Robert Reed was born 79 years ago today

At the West Hollywood Book Fair a few weeks ago, I moderated a panel that included the wonderful Florence Henderson.

For those in the audience who had not yet read her new memoir, I pointed out what a staunch straight ally America’s favorite mom has been for a very long time. Way back in 1969, when she began playing Carol Brady opposite an actor named Robert Reed, she immediately had his back.

During the five-season run of The Brady Bunch followed by The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Brides, the TV movie A Very Brady Christmas and the final series The Bradys, the television viewing audience did not know that the man dispensing fatherly advice to Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy was living a very gay life off-screen.

But Miss Henderson knew and she made sure her acting partner was always comfortable during love scenes and she was very cognizant of the difficulties of his situation.

Reed, who would have turned 79 today, left us far too young. He was just 59 when he died of colon cancer. It became public knowledge after this death that he was also HIV-positive.

While the tabloids ran with the story in a most sensational way, in the years since, Miss Henderson has spoke so warmly and honestly of her TV husband and his dedication to his TV family – on screen and off – that I think she has helped people forget those tabloid headlines and focus more on the talent and legacy of this fine actor.

Although Reed decried the quality of The Brady Bunch scripts, he always returned for the reunions and subsequent series and was said to have enjoyed the ABC variety series the cast did in the mid-70s most of all.

Reed had other memorable roles including starring in TV’s The Defenders, the drama Nurse opposite Micheal Learned, the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and a classic two-part episode of Medical Center which had him playing a man who undergoes surgery to become a woman (pictured below) more than 30 years before Chaz Bono made his real-life transition.