A lanky, handsome, generally mustachioed African-American leading man and character actor of TV, Tim Reid first garnered attention as Venus Flytrap, one of several cool DJs working for "WKRP in Cincinnati" on the amusing and popular CBS sitcom. Reid later played a supporting role on the popular CBS detective series, "Simon and Simon", before trying his hand at producing with an offbeat, acclaimed series in which he also starred, "Frank's Place". An unusual blend of comedy and drama featuring a New Orleans-set ensemble, the show didn't get the breaks it needed in terms of scheduling and network support, nor did Reid's somewhat more conventional but nonetheless enjoyable follow-up, "Snoops", in which and actor-wife Daphne Maxwell Reid played glamorous Nick and Nora Charles style detectives. Reid later returned to sitcoms with a more conventional role in "Sister, Sister" (1994-99). He made his feature film debut as director with an adaptation of Clifton Taulbert's coming-of-age novel "Once Upon a Time . . . When We Were Colored" (1995).
- Also Credited As:
Timothy L. Reid
- Born:
December 19, 1944 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Producer, TV series creator, Director, Salesman
Family
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Daughter: Tori Reid. born c. 1975; from Reid s first marriage
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Father: William Lee Reid.
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Mother: Augustine Reid.
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Son: Timothy L Reid Jr. from Reid s first marriage
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Step-son: Christopher Tubbs. mother, Daphne Maxwell Reid
Significant Others
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Wife: . mother of Reid s two children
Education
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Norfolk State College, Norfolk, Virginia, marketing, BBA, 1968
Milestones
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1968 Worked as a sales representative for DuPont Corp.
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1976 TV series debut as regular (with the War Babies) on the summer variety series Easy Does It . . . Starring Frankie Avalon (CBS)
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1977 Appeared as regular on The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr Show , a CBS summer variety series
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1977 Was ensemble player on the short-lived NBC variety show The Richard Pryor Show
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1979 Founded Timalove Enterprises
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1983 Joined the cast of the revamped and short-lived NBC sitcom Teachers Only
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1989 Feature acting debut, Dead Bang
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1991 Formed United Image Entertainment in partnership with Black Entertainment Television founder and president Bob Johnson
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1995 Feature film directing debut, Once Upon a Time . . . When We Were Colored (exhibited at film festivals in 1995; released in 1996)
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1995 First feature as producer, Out of Sync
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1998 Co-created and executive produced the Showtime series Linc s
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1999 Produced Asunder , a romantic suspense thriller
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2003 Wrote, directed and starred in the feature For Real
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2004 Joined the cast of Fox s That 70s Show as a record producer who turns out to be the father of Danny Masterson s Steven character
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Executive produced and starred in two critically praised but short-lived series, the half-hour comedy-drama Frank s Place (1987-88) and the comedy-mystery series, Snoops (1989-90)
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Formed comedy duo with Tom Dreeson; appeared around the US as Tim and Tom
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Joined the improv troupe The War Babies
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Played a leading role in the sitcom, Sister, Sister (show aired on ABC in 1994-95 and then on The WB 1995-1999)
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Played radio DJ Venus Flytrap on the popular CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
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Played supporting role of Detective Marcel Downtown Brown on the popular CBS adventure series, Simon and Simon , starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker