Dean Reed was born on September 22, 1938, in Denver, Colorado. He embarked on a journey to Hollywood, where he secured a record contract with Capitol Records in 1958. However, his third single, "Our Summer Romance," achieved unprecedented success in South America, prompting him to tour the continent.
His popularity surpassed that of Elvis Presley, and he chose to remain in Chile, Peru, and Argentina, where he basked in his remarkable fame. Reed went on to produce albums, star in films, and host his own television show in Buenos Aires. He earned the nickname "Mr. Simpatia" due to his selfless work in barrios and prisons, as well as his protests against US policy, nuclear bomb tests, and other social and political issues. Although his politics shifted to the left, he never joined the Communist party.
In 1966, Reed was deported from Argentina and relocated to Rome, where he worked on "spaghetti westerns" for several years. He embarked on his first concert tour of the Soviet Union in the same year, becoming a massive star in the region and Eastern Europe. Reed continued to attract controversy by protesting the Vietnam War and attending International Peace Conferences, which led to ongoing issues with the US State Department.
In 1973, Reed moved to East Germany (GDR),where he released numerous albums, starred in several films, and wrote and directed his own projects. His last visit to the United States, in late 1985, rekindled his aspirations to establish a career in his homeland, particularly if he could return with his current project, a film about the 1973 conflict between AIM and the FBI at Wounded Knee.
A GDR/Soviet Union co-production, the film had been in development for years. Tragically, just days before the film's production was set to begin in the Crimea, Dean Reed's body was discovered in a lake near his home outside of East Berlin. He had been missing for several days. Many close associates in the GDR suspected suicide, while his family and friends in America believed he was murdered.
