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DRINKS FEATURES
INFAMOUS DRINKERS FROM HISTORY
OLIVER REED
Oliver Reed was one of England’s finest actors, who became equally well known for his feisty antics off screen as he was for his performances on-screen.
He had no formal acting training, but began his career as an extra, finally getting his big break in 1968 with the big screen version of the hit musical Oliver, quickly followed by his famous role in Women in Love in which he wrestled naked with Alan Bates in front of a log fire. Some of his other major films include The Four Musketeers, The Prince & the Pauper, Castaway, and his final role as Proximo in Gladiator.
Reed’s career would have been much more impressive if he wasn't blacklisted by so many directors who were afraid of his antics. He was even one step away from replacing Sean Connery as the new James Bond in 1969, but the director decided he was too much of a liability.
Some of his famous antics included being forced to leave the set of a Channel 4 TV discussion programme after he arrived drunk and attempted to kiss the feminist writer Kate Millet. During another interview he removed his trousers. On another occasion, Reed and 36 friends drank 60 gallons of beer, 32 bottles of Scotch, 17 bottles of Gin, four crates of wine and a bottle of babysham in one evening. He once arrived at Galway airport in Ireland lying drunk on a baggage conveyor!
Steve Mcqueen told the story that in 1973 he had flown to London to discuss a film project with Reed – who then took Mcqueen on a pub crawl and ended up throwing up on him.
One of his drinking pals was Keith 'The Loon' Moon - the drummer from The Who. Once when he and Moon were having dinner at a restaurant, Reed suddenly got up, stripped naked, dived into a massive fish tank and started munching away on the gold-fish! Another time, Reed was relaxing in his country house when Moon arrived dangling from the bottom of helicopter to invite him to come down the pub!
Reed has been involved in too many brawls, and has been banned from too many pubs, hotels and restaurants then I care to mention. However, his tarnished reputation probably clouds the fact that he was immaculately professional and was generally considered quite a nice guy.
Oliver Reed died in 1999 in Malta on the set of the Gladiator movie. He died of a heart attack in a bar having reportedly drank 3 bottles of rum and beating 5 sailors in an arm wrestling contest!
Quotes from Oliver Reed:
“I’m only an actor - not a priest beyond reproach.”
“I do not live in the world of sobriety” |
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