May 12, 2012 |
Did you know that in cockney rhyming slang Oliver’s name means speed? Or that he had a bird claw tattoo on his (and, no, we did not make up this term) “thespian twig and berries”? Now for 10 more facts we cherish about this legendarey hell raiser.
1. James Bond
The role that never was. Apparently, he was supposed to take over from Sean Connery. The fact that he didn’t has been called the greatest missed opportunity in British cinema. We call it Roger Moore’s biggest stroke of luck.
2. C’mon My Son
His racehorse. We’ve always believed that names should be easy to remember, especially when you hit the booze at the races.
3. The House at Pooh Corner
His favourite book. We’ve always been fond of teddy bears, too.
4. An inflatable woman
His luxury of choice, as revealed on Desert Island Discs.
5. Man’s Best Friend
Or in his case, Bill Sike’s best friend, Bull’s Eye the bulldog. You have to admit Reed did make a good villain and very good villain needs a sidekick.
6. The Curse of the Werewolf
His first main film role. He played the werewolf, Leon, who was born on Christmas Day to a mute servant girl raped by a beggar. It’s what we like to call a tragedy.
7. Russian Royalty
Allegedly, Reed was a descendant of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. Imagine what a different place Russia could have turned out to be.
8. Booze
As he once said himself, “I like the effect drink has on me. What’s the point of staying sober?”
9. The Pinstripe Suit
Lee Marvin, on first meeting Reed: “I was expecting to meet up with this actor who was supposed to be Britain’s hell raiser, and what do I see but this tailor’s dummy in a pinstripe suit looking more like a fucking banker.”
10. The Chat Show Chair
The end of his career: the part that wasn’t spent drinking in pubs was spent drinking on chat shows. Well, you do need something to get you through that trauma.
by Natalie Dembinska
