Early life

He was born Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal on April 4, 1923 to Frank Eugene Blumenthal and Maude Evelyn Blumenthal in Cleveland, Ohio, he was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where his father Frank was a businessman and entrepreneur.

Acting career

He made his screen debut in the 1934 Our Gang short Washee Ironee, and for the next three decades made numerous appearances in films such as In Old Chicago (1937), Captains Courageous (1937), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), Boys Town (1938), They Shall Have Music (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), Eagle Squadron (1942) and The Country Girl (1954) and on television series like I Love Lucy, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Whirlybirds, and Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Behind the Scenes career

In 1957, Reynolds joined forces with Frank Gruber and James Brooks to create Tales of Wells Fargo for NBC. During the program's five-year run he wrote and directed numerous episodes. Additional directing credits include multiple episodes of Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Farmer's Daughter, My Three Sons, F Troop, Hogan's Heroes, Room 222, and Many Happy Returns.

As a writer, director, and producer, Reynolds was involved with two highly successful CBS series in the 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1972 and 1983, he produced 120 episodes of M*A*S*H, which he co-created with Larry Gelbart, and for which he also wrote 11 episodes and directed 24. During that same period, he produced 22 episodes of Lou Grant, for which he wrote (or co-wrote) five episodes and directed 11.

Reynolds has been nominated for twenty-four Emmy Awards and won six times, including Outstanding Comedy Series for M*A*S*H and Outstanding Drama Series twice for Lou Grant, which also earned him a Humanitas Prize. He won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series twice for his work on M*A*S*H and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series once for his work on Lou Grant.

Reynolds was elected President of the Directors Guild of America in 1993, a post he held for four years until 1997.

Personal life

Reynolds was married to actress-turned author Bonnie Jones, who appeared in five episodes of M*A*S*H as Lt. Barbara Bannerman, from 1967 until 1976, when the couple divorced. He and his current wife, actress Ann Sweeny, who also appeared on M*A*S*H as Nurse Carrie Donovan in two episodes, married in 1979 and have one son, Andrew Reynolds.

Selected filmography

• Washee Ironee (1934)
• Transient Lady (1935)
• Teacher's Beau (1935)
• The Calling of Dan Matthews (1935)
• Sins of Man (1936)
• Too Many Parents (1936)
• Thank You, Jeeves! (1936)
• In Old Chicago (1937)
• Thunder Trail (1937)
• Captains Courageous (1937)
• The Californian (1937)
• Madame X (1937)
• Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
• Of Human Hearts (1938)
• The Crowd Roars (1938)
• Boys Town (1938)
• The Flying Irishman (1939)
• They Shall Have Music (1939)
• Bad Little Angel (1939)
• The Spirit of Culver (1939)
• Gallant Sons (1940)
• The Blue Bird (1940)
• Edison, the Man (1940)
• The Mortal Storm (1940)
• Santa Fe Trail (1940)
• The Penalty (1941)
• Adventure in Washington (1941)
• Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941)
• The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942)
• Eagle Squadron (1942)
• Junior G-Men of the Air (1942)
• Jungle Patrol (1948)
• Slattery's Hurricane (1949)
• The Big Cat (1949)
• 99 River Street (1953)
• Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
• The Country Girl (1954)
• Prisoner of War (1954)
• The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
• The McConnell Story (1955)
• Diane (1956)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]