Robert Reed, patriarch of television's "The Brady Bunch," died May 12 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., his family announced.
In "The Brady Bunch," Mr. Reed played the widower father of three boys who marries a widow, played by Florence Henderson, who has three daughters.
It was a vintage American family show, in which minor events such as driving tests and jilted dates anchored entire episodes.
By all accounts, Mr. Reed didn't care much for such standard fare.
When he wearied of the hokum of "The Brady Bunch," he took the role of cranky, dour police Lt. Adam Tobias on "Mannix," even as he presided as the head of the middle-class Brady conglomerate.
Mr. Reed said in a 1970 interview that "Mannix" came as a welcome relief from the popular sitcom.
Barry Williams, who played oldest son Greg, said in his book "Growing Up Brady" that Mr. Reed often wrote pages-long memos comparing what he deemed poorly written Brady episodes with "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Citizen Kane."
But Mr. Reed and other critics of the show underestimated the enduring charm of the series: A stage version of the Brady family is playing in Los Angeles (the first adaptation of a TV series to a stage play). In 1977, the family regrouped for "The Brady Bunch Hour," a short-lived series. And they also created a Christmas special in 1988, 14 years after the original series left the air in 1974, after a five-year run.
Born John Robert Rietz in Highland Park, Ill., Mr. Reed studied at Northwestern University and trained as a stage actor, working with teachers from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Hungarian State Theater. He later won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
