Deborah Reed

About Deborah Reed

Who is it?: Actress, Director, Writer
Birth Year: 1708
Died On: December 19, 1774 (aged 66)\nPhiladelphia, Province of Pennsylvania
Birth Sign: Scorpio
Cause of death: Stroke
Resting place: Christ Church Burial Ground
Other names: Deborah Read Rogers Deborah Read Franklin
Spouse(s): John Rogers (m. 1720; separated 1725) Benjamin Franklin (m. 1730; d. 1774)
Children: Francis Folger Franklin Sarah Franklin Bache

Deborah Reed Net Worth

Deborah Reed was born on 1708, is Actress, Director, Writer. Deborah Reed is best known for her over the top portrayal of the Queen of Goblins in cult classic Troll 2 (1990). Her love of performing began at an early age, when she would create zany characters for anyone willing to be a captive audience. A native of Utah, at five years old she moved with her family to Lafayette, California, where they remained until she was fifteen. Once back in Utah she was shy, not involved in popular school activities; but when asked, played the part of Yvette in "Pillow Talk". She received her first true encouragement when near the end of her senior year, performed a Shakespearean monologue as Juliet in drama class. To her shock there was a resounding applause then high praise from her teacher. A respected actor-classmate told her, "I wish I could let go the way you do." She soon performed in her first film, "Educated Heart", with Anthony Geary and Anne Archer, but the film was never picked up.In 1970 her family moved to Spokane, Washington. It was there she began performing in musical theater, including "Oliver" and "Hello Dolly", while honing her skills as both playwright and director. She would never forget the first times witnessing an entire audience whimpering - nose blows included - after a dramatic performance of hers or howling with laughter at something she had written. She was hooked. The desire to touch people's hearts through media was entrenched and has never left her.In 1980, Deborah joined the renowned McCarty Agency where, over the next twenty years, she worked extensively as a print model, makeup artist, and actor in film and hundreds of television ads. With her passion for children's self-esteem, she created a forum of children's classes as a means of introducing them to skills and confidence needed in 'the industry' while developing habits of positive thinking and self-respect for which she became instructor for the next fifteen years. In1989, Deborah landed the role of Creedence Leonore Gielgud, in Troll 2 (1990), the quirky film by Italian director, Claudio Fragasso. With her lifelong love of camp, it was a perfect fit. She completely 'let go' when auditioning for the part, a scene later to become a fan favorite.Deborah took a sabbatical from the industry from 1997 - 2000 when hired as Executive Assistant to United States Congressman Merrill Cook, with whom she had worked when hired as makeup artist during the campaign trail. After Cook took Office, he offered Deborah the much sought after job, telling her he appreciated her obvious love of people, her passion for those in need and love of The Arts, saying she could truly make a difference. She was both surprised and hesitant, but agreed to give it a try. Her areas of Special Interest were Youth, Disabilities, Heritage Foundation, and the Arts and Humanities. Among her accomplishments, she spearheaded the Bicentennial Local Legacies project, which documented Utah's Native American community through film, recording, photos and other multimedia and culminated at an event in Washington DC, celebrating 200 years of The Library of Congress. Cook has largely credited her for his receiving multiple awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. During Cook's second term, Deborah also performed as Press Secretary. For the following two years, Deborah produced and co-hosted radio program, "The Merrill Cook Show", writing and producing all the commercial spots.In 2004, Deborah's over twenty year marriage was over. To cope, she threw herself into a new pursuit, working as a mural and Trompe l'oeil artist. She soon met her husband, radio personality Randy Holman. They started their own multimedia production company, producing a television series they co-hosted, "It's All About Homes", as well as documentaries and TV commercials for clients. Deborah usually wrote ads with a camp flavor, creating zany characters often portrayed by Randy and herself. They ran the company together until Randy's untimely death from cancer in 2012.Finding humanity through humor is most often the driving force behind Deborah's work and remains a priority in her current work as a writer and blogger. As of 2016, her focus has been on her first children's picture book, "When Bugs Are Bugging You", and middle-grade novel, "Flump - Book One: The Gaseous Ghost", which she claims contains a few cryptic Troll 2 (1990) references. Deborah has two sons: artist/animator Gavin Reed, and software engineer Remington Reed, founders of the company, Hey Bud Games.
Deborah Reed is a member of Actress

💰 Net worth: Under Review

Some Deborah Reed images

Biography/Timeline

1708

Little is known about Reed's early life. She was born around 1708, likely in Birmingham, England, to John and Sarah Reed, a well respected Quaker couple. John Reed was a moderately prosperous building contractor and carpenter who died in 1724. Reed had three siblings: two brothers, John and James, and a sister, Frances. The Reed family immigrated to English America in 1711, settling in Philadelphia.

1723

Reed met then 17-year-old Benjamin Franklin in October 1723 when he walked past the Reed home on Market Street one morning. Franklin had just moved to Philadelphia from Boston to find employment as a printer. In his autobiography, Franklin recalled that at the time of their meeting, he was carrying "three great puffy rolls". As he had no pockets, Franklin carried one roll under each arm and was eating the third. Reed (whom Franklin called "Debby") was standing in the doorway of her home and was amused by the sight of Franklin's "...most awkward ridiculous appearance." A romance soon developed. Unable to find appropriate living accommodations near his job, John Reed allowed Franklin to rent a room in the family home. Reed and Franklin's courtship continued and, in 1724, Franklin proposed to Reed. However, Reed's mother Mary would not consent to the marriage, citing Franklin's pending trip to London and financial instability. Reed and Franklin postponed their marriage plans and Franklin traveled to England. Upon arriving in London, Franklin decided to end the relationship. In a terse letter, he informed Reed that he had no intention of returning to Philadelphia. Franklin subsequently became stranded in London after Sir william Keith failed to follow through on promises of financial support.

1725

Reed was then persuaded by her mother to marry John Rogers, a British man who has been identified variously as a carpenter or a potter. Reed and Rogers were married on August 5, 1725 at Christ Church, Philadelphia. The marriage quickly fell apart as the "sweet talking" Rogers could not keep a job and had incurred a large amount of debt before their marriage. Four months after they were married, Reed left Rogers after a friend of Rogers visiting from England told Reed that Rogers had a wife in his native England. Reed refused to live with or recognize Rogers as her husband. While the couple were separated, Rogers spent Reed's dowry, incurred more debt, and used the marriage to further his own schemes. In December 1727, Rogers stole a slave and disappeared. Soon after, unconfirmed reports circulated that Rogers had made his way to the British West Indies where he was killed in a fight. In his autobiography, Franklin also claimed that Rogers died in the British West Indies. John Rogers' true fate has never been proven.

1730

Despite his previous intention to remain in London, Franklin returned to Philadelphia in October 1727. He and Reed eventually resumed their relationship and decided to marry. While Reed considered her marriage to her first husband to be over, she was not able to legally remarry. At that time, Province of Pennsylvania law would not grant a divorce on the grounds of desertion. She could neither claim to be a widow as there was no proof that Rogers was dead. If Rogers returned after Reed legally married Franklin, she faced a charge of bigamy which carried the penalty of thirty-nine lashings on the bare back and life imprisonment with hard labor. To avoid any legal issues, Reed and Franklin decided upon a common-law marriage. On September 1, 1730, the couple held a ceremony for friends and family where they announced they would live as husband and wife. They had two children together: Francis Folger "Franky", who died of smallpox at the age of four, and Sarah "Sally". They also raised Franklin's illegitimate son william.

1757

political affairs that would eventually lead to the establishment of the United States. In 1757, Franklin embarked on the first of numerous trips to Europe. Reed refused to accompany him due to a fear of ocean travel. While Franklin stayed overseas for the next five years, Reed remained in Philadelphia where, despite her limited education, she successfully ran her husband's businesses, maintained their home, cared for the couple's children and regularly attended Quaker Meeting. Franklin returned to Philadelphia in November 1762. He tried to persuade Reed to accompany him to Europe, but again she refused. Franklin returned to Europe in November 1764 where he would remain for the next ten years. Reed would never see Franklin again.

1773

In 1768, Reed suffered the first of a series of strokes that severely impaired her speech and memory. For the remainder of her life, she suffered from poor health and depression. Despite his wife's condition, Franklin did not return to Philadelphia even though he had completed his diplomatic duties. In November 1769, Reed wrote Franklin saying that her stroke, declining health and depressed mental state were a result of her "dissatisfied distress" due to his prolonged absence. Franklin still did not return, but continued to write to Reed. Reed's final surviving letter to Franklin is dated October 29, 1773. Thereafter, she stopped corresponding with her husband. Franklin continued to write to Reed, inquiring as to why her letters had ceased, but still did not return home.

1774

On December 14, 1774, Reed suffered a final stroke and died on December 19. She was buried at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Franklin was buried next to her upon his death in 1790.