Dean Reed
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Dean Cyril Reed (September 22, 1938 – June 13, 1986) was an American actor, singer-songwriter, director, and social activist who lived a great part of his adult life in South America and then in
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. Nicknamed the Red Elvis, Reed was the best-selling Western performer in
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
countries, with his songs often topping the local
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, and millions of his
records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...
were sold in the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
and elsewhere mostly under the
Melodiya Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
label. He never renounced his
U.S. citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
, despite often denouncing the U.S. government, and was seen by the Western media as a
communist propaganda Communist propaganda is the artistic and social promotion of the ideology of communism, communist worldview, communist society, and interests of the communist movement. While it tends to carry a negative connotation in the Western world, the t ...
figure.


Early life and education

Dean Reed was born in
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Colorado, on September 22, 1938.Left star a stranger in his own land.
The Guardian November 19, 1986
His father was a high school math and history teacher, described as a staunch
anticommunist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
and supporter of
Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
, while his mother was a homemaker. He had two elder brothers, Dale and Vernon. Reed's family moved many times during the 1940s, living in various cities in California and
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, before returning to Colorado. He graduated from
Wheat Ridge High School Wheat Ridge High School is a public secondary school operated by the Jefferson County School District R-1 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, United States. Extracurricular activities Athletics State championship titles: *Baseball: 1992 (5A) *Boys' ice h ...
in 1956, where he was a star athlete on the track team. Despite his father's desire for Reed to enroll in a military academy, Reed studied meteorology for a couple of years at the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
and earned money in bars singing
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
and
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
.


Career

Reed moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 19 and with his good looks won roles in TV. He took acting classes with
Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
under
Paton Price Paton may refer to: * Paton, Iowa, city in Greene County, Iowa, United States *Paton Township, Greene County, Iowa, township in Greene County, Iowa, USA *Paton Bridge across the Dnieper in Kiev, Ukraine (named after its constructor Evgeny Paton) * ...
amongst others. Price was a pacifist and taught him that art should be a mode of promoting one's beliefs.Ariana Harne
Values in Conflict The Singing Marxist.
Colorado Heritage, Winter 1999 editor of the Society's "Colorado History Now" newspaper
After realizing he had some talent as a musician, he recorded "Once Again" for
Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to 19 ...
as a one-off single to see if reaction to it would justify a full contract. Imperial did not offer a contract, but in 1958 Reed signed a long-term recording contract with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. Capitol groomed him to be a
teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...
and he produced some modestly popular singles, including "Annabelle", "The Search", "No Wonder", "A Pair of Scissors", "I Kissed a Queen", and "Our Summer Romance". He also made guest appearances on family television programs such as '' Bachelor Father''. In 1985 he said, "When I was in Hollywood it was a place of fear and exploitation, a prostitution camp, where very few people could keep their integrity. I'm not ready to come back and do Coca-Cola ads to make a living."


International fame

Reed never achieved musical success in the U.S., where "The Search" became his only ''Billboard'' entry at No. 96. However, "Our Summer Romance" proved to be very popular in South America. In March 1962, Capitol sent him on a forty-day tour of Brazil, Chile, and Peru. While in Chile, he developed a left-wing political philosophy, and began to speak out against oppression and poverty. He protested against
nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
and US foreign policy, and performed shows free in poor
neighborhoods A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...
and in prisons. After learning Spanish, he stayed on in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for approximately four years. During his live concert performances, he was accompanied by the group Los Dominantes, a rock-band from Lanus, formed by Juan Luis Bhe 'Ricky' (keyboard), Carlos Reale 'Charly' (bass), Dardo Rivero (first guitar), Juan Chiarello (second guitar), and Jacinto Atencio (drums). Reed made numerous albums and movies, toured extensively, and even appeared on his own television programs in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, such as ''Sabados Continuados'', with the appearance of Antonio Carrizo. In 1964, he performed for a still undisclosed but hefty sum in honor of the 16th birthday of the only granddaughter of the then most prominent of Peruvian mining barons. Accounts vary, but those who were there amongst the hosts acknowledged his disregard for basic social niceties. A year later, in July 1965, he went to Europe for the first time, performing before the World Peace Congress. He traveled frequently to Spain and Italy, and in 1966 he went on a singing tour through the Soviet Union. Back in Buenos Aires, his politics eventually ran foul of Argentine government policies after the 1966
military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...
and he was
deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
. From 1967 to 1969 Reed lived in Rome, acting in television commercials and
Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
movies such as ''
Adiós, Sabata ''Adiós, Sabata'' ( it, Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di..., lit. "Indio Black, you know what I'm going to tell you... You're a big son of a...") is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. It is ...
'' (1970). He toured
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and Eastern Europe, including the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, where he was immensely popular. In 1970, a week prior to the election of Chilean president
Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...
, he was arrested for washing a U.S. flag in front of Santiago's U.S. consulate.
Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...
helped him to get out of jail. In 1971, he re-entered Chile only to be arrested again for 21 days. His wife filed divorce at that point. Also in 1971, Reed wrote an "open letter" to
Alexander Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...
, criticizing him for having slandered the USSR.


Life in the Soviet bloc

In 1973, Reed chose to settle permanently in
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, where he continued to write, direct, and perform in films. Over the years he played in 20 films, produced 13 records, and gave concerts in 32 countries. The majority of his songs during this period were uncertified covers of successful hits of
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and others. In 1978 he directed and starred in ''El Cantor'' (''The Singer''), a biopic about his friend
Víctor Jara Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, rang ...
, the popular Chilean singer-songwriter murdered by the military after the 1973 coup d'état against President
Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...
. While committed to the politics of his adopted communist home, he did not join the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED). Despite his opposition to many US government and economic policies, he professed his love of America until the end of his life, and his songs often reflected his fondness for his homeland. He never renounced his US citizenship and continued to file tax returns for the
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
. However, in a 1986 television interview on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
's ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'', he defended the
Soviet intervention in Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the building of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
(saying it was for "self-defense"), and compared
Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
to
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
, which angered many in the U.S., including Reed's family and friends. Following the interview, Reed received
hate mail Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwise ...
from the U.S. accusing him of being a traitor.


Personal life

Reed married three times. His first marriage was circa 1964 to an American woman, Patricia Hobbs, with whom he had a daughter, Ramona, born 1968. Patricia left him in 1971, returned to the United States with their daughter, and divorced him. Reed married an East German woman, Wiebke Dorndeck (née Schmidt), in 1973, with whom he had a second daughter, Natascha, born 1975. The couple divorced in 1978. In 1981, he married his third wife, East German actress Renate Blume, with whom he stayed until his death despite tensions and allegations that she was informing on him for the Stasi. Reed also had on and off affair for 7 years with Estonian actress Eve Kivi.


Death

Six weeks after his appearance on ''60 Minutes'', Reed was found dead in Zeuthener Lake near his home in
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
. Though it was officially ruled an accidental drowning, his friends in Germany suspected his death was a suicide and his family in the U.S. claimed he had been murdered. Reed's suicide note was later found on the back of a screenplay in his car. In it, Reed expressed his regret about his crumbling relationship with his third wife. He apologised to
Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts ...
, General Secretary of the
SED sed ("stream editor") is a Unix utility that parses and transforms text, using a simple, compact programming language. It was developed from 1973 to 1974 by Lee E. McMahon of Bell Labs, and is available today for most operating systems. sed wa ...
, for his actions which could have resulted in a bad image for the GDR. The note was put into state files as
classified information Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
, which did not resurface until after
German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
. Eberhard Fensch, who was addressed in the note, later said "The reason was to spare his wife's feelings. There was no other reason. The letter even contained a greeting to Erich Honecker. Why would we cover that up?" In 2004, Russia's Rossiya television channel aired a documentary on Dean Reed, entitled ''Кто Вы, мистер Рид?'' (''Who Are You, Mister Reed?''), speculating on the possibilities of him having been a
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
,
KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
or
Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
agent, but failing to present any concrete evidence to support any such theories.''Кто Вы, мистер Рид?'' Телеканал Россия, 2004 Between 1976 and 1978, he worked for the
Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
's international department according to a 2005 book.


Filmography

*1964: ''
Love Has Many Faces ''Love Has Many Faces'' is a 1965 American drama romance film directed by Alexander Singer, and written by Marguerite Roberts. Nancy Wilson sings the title song and Edith Head designed Lana Turner's clothes. Plot When a dead American "beach b ...
'' (USA) *1965: '' Mi primera novia'' (Аrgentina) *1965: ''Guadalajara en verano'' (Mexico) *1965: ''Ritmo nuevo y vieja ola'' (Аrgentina) *1967: '' God Made Them... I Kill Them'' (Italy) *1967: '' Buckaroo: The Winchester Does Not Forgive'' (Italy) *1968: ''
The Nephews of Zorro ''The Nephews of Zorro'' ( it, I nipoti di Zorro, also known as ''The Cousins of Zorro'') is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Marcello Ciorciolini starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. Cast * Franco Franchi: Franco La Vacca * Ciccio ...
'' (Italy) *1969: ''Il diario proibito di Fanny'' (Italy) *1969: ''Mitra Baby Face'' (Italy) *1969: ''
Death Knocks Twice ''Death Knocks Twice'' ( it, La morte bussa due volte), german: Blonde Köder für den Mörder), is a 1969 Italian-German detective film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Dean Reed, Fabio Testi and Adolfo Celi. It also starred Anita Ekberg ...
'' (Italy, West Germany) *1970: '' Veinte pasos para la muerte'' (Italy, Spain) *1970: ''
La banda de los tres crisantemos ''La banda de los tres crisantemos'' is a 1970 crime film directed by Ignacio F. Iquino, written by Lou Carrigan and Ernesto Gastaldi and starring Dean Reed, Daniel Martín and Fernando Sancho Fernando Sancho Les (7 January 1916 – 31 Ju ...
'' (Spain, Italy) *1970: ''
Adiós, Sabata ''Adiós, Sabata'' ( it, Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di..., lit. "Indio Black, you know what I'm going to tell you... You're a big son of a...") is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Gianfranco Parolini. It is ...
'' (Italy, USA, Spain) *1971: ''Los Corsarios / I pirati dell'isola verde'' (Italy, Spain) *1971: ''La stirpe di Caino'' (Italy) *1971: ''Die Vergnügungsspalte'' (West Germany) *1973: ''Storia di karat`e, pugni e fagioli'' (Spain, Italy) *1973: ' (East Germany) *1974: ' (East Germany, USSR, CSSR) *1975: '' Blood Brothers'' (East Germany) *1976: ''Soviel Lieder, soviel Worte'' (East Germany, USSR) *1978: ''El Cantor'' (East Germany) *1981: ''Sing, Cowboy, Sing'' (East Germany) *1984: ''Uindii / Races'' (Japan, West Germany)


Legacy

The
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
sponsors the Dean Reed Peace Prize, an annual essay contest held in Reed's memory.


Media depictions

"Red Elvis:The Coldwar Cowboy" – Released January 21, 2022. Meet Dean Reed, the American popstar who defected to the Soviet Bloc in the '70s and became a superstar. He packs stadiums, preaches Marxism and inspires a generation...until his body is found, drowned, in a lake in East Berlin. Published on AmazonPrime and SkyNow. Director Thomas Latter and Executive Produced by his daughter Ramona Reed Reed's life is the subject of the documentary ''American Rebel: The Dean Reed Story'' (1985). Reed's life story influenced
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning writer and comedian
Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion, or any other cultural trends. He hosted the Comedy Central series ''Lewis ...
and composer
Rusty Magee Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee (August 6, 1955 – February 16, 2003) was an accomplished comedian, actor and composer/lyricist for theatre, television, film and commercials. Biography Early life Magee was born in Washington, D.C., the son ...
to create the musical ''The Czar of Rock and Roll''. It chronicled the rise of a Reed-like character, Eugene Reeves, from Nebraska musician to Soviet superstar. The musical was first produced in New York City at the
West Bank Café Downstairs Theater Bar West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
in 1989 and then at the Alley Theater in Houston in 1990. In April 2009 a concert version of the musical, directed by Evan Cabnet, was produced at
Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette St ...
in New York City. In 1991
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
optioned a biography by
Reggie Nadelson Reggie Nadelson is an American novelist, known for writing mystery novels. Early life She was born and raised in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, New York. After graduating from City and Country School and Elisabeth Irwin High School in Greenwich ...
, titled '' Comrade Rockstar'', finally published in the U.S. by Walker & Company in 2006. Nadelson had been inspired to write her book after seeing the ''60 Minutes'' broadcast. Hanks planned to produce a movie on Reed's life. In 1993, ''Dean Reed – Glamour und Protest'' was released, in 2007 ''Der Rote Elvis (The Red Elvis)'' and ''Gringo Rojo'' (2016). In 2001, English singer-songwriter Steve Bush published the song "Salome for Dean Reed" on the album ''Blossom Freak''. In January 2022,
Sky UK Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
broadcast a documentary about the life of Dean Reed on their channel
Sky Documentaries Sky Documentaries is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast, which launched on 27 May 2020. Sky Documentaries broadcasts imported programming from US networks HBO and Showtime, alongside new original p ...
titled ''Red Elvis, Cold War Cowboy.''
CuriosityStream Curiosity Stream also know as (Curiosity Channel) is an American media company and subscription video streaming service that offers documentary programming including films, series, and TV shows. It was launched in 2015 by the founder of the Dis ...
and
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
are also streaming the documentary.


In popular culture

In '' Mad, Mad Marjorie'', a humorous novel by Andrew Shaffer, it is suggested that Reed was assassinated by the character Andreas Stackenwalter.


References


External links


German Dean Reed website
* *

Adam Curtis Adam Curtis (born 26 May 1955) is an English documentary filmmaker. Curtis began his career as a conventional documentary producer for the BBC throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The release of ''Pandora's Box (British TV series), ...
blog at BBC
Dean Reed Discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Dean 1938 births 1986 suicides American emigrants to Argentina American emigrants to East Germany American Marxists East German actors Musicians from Denver Male Spaghetti Western actors Suicides in East Germany Suicides by drowning in Germany University of Colorado alumni American expatriates in East Germany Male actors from Denver 20th-century American male actors Music and politics American socialists 20th-century American singers People of the Stasi Singer-songwriters from Colorado