Rex Reed, longtime film critic and journalist, dies at 87

Rex Reed, the prominent and outspoken and journalist known for his longtime column in The New York Observer, died Tuesday. He was 87.

Reed died at his Manhattan home after a short illness, publicist Sean Katz said on behalf of Reed鈥檚 friend William Kapfer.

In a career spanning more than six decades, Reed became one of the most well-known voices in cultural criticism. He published eight books, acted in movies (playing himself in 鈥淪uperman鈥�), counted movie stars like Angela Lansbury as friends and often found himself in the spotlight for controversial comments. Most infamous among them was his assertion that for 鈥淐hildren of a Lesser God鈥� was a pity vote, and, decades later, comments about weight and size in a review for 鈥淚dentity Thief.鈥� He also perpetuated a false conspiracy theory that Marisa Tomei鈥檚 1992 Oscar win for 鈥淢y Cousin Vinny鈥� was fake.

When it came to the movies, he had a reputation for being a bit of a crank as well, often bemoaning the old days and feeling out of step with the next generation of film critics.

鈥淚 like just as many films as I dislike,鈥� Reed told The New York Times in 2018. 鈥淏ut I think we鈥檙e drowning in mediocrity. I just try as hard as I can to raise the level of consciousness. It鈥檚 so hard to get people to see good films.鈥�

Reed was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 2, 1938, and spent his childhood moving around the South for his father鈥檚 job. He told the New York Times in 2018 that his origin story as a 鈥渃ontroversial writer鈥� began in the eighth grade, when he started writing a gossip column in the school paper and plotted his exodus to a more cosmopolitan life.

One of his first jobs was in the publicity department at 20th Century Fox, during the making of 鈥淐leopatra,鈥� but he was laid off due to budget cuts. The way he told it, he faked his way into film journalism while gallivanting around Europe with friends and looking for ways to fund a ticket home, including writing a Buster Keaton story for The New York Times. In the 1960s and ’70s, he established himself as an in-demand magazine and newspaper writer and became a television staple, appearing on 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥� with Johnny Carson and 鈥淭he Dick Cavett Show.鈥�

One of his most famous profiles was of Ava Gardner in 1967 for The New York Times (鈥淭here Is Nothing Like This Dame鈥�), which was included in his collection 鈥淒o You Sleep in the Nude?鈥� with profiles of Barbra Streisand, Lucille Ball, Warren Beatty and others. His work appeared in Vogue, Esquire, GQ and Women鈥檚 Wear Daily. He spent nearly four decades writing about films for the Observer.

Reed also acted occasionally, playing the pre-transition Myron in 鈥淢yra Breckinridge鈥� and appearing alongside Laurence Olivier in the Korean War movie 鈥淚nchon.鈥� He never married and has no immediate survivors. It was his writing that was his legacy.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to be remembered as someone who really tried to make things better,鈥� Rex told his Observer editor earlier this year. 鈥淥r at least respected what was good when it happened. Not as a curmudgeon. That鈥檚 not what I am in real life.鈥�

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