Beryl Reid

Beryl Reid
Born	Beryl Elizabeth Reid 17 June 1919(1919-06-17) Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Died	13 October 1996 (aged 77) South Buckinghamshire, England
Occupation	Actress

Beryl Elizabeth Reid, OBE (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996) was a British actress of stage and screen.

Early life

Born in Hereford, England,^[1] Reid was the daughter of Scottish parents and grew up in Manchester where she attended Withington and Levenshulme High Schools. She left home at the age of 16 to work in a shop, where she lasted six weeks.

Career

Reid applied for and was accepted in a revue in the summer season in Bridlington in 1936. She had no formal training but joined the Royal National Theatre in London as a comedy actress. Her first big success came in the BBC radio show Educating Archie as naughty schoolgirl Monica and later as the Brummie, Marlene.

Reid's many film and television roles as a character actor were always well received. She reprised her Tony Award-winning performance of a lesbian soap opera star in The Killing of Sister George for the screen version and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Drama.

In both Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People she is seen as Connie Sachs. For Smiley's People she won a BAFTA for Best Actress on Television. She also wrote a biography, So Much Love, which was well received.

Reid played the part of an elderly feminist and political subversive in the 1987 television drama, The Beiderbecke Tapes.

Death

Reid died from complications following knee surgery at the age of 77. Her death was registered in South Buckinghamshire.^[2] BBC Radio 7 on 6th December 2009 in a programme "How Tickled Am I" attributed her death to renal failure.

Filmography

References

External links

• Beryl Reid at the Internet Broadway Database
• Beryl Reid at the Internet Movie Database