George Reeves

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• Born: 5 January 1914
• Birthplace: Woolstock, Iowa
• Died: 16 June 1959 (suicide by gunshot)
• Best Known As: Superman on the 1950s TV series

Name at birth: George Keefer Brewer

George Reeves played comic-book hero Superman on the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Superman. Reeves was working at the Pasadena Community Playhouse when he was cast as southern suitor Stuart Tarelton in the epic Gone With the Wind (1939, with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh). He appeared in over three dozen movies after that, including a bit part alongside Ronald Reagan in 1940's Knute Rockne, All-American. Then Reeves hit it big on TV as Superman. The Adventures of Superman aired from 1952 to 1957 and made Reeves a familiar face across America -- so familiar, in fact, that he became seriously concerned about being type-cast as the Man of Steel. Reeves apparently killed himself in 1959, and the widespread explanation was his despondency over his career. He made his final film appearance in 1956, in the Disney feature Westward Ho The Wagons!. His other film credits include Blood and Sand (1941), Rancho Notorious (1952, starring Marlene Dietrich) and Forever Female (1953, starring William Holden).

Reeves was no relation to Steve Reeves (the bodybuilder who played Hercules on film in the 1950s) or to actor Christopher Reeve, who later played Superman in feature films... According to liner notes on Columbia Tristar's VHS release of From Here to Eternity, Reeves "had a major part in the film until he was severely cut from the release print when preview audiences exclaimed, 'There's Superman!'"... Reeves married the former Ellanora Needles in 1940. They had no children and were later divorced... Some controversy still swirls around Reeves's death. The actor apparently shot himself in the head during a drinking party at his own home. Police ruled the death a suicide, but nobody witnessed the shooting, and some fans feel that and other evidence indicates Reeves was murdered. A 2006 movie about the mystery, Hollywoodland, starred Ben Affleck as Reeves.

• Born: Jan 06, 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa
• Died: Jun 16, 1959 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
• Occupation: Actor, Director
• Active: '40s-'50s
• Major Genres: Action, Drama
• Career Highlights: Superman and the Mole Men, So Proudly We Hail!, Hoppy Serves a Writ
• First Major Screen Credit: Always a Bride (1940)

Biography

In his youth, George Reeves aspired to become a boxer, but gave up this pursuit because his mother was worried that he'd be seriously injured. Attracted to acting, Reeves attended the Pasadena Playhouse, where he starred in several productions. In 1939, Reeves was selected to play one of the Tarleton twins in the Selznick superproduction Gone With the Wind (1939). He made an excellent impression in the role, and spent the next few years playing roles of varying sizes at Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and Paramount. He was praised by fans and reviewers alike for his performances in Lydia (1941) and So Proudly We Hail (1943); upon returning from WWII service, however, Reeves found it more difficult to get good roles. He starred in a few "B"'s and in the title role of the Columbia serial The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949), but for the most part was shunted away in ordinary villain roles. In 1951, he starred in the Lippert programmer Superman vs. the Mole Men, playing both the Man of Steel and his bespectacled alter ego, Clark Kent. This led to the immensely popular Superman TV series, in which Reeves starred from 1953 through 1957. While Superman saved Reeves' career, it also permanently typecast him. He made an appearance as wagon train leader James Stephen in Disney's Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956), though the producer felt it expeditious to hide Reeves behind a heavy beard. While it is now commonly believed that Reeves was unable to get work after the cancellation of Superman in 1957, he was in fact poised to embark on several lucrative projects, including directing assignments on two medium-budget adventure pictures and a worldwide personal appearance tour. On June 16, 1959, Reeves died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. The official ruling was suicide -- and, since he left no note, it was assumed that Reeves was despondent over his flagging career. Since that time, however, there has been a mounting suspicion (engendered by the actor's friends and family) that George Reeves was murdered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind Buy this Movie	Westward Ho, the Wagons! Buy this Movie	From Here to Eternity Buy this Movie	The Blue Gardenia Buy this Movie
Bugles in the Afternoon Buy this Movie	Superman and the Mole Men Buy this Movie	The Good Humor Man Buy this Movie	The Great Lover Buy this Movie

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