JR Reed (actor)

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JR Reed
JR Reed.jpg
Background information
Birth nameJason William Reed
Born (1967-12-13) December 13, 1967 (age 56)
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1991–present

JR Reed (born December 13, 1967, as Jason William Reed) is an American character actor and singer, originally from Corvallis, Oregon. He is best known for his roles as "Lee" with American rock band Tenacious D, mainly in their television series and in their 2006 film The Pick of Destiny, as well as featuring at live concerts. [1] He would also form the band Trainwreck with Kyle Gass in 2002 alongside Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass, performing as the lead singer. Trainwreck broke up in 2010, though reformed in 2018. Outside of these appearances, Reed mainly features in sporadic television, web-series and film appearances, as well as in commercial work. [2]

Contents

Early and personal life

Reed was born in Corvallis, Oregon, though grew up in Las Vegas, where he graduated from Bonanza High School. [3] He moved to L.A after graduating, where he currently lives [ citation needed ] and worked as a handyman, before attending UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. [4]

Career

Acting and music

Reed enrolled in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1987 and graduated in 1991.[ citation needed ] He joined Tim Robbins' The Actors' Gang and his first production with the group was the Good Woman of Setzuan. [5] JR met Kyle Gass and knew Jack Black from UCLA previously, which led him to getting hired as a roadie and playing Spider-Man at early Tenacious D concerts. In 1996, Reed starred in his first film, The Shot. His Actors' Gang production "Kick Ass Militia" won the Backstage West Play Production of the Year award in 1997. In 1999, JR starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in 2000 featured in Tenacious D's TV series as "Lee". In 2001, Reed made appearances in Dead Last and The Anniversary Party . In 2002, JR started a side-project band with Gass called Trainwreck with Kyle Gass. He can also be seen on The Complete Masterworks Tenacious D concert DVD.

In 2005, Reed featured in a television special of Alias as well as having a part in Living with Fran . In 2006, Reed featured in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny , taking on the role of Lee, and played the "Time Goblin" in the 2006 short film Tenacious D: Time Fixers . He also went on the world tour to support the album as "Satan" and "The Metal" amongst other roles, he would continue these roles at summer festivals a couple of years later, such as Reading and Leeds festivals 2008 and Outside Lands in 2009. He can be seen on The Complete Masterworks Part 2 . In late 2009, Reed featured in the viral thanksgiving video, "The Sexy Pilgrim" and in 2010 Reed featured in Remington's "Keep It Hairy". In 2013, Reed featured as the lead role in "Campus Security", an Internet series, as well as featuring in an episode of Community . In 2014, Reed featured in Nickelodeon's Henry Danger . In 2015, he made his international film debut in the Danish film Klown Forever as himself and the Battle Cat. In the fall of 2015, Reed's signature "The Metal" costume, used on the 2006–2007 world tour, was put on auction by Tenacious D in support of Josh Homme's Sweet Stuff Foundation, to raise funds for the victims and families of the November 2015 Paris attacks. [6] In 2016, Reed featured in Black-ish as a substitute teacher.

Commercial work

Reed's career includes commercial work for Time Warner, Microsoft, TiVO, Carl's Jr, Hardee's, Taco Bell, Silk Soy Milk, Tanqueray, Volkswagen, Planter's Nuts and Castrol Motor Oil. [7] His most notable lead role in McDonald's "The Fish Is Back" Filet-O-Fish commercial went viral in between 2008 and 2010. He has also featured in Remington's "Keep it Hairy" and in Muscle Milk's "The Sexy Pilgrim" music videos, both of which feature Reed as the lead role. More recently, Reed featured in a commercial for hotels.com. In 2015, Reed featured in commercials for Rite Aid promoting flu treatment. [7]

Appearances

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996The ShotPolice Officer
1996Scream, Teen, Scream!Tony
2000 Camera Obscura Bouncer
2001Frank's BookStoney Friend
2001The Anniversary PartyParty Guest
2003The Pick UpMick The Bartender
2003HumanoidMullet Man
2003Johnny KazooJohnny Kazoo
2005Captain Lou Albano's Birthday SlamHulk Hogan
2006 Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny Lee
2007What Ever Happened to Gavin Buckmaster?Randy
2008 Kung Fu Panda JR Shaw
2008The 7th ClausCoop
2009Other People's PartiesDuane DuFresne
2009Addicted to FacebookGroup Leader
2010RemovalMike
2010Errand_boyBo
2015 Klown Forever JR / Battle Cat

Television and web series

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999 Buffy the Vampire Slayer GuardEpisode: Choices
2000 Tenacious D LeeEpisode: The Fan
2001 Dead Last Tom TrevinoEpisode: Laughlin It Up
2005 Living with Fran Rocker DudeEpisode: The Concert
2005 Alias Lead CIA AgentEpisode: Authorized Personnel Only: Part 2
2006 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Satan (Tenacious D)Series 11, Episode 14 (December 15, 2006)
2006 American Music Awards Satan (Tenacious D)
2006 Saturday Night Live The Metal (Tenacious D)Series 32, Episode 7 (December 2, 2006)
2006 Spike Video Game Awards The Metal (Tenacious D)
2007 Jimmy Kimmel Live Satan (Tenacious D)Series 5, Episode 24 (February 9, 2007)
2008 Spike Video Game Awards The Anti-Video Game Devil
2013Campus SecurityKarl Thompson
2013 Community Inspector SpacetimeEpisode: Conventions of Space and Time
2014 Henry Danger Ortho's FatherEpisode: Jasper Danger
2016 Black-ish Mr. SheffieldEpisode: Twindependence
2016 Bizaardvark Horse Face Guy's FatherEpisode: Agh, Humburg
2016 Just Add Magic Mr. KramerEpisode: Just Add Betrayal
2016Joy Jacobs: First BiteArchetype Vampire

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References

  1. ↑ "JR REED – Resume | Actors Access". resumes.actorsaccess.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "JR Reed TV Commercials". ispot.tv. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ "About BHS". schools.ccsd.net. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ Episode 48 – JR Reed and Trainwreck , retrieved October 12, 2019
  5. ↑ "The Actors' Gang to Launch A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM International Tour this Summer; Tim Robbins to Direct". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ Blistein, Jon (December 22, 2015). "Tenacious D Launch Auction to Benefit Paris Victims". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Resume - JR Reed". Archived from the original on December 9, 2014.
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