One of the all-time greats of silent films, Wallace loved racing and partly achieved his dream in 1922 of racing at Indianapolis, although had he been in better health, may have achieved more. Between 1914 and 1922, he was one of the most recognisable faces in the world. However, after an injury on location in 1919 for the film Valley of the Giants, when he received serious injuries in a car crash, Wallace was given morphine and it later became an addiction. Despite being only 31, he was too weak to fight off the influenza that killed him. Reid was one of Paramount and indeed, Cecil B. De Mille's first stars, working with the likes of Dorothy Gish and Gloria Swanson. He had a major role in D.W. Griffiths' legendary film Birth of a Nation. He loved cars, not only driving them but working on them, and appeared in four racing movies in the early 1920's. Reid also enjoyed playing the saxophone.

Biography last updated 30 Jul 2016