Depending
on the day of the week, you might find Tim Reid in Petersburg or Charlottesville,
Virginia. You might even find him in Hollywood. Such is life for the director,
producer, and star of the hit television show "Sister Sister".
The Emmy-nominated actor has been
a mainstay in the entertainment industry for the last three decades and won
America's heart in the 1970s with his portrayal of Venus Flytrap on "WKRP
in Cincinnati". Other television series and movies, including "Simon
and Simon" and Stephen King's "IT", followed.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia,
on December 19, 1943, Mr. Reid is no stranger to hard work. His family -- including
his father, who left school after sixth grade, and his ninth-grade educated
mother -- stressed self-reliance. Mr. Reid has remembered that philosophy throughout
his life and puts it to good use through his continuous support of his native
city and state.
"Never let anyone
stop you from being a dreamer."
Each year he sponsors the Tim
Reid Celebrity Weekend at his alma mater, Norfolk State University, where he
earned a B.S. degree in business administration in 1968. Since its inception,
this event has raised thousands of dollars for the university.
Mr. Reid and his wife, Daphne
Maxwell Reid of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" fame, furthered their
support of the Commonwealth by establishing Virginia's first full-service film
studio, New Millennium Studios in Petersburg. The ground breaking for this 59-acre,
state-of-the-art facility took place in February 1997. The Reids, eight-year
residents of Charlottesville, Virginia, saw this as an opportunity to expand
Virginia's budding film industry and to give back to a community that has given
so much to them.
Since he co-founded United
Image Entertainment in 1990, a joint venture between Black Entertainment Television
and Tim Reid Productions, Inc., Reid has produced such works as "Once Upon
a Time... When We Were Colored", what many critics called "one of the ten
best films for 1996." The company has also produced the Cable Ace-nominated
telefilm Race to Freedom and the theatrical feature Out of Sync.
To America's future directors,
actors, and producers, Mr. Reid offers sound advice, "Never let anyone stop
you from being a dreamer. Success is dreams realized."
