Rhodes Reason

Rhodes Reason (April 19, 1930 – December 26, 2014) was an American actor who appeared in more than 200 roles in television, film, and stage.

Rhodes Reason
Rhodes Reason as the sheriff with Marilyn Maxwell and Joan Freeman in ABC's Bus Stop
Born(1930-04-19)April 19, 1930
DiedDecember 26, 2014(2014-12-26) (aged 84)
Palm Springs, California, US
OccupationActor
Years active1948-1977
RelativesRex Reason (brother)

Film and television career

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Reason was born in Glendale in Los Angeles County, California, the son of Rex G. Reason and the former Jean Robinson.[1] The younger brother of actor Rex Reason, Rhodes Reason made his acting start at the age of 18 in a production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Charles Laughton.

Among his starring roles were parts in King Kong Escapes (1967); 39 episodes of the British television series White Hunter (TV series), (1957); and as Sheriff Will Mayberry in the ABC drama series Bus Stop. Reason was cast as Chuck Wilson in "Rodeo Round-Up" in 1956 and as Kinnard in "Dust of Destruction", episodes of the Western aviation adventure series, Sky King, episode "Conflict" in the "Rifleman" as Ben Kendrick.

Reason had a major part in an episode of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western series, Sugarfoot in the segment "Strange Land" (1957). Reason was a guest star in Frontier Doctor, a syndicated Western series. He was cast as Black Jack in the episode "The Homesteaders" (1958). Another ABC/WB Western series Reason appeared in was Colt .45, as Ben Thompson in the episode "Appointment in Agoura" (1960); Reason also appeared in The Rifleman.

Reason guest starred on Tales of the Texas Rangers, Maverick (1957 episode "Ghost Rider"), Tombstone Territory (1957 episode "Ambush at Gila Gulch"), Perry Mason as Martin Eldridge in the 1966 episode, "The Case of the Bogus Buccaneers", 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Bourbon Street Beat (1960), The Time Tunnel (1966), The Big Valley (the episode "Plunder" in 1967), The Lucy Show (also 1967), Star Trek in 1967 as gladiator Flavius Maximus ("Bread and Circuses", 1968), Here's Lucy (also 1968), and The Bob Newhart Show (1976).

Reason appeared as Peter Jeffries in the 1955 episode, "California's First Ice Man" of the Western television anthology series, Death Valley Days. He also appeared as Wild Bill Hickok in the 1966 episode (S15, E13) of Death Valley Days, “A Calamity Called Jane”.

His feature film appearances include Yellowstone Kelly (1959, with Clint Walker) and A Fever in the Blood (1961). In the early 1980s, he starred in the Broadway musical Annie, playing Daddy Warbucks for nearly three years.[2]

Reason died in Palm Springs at the age of 84 of lymphoma.[3]

Filmography

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YearTitleRoleNotes
1955Lady Godiva of CoventrySweynUncredited
1956Crime Against JoeGeorge Niles
1956Tension at Table RockBaidUncredited
1956CheyenneLes ShoreEpisode: The Trap
1956Flight to Hong KongBob DenhamUncredited
1956Emergency HospitalJuvenile Officer Ross
1956The Desperados Are in TownFrank Banner
1957Voodoo IslandMatthew Gunn
1957Jungle HeatMajor Richard 'Dick' Grey
1957MaverickHank FosterEpisode: Ghost Rider
1959The Big FishermanAndrew
1959Yellowstone KellyMaj. Towns
1960CheyenneBill LockhartEpisode: Outcast of Cripple Creek
1961A Fever in the BloodWalter Thornwall
1962The RiflemanEpisode: The Conflict
1967King Kong EscapesCommander Carl Nelson
1970The Delta FactorDr. Fredericks
1976Cat Murkil and the SilksDetective Harder

References

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  1. ^ Weaver, Tom; Schecter, David; Kronenberg, Steve (2017-02-06). The Creature Chronicles: Exploring the Black Lagoon Trilogy. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1580-6.
  2. ^ "Rhodes Reason". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Rest in Peace: Rhodes Reason
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