military School and Princeton University, excelling in English and sports. He managed a football team and ran the school newspaper. Wallace began his film career in 1910, but his real love was writing and directing. But because of his striking good looks and athletic abilities, he was put before the camera. For more than a decade he appeared in over a dozen films for many studios and quickly became a matinee idol. In 1913, Wally married Dorothy Davenport, an actress. She was only seventeen, but already a veteran of the stage and screen. Their marriage was a happy one, and a son was born in 1917 named Wallace Reid, Jr. They also adopted a girl, Betty, in 1922. While making "The Valley of Giants" in Oregon in 1919, Wally was involved in a train accident and severely injured. The doctors gave him morphine to deal with his excruciating pain. After he was released from the hospital, he was still in a lot of pain, so the studio began to supply him with more and more morphine. The studio wanted to continue using their "valuable film property". Reid became addicted and depressed and his alcohol use got out of control. The addiction to alcohol and morphine became too much for Wallace, even though he was young, fit and strong. He tried entering sanitariums to break his addictions, but sadly his health began to deteriorate rapidly. He made his last film in 1922. On January 18, 1923, Wallace Reid died in his wife's arms. She never remarried. For the rest of her life Dorothy campaigned for the increased awareness of drug addiction, and the terrible toll it takes on families and society.
Actor. Born in St. Louis, Missouri into a loving, theatrical family. He began performing on the stage as a child with his parents as they toured the country. Wally attended Freehold Military School and Princeton University, excelling in English and sports. He managed a football team and ran the school newspaper. Wallace began his film career in 1910, but his real love was writing and directing. But because of his striking good looks and athletic abilities, he was put before the camera. For more than a decade he appeared in over a dozen films for many studios and quickly became a matinee idol. In 1913, Wally married Dorothy Davenport, an actress. She was only seventeen, but already a veteran of the stage and screen. Their marriage was a happy one, and a son was born in 1917 named Wallace Reid, Jr. They also adopted a girl, Betty, in 1922. While making "The Valley of Giants" in Oregon in 1919, Wally was involved in a train accident and severely injured. The doctors gave him morphine to deal with his excruciating pain. After he was released from the hospital, he was still in a lot of pain, so the studio began to supply him with more and more morphine. The studio wanted to continue using their "valuable film property". Reid became addicted and depressed and his alcohol use got out of control. The addiction to alcohol and morphine became too much for Wallace, even though he was young, fit and strong. He tried entering sanitariums to break his addictions, but sadly his health began to deteriorate rapidly. He made his last film in 1922. On January 18, 1923, Wallace Reid died in his wife's arms. She never remarried. For the rest of her life Dorothy campaigned for the increased awareness of drug addiction, and the terrible toll it takes on families and society.
Bio by: Marta Monk
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