Born on April 2, 1949, in Tacoma, Washington, Pamela Reed was educated at University of Washington. She later earned a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award for her work in the off-Broadway play Getting Out. Moving on to television and film, she won a Cable Ace Award in the Best Actress category for her work on the HBO series, Tanner '88 in 1988.
When she was younger, Pamela Reed aspired to become a flight attendant, but discovered her passion for acting, debuting in the 1978 TV series, The Andros Targets. Her engagement ring was once lost while filming on set, thus she had to replace the ring.
In 1990, Reed got a chance to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop, where she played Detective Phoebe O'Hara. She then moved on to play a housewife in the made-for-TV mystery, Woman With a Past. Reed has also ventured into comedy as she appeared in Tim Robbins' 1992 political satire Bob Roberts. Reed also played Janice Pasetti in the NBC sitcom Grand, and moved on to play a judge and single mother in the short-lived NBC sitcom, The Home Court. Her other credits include Bean (1997) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). In 2000, she worked on the blockbuster Proof of Life, and eventually appeared in Book of Days (2003) and Glory Days (2004).
Reed's other television work include Hemingway in 1988, where she played Mary Welsh, and LA Law where she played Norma Heisler. She was also in Family Album in 1993 where she played Denise Lerner, and Pepper Dennis in 2006 where she played Lynn Dinkle. From 2006 to 2008, she was cast in the role of Gail Green on the CBS series Jericho. Later on, she played the mother of the title character in Eli Stone, and signed on for a role in Descending from Heaven in 2008.
In talking about her experience in Hollywood, she said, "In twenty years of being in Hollywood, this is what I've learned; if I want my hair to look good, I bend over and brush it, then I leave my house."
(Photos courtesy of CBS, WireImage)