Phillip Reed

One didn't become a stage and movie leading man with a monicker like Milton LeRoy in the early '30s, so the Brooklyn-born, Cornell-educated LeRoy was rechristened Phillip Reed. He made his earliest appearances as a utility actor in films like Penthouse (1933), then came into his own with several starring parts in the late '30s and early '40s. Mostly he was cast opposite big names like Dorothy Lamour and Bette Davis, who occasionally preferred to work with handsome but unremarkable hunks who wouldn't detract from their star performances. When not outshone by his female costars, Reed was often seen as a good-looking but mean-spirited type, who lost the girl to the hero or who found himself the principal murder suspect. Better served in his stage work, Reed still managed a few truly memorable film appearances: he was the stalwart Uncas in the 1936 version of Last of the Mohicans (1936), and was superb as a loudmouthed house guest who just won't leave in Weekend for Three (1941). Phillip Reed's final film was the Elvis Presley vehicle Harum Scarum (1965), after which the 57 year old actor launched a lucrative career in business.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide