Harvey Reaves, a talented American actor, hails from Bolivar, Tennessee. As a teenager, he was singularly focused on becoming a renowned voiceover artist, defying the conventional aspirations of his peers who dreamed of becoming great athletes or musicians. His parents, who owned a nightclub in West Tennessee, served as his first voiceover clients, commissioning him to create and voice commercials for their establishment, Dr. Boogie's (later renamed The Pleasure Time Club),at the tender age of 15.
As he pursued higher education at the University of Tennessee, Harvey's interest in acting began to blossom. A dedicated overachiever, he took numerous theatre classes during the day as part of his college electives and concurrently enrolled in evening acting classes at the local theatre in Knoxville. This marked the beginning of a long string of firsts for him, as he became the first member of his family on both his mother's and father's sides to graduate from college.
Just two days prior to his graduation, Harvey received an offer to join radio station U-102 in Knoxville as its first Black DJ. With his daytime hours freed up, he was able to utilize his actor training to pursue his passion. Harvey's acting career commenced as a spokesperson for several companies in Knoxville, Nashville, and Atlanta, appearing in TV commercials and in-house training videos, also known as industrial films. Notably, he was the first Black spokesperson for several of these companies.
Later, Harvey transferred to radio station Peach 94.9 in Atlanta, where he again broke new ground as the station's first Black DJ in primetime. During his time in Atlanta, he took advantage of the thriving TV and film production scene, eventually making the move to Los Angeles, where he quickly secured work in TV and film, commercials, and voiceovers.
Harvey's distinctive personality, physical stature, and trustworthy voice make him an ideal candidate for playing authority figures, particularly police officers, doctors, and military officers.
