Great Actor and Drinker
Oliver Reed was a brutish, manly alcoholic with immense acting talent and the kind of burly rugged handsomeness that’s hard to come by in your modern movie star. He certainly didn’t live an exemplary life but his presence on screen is undeniably mesmeric. His escapades a a drinking lad often outshone his work – in one instance “Reed invited 36 rugby players to a party at his home. Between Saturday night and Sunday lunchtime, they managed to consume between them 60 gallons of beer, 32 bottles of Scotch, 17 bottles of gin, four crates of wine and a lone bottle of Babycham. The entertainment concluded with Reed leading the players on a nude dawn run through the Surrey countryside.” He passed away in the middle of the filming for Gladiator.
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