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IMDbPro

Alan Reed(1907-1977)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
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Alan Reed in The Flintstones (1960)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:18
The Flintstones (1960–1966)
31 Videos
12 Photos
Character player Alan Reed was a strong, gruff, burly presence on '40s and '50s film and TV but he would be best remembered for his equally strong, gruff, distinctive voice on radio and TV. In 1960, he gave vocal life to the bombastic prehistoric cartoon character Fred Flintstone on the prime-time TV series The Flintstones (1960), the character being inspired by the Ralph Cramden husband on the popular earlier sitcom The Honeymooners (1955). It is this direct association that continues to keep his name alive today. Reed himself thought up and introduced the Flintstonian catchphrase "Yabba dabba doo!" (improvised from a script calling for Fred to say "Yahoo!") for his beloved animated character to the delight of children everywhere.

Born Herbert Theodore Bergman on August 20, 1907 in New York City, to Jewish parents of Lithuanian/Ukrainian descent, he received his early education at Washington High School and studied theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After majoring in journalism at Columbia University, he decided to pursue to acting at such places as Provincetown Playhouse and toured in vaudeville shows. He supplemented his income operating a candy factory and worked as a social director at a country club.

A master of over 22 foreign dialects, Reed also worked steadily on Broadway with the Theatre Guild. His vocal talents were well suited for radio, becoming a prime announcer for that medium. In addition to billing himself as Teddy Bergman, he sometimes was credited under the moniker Alan Reed for more dramatic parts, eventually settling in on the Reed name. Reed was featured on the best radio shows of the time including "The Shadow," "Crime Doctor," "Abie's Irish Rose," "The Life of Riley," "The Fred Allen Show," "Life with Luigi" (which he later took to TV), and "My Friend Irma."

Once in Hollywood, Reed deserted the Bergman name completely. Sporting a comic Runyonesque appeal, he played in such fare as The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951), Emergency Wedding (1950), and Here Comes the Groom (1951). His more dramatic roles came with The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and The Desperate Hours (1955). One of his most unusual parts was his portrayal of Pancho Villa in Viva Zapata! (1952) starring Marlon Brando. He also supplied the voice of "Boris" in Disney's Lady and the Tramp (1955). Featured in many TV shows, the popular prehistoric cartoon and its various offshoots made up most of Reed's later work after The Flintstones (1960) premiered.

Long married to a former Broadway actress, Finette Walker, one of their three children, actor/producer Toby Reed, entered show business as a teenager. Reed started billing himself as Alan Reed, Sr. to avoid any confusion. Working up until his death, Reed died in Los Angeles from heart disease and emphysema at age 69 on June 14, 1977. Reed's incomplete autobiography was extensively used to publish his son's own biographical tribute: Yabba Dabba Doo: The Alan Reed Story.
BornAugust 20, 1907
DiedJune 14, 1977(69)
BornAugust 20, 1907
DiedJune 14, 1977(69)
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  • Awards

Photos12

Alan Reed in The Addams Family (1964)
Jack Carson and Alan Reed in The Tarnished Angels (1957)
Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone, Robert Middleton, and Alan Reed in The Tarnished Angels (1957)
Jackie Coogan, John Astin, Carolyn Jones, and Alan Reed in The Addams Family (1964)
Mel Blanc and Alan Reed in The Flintstones (1960)
Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)
Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)
Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)
Gregory Peck, Hugo Haas, Alan Reed, and Tamara Toumanova in Days of Glory (1944)
Anthony Dexter, Frankie Laine, Richard Long, Lucy Marlow, and Alan Reed in He Laughed Last (1956)
Anthony Dexter, Frankie Laine, Richard Long, Lucy Marlow, Alan Reed, and Jesse White in He Laughed Last (1956)

Known for

Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)
The Flintstones
7.5
TV Series
  • Fred Flintstone
  • J.L. Gothrocks
  • Professor Von Messerschmidt
  • The Prowler(voice)
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
7.6
  • Sally Tomato
  • 1961
Lana Turner and John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The Postman Always Rings Twice
7.4
  • Ezra Liam Kennedy
  • 1946
Barbara Luddy and Larry Roberts in Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Lady and the Tramp
7.3
  • Boris(voice)
  • 1955

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977)
    Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
    • (voice)
  • Scooby's Laff-A Lympics (1977)
    Scooby's Laff-A Lympics
    • (voice)
  • Dennis Quaid and Priscilla Barnes in The Seniors (1978)
    The Seniors
  • Charlton Heston, Gerard Baldwin, Henry Corden, Dean Elliott, Alan Reed, Jean Vander Pyl, Greg Watson, and Ross M. Sutherland in Energy: A National Issue (1977)
    Energy: A National Issue
    • (voice, as Alan Reed Sr.)
  • Mark Hamill in Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977)
    Fred Flintstone and Friends
    • (voice)
  • Heidi: A Girl of the Alps (1974)
    Heidi in the Mountains
    • (English version, voice)
  • The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972)
    The Flintstone Comedy Hour
    • (voice)
  • The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971)
    The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
    • (voice)
  • Where's Huddles? (1970)
    Where's Huddles?
    • (voice)
  • Shinbone Alley (1970)
    Shinbone Alley
    • (voice, as Allen Reed Sr.)
  • Anthony Quinn, Sam Levene, Irene Papas, and Inger Stevens in A Dream of Kings (1969)
    A Dream of Kings
    • (as Alan Reed Sr.)
  • Michael Callan and Christopher Connelly in In Name Only (1969)
    In Name Only
  • Don Adams and Barbara Feldon in Get Smart (1965)
    Get Smart
    • (voice, uncredited)
  • Higgins in Petticoat Junction (1963)
    Petticoat Junction
  • The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
    The Beverly Hillbillies

Soundtrack

  • Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet, Don Messick, Alan Reed, and Jean Vander Pyl in The Flintstones (1960)
    The Flintstones

Videos31

Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 3:46
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:44
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:28
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:00
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 0:42
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 0:39
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 0:57
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:29
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:30
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:22
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:19
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition
Clip 1:33
Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition

Personal details

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    • August 20, 1907
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • June 14, 1977
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(heart disease and emphysema)
    • April 5, 1932 - June 14, 1977 (his death, 3 children)
    • Alan Reed Jr.
  • Other works
    (12/2/49) Radio: Appeared (as "Big Louie") on NBC Radio series "The Life of Riley"
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Veteran radio actor supplied the voice of TV cartoon character "Fred Flintstone."
    • The voice of Fred Flintstone

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