REID, HAL

(1873?-1920)

Born James Halleck Reid in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he worked as an actor throughout his career, but he was also a prolific writer ofmelodramasintended for rural audiences, including among many othersLogan's Luck(1895),The Knob's o' Tennessee(1899),Old Sleuth(1902),The Peddler(1902),A Mother's Love(1903),A Wife's Secret(1903),A Midnight Marriage(1904),Custer's Last Fight(1905),A Millionaire's Revenge(1906),From Broadway to the Bowery(1907), andThe Confession(1911). With the arrival of silent motion pictures, Reid went to Hollywood to become a director, screenwriter, and actor. His son, Wallace Reid, became a major silent film star but died from a drug overdose in 1923.