Oliver Reed

1938-1999

Born in Wimbledon, London in 1938, Oliver Reed passed away in 1999 in Malta, whilst filming Ridley Scott's Gladiator. (He played Proximus, the gladiator trainer.)
A veteran of over 100 films, he will, perhaps regretfully, be remembered as much for his offscreen drinking and horseplay, as for his range and versatility on film.
His films included "Women in Love", "Oliver!" and "The Three Musketeers".
Quotes:
" We mere mortals are but shadows and dust "(as Proximus, in "Gladiator")
" You meet a better class of person in pubs "(as himself)
This was my seventh oil painting this year, and probably the most challenging. I did not want to make him look angry, but brooding and weary, with a sadness and heaviness around the eyes. My initial sketches for this subject now look surprisingly fierce, and quite inappropriate.
I am quite pleased with the way the marble background turned out,and also the fabric on his shirt and robe.