Thell Reed
{{short description|American exhibition shooter and firearms expert}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Thell Reed
| image =
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|2|11}}
| birth_place = Downey, California
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| nationality = American
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| years_active =
| known_for = Holds United States quick-draw record
| notable_works =
| spouse = Stacy Reed
| relatives = Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (stepdaughter)
}}
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.{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=Jeff |title=Shotluck |publisher=Wisdom Publishing |isbn=0-9655409-6-0 |year=2006 |pages=51}} Of the six Combat Masters (Reed, John Plähn, Jack Weaver, Elden Carl, Ray Chapman, and Cooper), Reed had the quickest draw.{{cite web |url=http://www.thesconce.com/ |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol 4 No 11 September 1996 paragraph 23}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0715715/bio |title=Biography for Thell Reed|website=IMDb}} He also trained Michael Biehn for the film Tombstone, where Biehn portrayed gunfighter Johnny Ringo.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv66vZJevx8 | title=Michael Biehn describes teaching himself pistol spinning technique | Cup Scene | website=YouTube | date=20 April 2019 }}
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.{{cite news |url= https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-10-22/alec-baldwin-rust-camera-crew-walked-off-set |title= 'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting |author1=Meg James |author2=Amy Kaufman |date= 22 October 2021 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/armorer-alec-baldwin-rust-shooting.html |title="Armorer Who Loaded Gun in Alec Baldwin Shooting Faces Trial: What to Know" |author1=Julia Jacobs |date= 21 February 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|715715}}
- [http://www.uspsa2.org/swp_past.htm The SWPCL competitions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927120157/http://www.uspsa2.org/swp_past.htm |date=27 September 2007 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Thell}}
Category:American male sport shooters
Category:American stunt performers