REED HADLEY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Reed Hadley was born with the birth name, Reed Bert Herring, on June 25th, 1911 in Petrolia, Texas to Bert Herring, who worked as an oil well driller and his wife Minnie.  Hadley had only one sibling, a sister, Bess.  He and his sister were raised in Buffalo, Hew York and he attended Bennett High School in Buffalo.  In school he was involved in the local theater with the Studio Arena Theater.  Reed Hadley married Helen and together they had one son, Dale.
 
His first acting job was on, "Hamlet" on stage in New York City.  He then relocated with his family to Hollywood.  His career began with various radio gigs in the early 1930's.  His first major film credit was, "Female Fugitive" (1938) followed by, "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939), "The Bank Dick" (1940) "The Baron of Arizona" (1950), "The Half Breed" (1952), "Highway Dragnet" (1954) and "Big House" (1955).  He portrayed a variety of characters from villains to hero's of the law. 
 
The character Zorro whom Hadley portrayed was a fictional character create in 1919 by a New York based writer.  Zorro has been featured in many books, films, television series and other media and his typical image is of a dashing black masked outlaw. 
 
Hadley dabble in various aspects of the entertainment industry from documentaries, to television and even radio.  Two television shows he starred in were, "Racket Squad" (1950-1953) and then, "The Public Defender" (1954-1955).  Hadley also worked on the, "Red Ryder" radio show during the 1940's.  
 
For his documentaries, he had to have a top secret clearance due to the criteria he was discussing.  He worked with Mountain Studios and narrated quite a few of the Department of Defense film's such as, "Operation Ivy", "Tumbler/Snapper", "Buster Jangle" and "Operation Upshot-Knothole".  Reed also worked as a narrator on docudramas such as, "House on 92nd Street" (1945) and "Call Northside 777" (1947) starring James Stewart, Lee J. Cobb and Richard Conte.
 
It was Hadley's deep persuasive voice that helped earn him his popularity.  Ironically, his final screen role was a non speaking part in, "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (1967). 
 
Reed Hadley passed away at the age of sixty three on December 11th, 1974 in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.  He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.  For his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  
 

Filmography

1972   Brain of Blood
1971   Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story 
1969   The Fabulous Bastard from Chicago
1969   Green Acres 
1967   Hondo 
1967   The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
1965   Young Dillinger
1964   Moro Witch Doctor
1964   Perry Mason 
1963   Gunfight at Comanche Creek
1961   All in a Night's Work
1961   The Deputy
1961   Sea Hunt 
1960   Tightrope 
1959-1960  The Texan 
1958-1959  The Restless Gun 
1959   Rawhide 
1958   The Red Skelton Hour
1958   Bat Masterson
1958   Wagon Train 
1957   Navy Log
1956   Crossroads
1956   God Is in the Streets
1954-1955  The Public Defender 
1955   Big House, U.S.A.
1954   Highway Dragnet
1951-1953  Racket Squad 
1953   Woman They Almost Lynched
1953   Kansas Pacific
1952   Cavalcade of America 
1952   The Half-Breed
1951   The Wild Blue Yonder
1951   Little Big Horn
1951   Insurance Investigator
1950   Dallas
1950   The Killer That Stalked New York
1950   The Return of Jesse James
1950   A Modern Marriage
1950   Motor Patrol
1950   The Baron of Arizona
1950   Riders of the Range
1949   Red Desert
1949   Apache Chief
1949   Grand Canyon
1949   Rimfire
1949   I Shot Jesse James
1948   Last of the Wild Horses
1948   He Walked by Night
1948   Walk a Crooked Mile
1948   The Return of Wildfire
1948   Jungle Goddess
1948   A Southern Yankee
1948   Canon City
1948   The Iron Curtain
1948   Man from Texas
1948   Panhandle
1947   Captain from Castile
1947   T-Men
1947   The Fabulous Texan
1947   Louisiana
1947   Boomerang!
1947   The Brasher Doubloon
1947   13 Rue Madeleine
1946   The Razor's Edge
1946   If I'm Lucky
1946   It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog
1946   The Dark Corner
1946   Shock
1945   Doll Face
1945   Leave Her to Heaven
1945   The House on 92nd Street
1945   The Caribbean Mystery
1945   A Bell for Adano
1945   Captain Eddie
1945   Don Juan Quilligan
1945   Diamond Horseshoe
1945   Circumstantial Evidence
1944   In the Meantime, Darling
1944   Rainbow Island
1944   Wilson
1944   Wing and a Prayer
1944   Home in Indiana
1944   Roger Touhy, Gangster
1944   The Eve of St. Mark
1944   Pin Up Girl
1944   Buffalo Bill
1944   Four Jills in a Jeep
1943   Happy Land
1943   Guadalcanal Diary
1943   Wintertime
1942   I Married a Witch
1942   Now, Voyager
1942   Lady in a Jam
1942   Mystery of Marie Roget
1942   Juke Box Jenny
1942   Jail House Blues
1942   The Bugle Sounds 
1942   Arizona Terrors
1941   Road Agent
1941   Look Who's Laughing
1941   Appointment for Love
1941   Sea Raiders
1941   Unfinished Business
1941   Whistling in the Dark
1941   I'll Wait for You
1941   Ziegfeld Girl
1941   The Flame of New Orleans
1941   Sky Raiders
1941   Adventures of Captain Marvel
1940   Flight Command
1940   The Bank Dick
1940   Meet the Wildcat
1940   Ski Patrol
1940   Jack Pot (short)
1940   I Take This Woman
1939   Zorro's Fighting Legion
1939   The Man from Montreal
1939   Stronger Than Desire
1939   Bachelor Mother
1939   Calling Dr. Kildare
1939   Sergeant Madden
1938   Orphans of the Street
1938   Sunset Murder Case
1938   The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
1938   Female Fugitive
1938   Hollywood Stadium Mystery