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Alaina Reed Hall
Reed in 1976
Born	(1946-11-10)November 10, 1946
Died	December 17, 2009(2009-12-17) (aged 63) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Other names	Alaina Reed Alaina Reed-Amini
Education	Kent State University
Occupation(s)	Actress, Singer, Chef
Years active	1974–2009
Spouses	Richard Cook ​(divorced)​ Kevin Peter Hall ​ ​(m. 1988; died 1991)​ Tamim Amini ​(m. 2008)​
Children	2

Alaina Reed Hall (November 10, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American actress and singer who portrayed Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the PBS children's television series Sesame Street, and Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227.

Early years

In the mid-1960s, Reed attended Kent State University where she was active in many stage productions at KSU's E. Turner Stump Theater. These included The Streets of New York; It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!; and The Tragedy of Tragedies — The Life and Death of Tom Thumb The Great.

Alaina sang in a group called Tiny and the Dunnaways, an all girl singing group in Kent. In the fall of 1966, Glenn Lucas, Bob Boettcher and Bruce Rusin with Alaina "Tiny" Reed and Marty Kralik formed "The Velours". In February 1967. They began playing continuously, at the Kove in Kent, Ohio 5 nights a week until December 1968.

Career

Reed began her professional career in Philadelphia and off-Broadway productions. She was among the original cast members in the 1974 off-Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road. Hall appeared in productions of Hair (Chicago in 1970 and the 1977 revival), Chicago, and Eubie!.

In 1976, she won the role of Olivia on the children's series Sesame Street. Her character was a photographer and the younger sister of Gordon. In 1985, she starred in the Sesame Street movie Follow That Bird, reprising her role as Olivia. That same year, Hall co-starred on the sitcom 227. For a time, she traveled between New York City (where Sesame Street is taped) and Los Angeles (where 227 was taped). She left Sesame Street in 1988.

After 227 ended in 1990, Hall appeared in guest roles on various TV shows, including Herman's Head and Blossom. She also provided the voice for animated characters on Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. In 1995, Hall co-starred on the short-lived WB sitcom Cleghorne!, starring Ellen Cleghorne. The following year, she appeared in the television film The Cherokee Kid. She also had recurring roles on Ally McBeal, Any Day Now, and ER.

In addition to stage and television work, Hall also appeared in roles in feature films including Death Becomes Her (1992), Cruel Intentions (1999), and the 2007 independent feature I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks).

Personal life

She was married three times and had two children.

Her first marriage was to Richard Cook, with whom she had two children. The marriage ended in divorce.

In December 1988, Reed married actor Kevin Peter Hall. She met Hall when he was a guest performer on 227. Hall died in April 1991 of complications from AIDS-related pneumonia. Hall had contracted HIV after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion during surgery for injuries he sustained in a car accident a year prior.

In 2008, Hall married Tamim Amini. They were married until her death.

Death

Hall died of breast cancer at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California on December 17, 2009, at the age of 63. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean according to her husband, Tamim Amini. No funeral services were planned.

Filmography

References

1. Good Hair Days by Jonathan Johnson; p 88
2. "Actor Kevin Peter Hall Dies In L.A. At Age 35". Jet. 80 (2). Johnson Publishing Company: 62. 2009-04-29. ISSN 0021-5996.
3. Snauffer, Douglas; Thurm, Joel (2008). The Show Must Go on: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television. McFarland. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.
4. "Kevin Peter Hall, Actor, 35". The New York Times. 1991-04-19. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
5. ^ Alaina Reed Hall dies at 63; actress was Olivia Robinson on 'Sesame Street' latimes.com
6. "Alaina Reed Hall's remains to be scattered over Pacific; no funeral planned". December 23, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2024.

External links

• Alaina Reed at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alaina Reed at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archive)
• Alaina Reed-Hall at IMDb

• 1946 births
• 2009 deaths
• American musical theatre actresses
• American television actresses
• American voice actresses
• Capitol Records artists
• Deaths from breast cancer in California
• Musicians from Greater Los Angeles
• Actors from Greater Los Angeles
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
• 20th-century African-American women singers
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Kent State University alumni
• Actresses from Ohio
• Singers from Ohio