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Rex Reason

Rex Reason

Actor · Died November 19, 2015, aged 86 · Berlin, Germany

Rex Reason was an American actor born on November 30, 1928, in Berlin, Germany, to American parents. He grew up in Los Angeles and initially had no acting aspirations, but his mother encouraged both him and his brother Rhodes Reason to pursue acting careers. Reason's acting journey began when he played the lead in "Seventh Heaven" at Glendale's Hoover High School. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17, serving from 1946 to 1948. After his discharge, he enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse and became involved in little theater. His film career started with a leading role in "Storm Over Tibet" (1952). Reason then signed with Universal-International in 1953, where he appeared in several notable films. He is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Cal Meacham in the science fiction classic "This Island Earth" (1955). Reason's career also included television work. He starred in two series: the syndicated western "Man Without a Gun" (1957-1959) and the ABC/Warner Bros. drama "The Roaring Twenties" (1960-1962). Known for his tall stature (6'2"), handsome looks, and distinctive baritone voice, Reason left the entertainment industry in the early 1960s to pursue a career in real estate. He was married three times and had two children from his first marriage. Rex Reason passed away on November 19, 2015, in Walnut, California, at the age of 86 due to bladder cancer.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1928
Died
November 19, 2015 (aged 86)
From
Berlin, Germany
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on Motif · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 21% in 30 days

What are Rex Reason's films like?

Across their 9 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Survival
16%
Ideas
14%
Power
13%
Morality
13%
Society
11%
Self
4%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Hero
2 of 4
Shadow
1 of 4
Threshold guardian
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Romantic
4
Thrilling
3
Dread
2
Melancholic
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Rex Reason's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 12 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Rex Reason's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 12 with a Motif page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie(1996)

    as Dr. Cal Meacham (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • General Electric True (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Roaring 20's (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 31 episodes · as Scott Norris

  • Bourbon Street Beat (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Alaskans (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • The Miracle of the Hills (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Scott Macauley

  • The Sad Horse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Bill MacDonald

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Bronco (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Thundering Jets (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    as Capt. Steve Morley

  • The Rawhide Trail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    as Jess Brady

  • Man Without a Gun (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 33 episodes · as Adam MacLean

  • Trackdown (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Under Fire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    as Lt. Steve Rogerson

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Steve Brock

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Sugarfoot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Simon March

  • Band of Angels(1957)

    as Capt. Seth Parton (Union officer)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Badlands of Montana (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    as Steven Brewster

  • Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Raw Edge(1956)

    as John Randolph

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Creature Walks Among Us(1956)

    as Dr. Thomas Morgan

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Lady Godiva of Coventry(1955)

    as Harold

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Matinee Theater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Kiss of Fire(1955)

    as Duke of Montera

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • This Island Earth(1955)

    as Dr. Cal Meacham

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Smoke Signal(1955)

    as Wayne Ford

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Millionaire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Doug Hamlon

  • Yankee Pasha (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    as Omar Id-Din (as Bart Roberts)

  • Taza, Son of Cochise(1954)

    as Naiche

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Salome(1953)

    as Marcellus Fabius

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Storm Over Tibet (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    as David Simms

  • Scaramouche(1952)

    as Edmond

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Lux Video Theatre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Jeffries

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles from 1950 to 1996.

Biggest box office

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

$1M worldwide

Highest rated

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

Midcredits 84th

Most popular right now

Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

1950s30 · acting1960s2 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 29% of 7 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Rex Reason's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 38th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 5 are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most loved · actor

Scaramouche (1952)

Midcredits 92nd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Rex Reason work with?

People who share at least 2 of Rex Reason's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hans J. Salter shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers