Thell Reed is an American exhibition shooter, stuntman, armorer, and movie consultant.
Shooting career
As a teenager, Reed competed in Jeff Cooper's Big Bear "Leatherslaps" shooting competitions at Big Bear Lake, California. The Leatherslaps became the "South Western Combat Pistol League" or "SWCPL". Reed competed so successfully that he became one of six "Combat Masters", so called because they would almost always take the first six places in the competition.[1] Of the six Combat Masters, Reed had the quickest draw.[2]
The Combat Masters were:
- Jack Weaver
- John Plähn
- Elden Carl
- Ray Chapman
- Thell Reed
- Jeff Cooper
After the SWCPL matches, Reed went on to compete in fast draw competitions in which he achieved fame.
Reed's success in firearms competitions gained him entry into the movie industry and he became an advisor to motion pictures and television. He trained actors such as Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt for acting roles involving the use of pistols.[3] He also trained Michael Biehn for the film Tombstone, where Biehn portrayed gunfighter Johnny Ringo.[4]
Personal life
Reed is the stepfather of set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was the head armorer for Rust during the October 2021 Rust movie set shooting incident.[5][6]
See also
References
- ^ Cooper, Jeff (2006). Shotluck. Wisdom Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 0-9655409-6-0.
- ^ "Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol 4 No 11 September 1996 paragraph 23".
- ^ "Biography for Thell Reed". IMDb.
- ^ "Michael Biehn describes teaching himself pistol spinning technique | Cup Scene". YouTube.
- ^ Meg James; Amy Kaufman (22 October 2021). "'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Julia Jacobs (21 February 2024). ""Armorer Who Loaded Gun in Alec Baldwin Shooting Faces Trial: What to Know"". The New York Times.
External links
- Thell Reed at IMDb
- The SWPCL competitions Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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