Wallace Reid, the son of writer-theater producer-director-actor Hal Reid, began his career on stage at the age of four alongside his parents. He spent most of his early years in private schools, where he excelled in music and athletics.
In 1910, his father took him to the Chicago studio of the Selig Polyscope Company, where Wallace decided he wanted to become a cameraman. However, with his athletic good looks, he was often placed in front of the camera instead, a situation he disliked.
