Michael Reid was born during the Blitz bombings of Central London caused him and his family to relocate to Tottenham in North London where he went to Rowland Hill School.Reid was thought to be an atheist and was known to be opposed to plans to introduce blasphemy laws, for the effect this would have on satire, comedy and free speech.In 1958, he married his first wife, Sheila, and they had a daughter, Jane. They divorced in 1967, after which he married Shirley (née Collins) in 1971 and had two sons, Michael and Mark. Mark committed suicide in 1990. He had recently moved to a villa in Marbella so he could live close to a golf course which would enable him to pursue his passion of playing golf three to four times each week. Mike's first work in entertainment was as a stunt man on films and television, including such films as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines and Spartacus.In the early 1960s Reid worked as a stand-up comedian in clubs and aboard cruise liners. Then he played minor roles in television series such as Doctor Who, The Saint and Department S. He also worked as a stunt driver for the films Casino Royale (1967) and The Dirty Dozen (1967). He became one of the original stars of The Comedians, a popular TV series of the 1970s produced by Johnnie Hamp for Granada Television, which consisted entirely of short slots by mature stand-up comedians. As a comedian, Reid's well-known catchphrases included 'Terrific' (pronounced in a distinctive way) and 'Move Yer Arris'. In 1975 he also became the host of the ITV children's TV quiz show Runaround, fondly remembered for its incomprehensible rules and the incongruity of Reid as presenter. Runaround ended in 1981. In 1987 he joined the cast of the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders as Frank Butcher for which he gained much popularity. His character was involved in many popular storylines and the most famous of these storylines was his character's long turbulent relationship with Pat Evans. In 1994 he took a long break from the show due to stress. After many brief re-appearances on the show between late 1995 and early 1997, he returned full time in December 1997 and remained on the show until May 2000 when he announced he would be leaving the soap for good due to exhaustion from the long filming schedules.His last episode aired in November 2000. Later that same year he appeared in the popular British gangster film Snatch playing mob boss Doug "The Head" Denovitz. In 2003 he appeared in the Spanish film Oh Marbella!. Mike Reid died in Marbella, Spain on 29 July 2007, aged 67 from a suspected heart attack. Two weeks before he died, he had received a full medical examination and had been given a clean bill of health.

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