Acting and music Reed enrolled in the
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1987 and graduated in 1991. He joined
Tim Robbins'
The Actors' Gang and his first production with the group was the
Good Woman of Setzuan. JR met
Kyle Gass and knew
Jack Black from UCLA previously, which led him to getting hired as a roadie and playing Spider-Man at early
Tenacious D concerts. In 1996, Reed starred in his first film,
The Shot. His Actors' Gang production "Kick Ass Militia" won the Backstage West Play Production of the Year award in 1997. In 1999, JR starred in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in 2000 featured in Tenacious D's TV series as "Lee". In 2001, Reed made appearances in
Dead Last and
The Anniversary Party. In 2002, JR started a side-project band with Gass called
Trainwreck with Kyle Gass. He can also be seen on
The Complete Master Works Tenacious D concert DVD. In 2005, Reed featured in a television special of
Alias as well as having a part in
Living with Fran. In 2006, Reed featured in
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, taking on the role of Lee, and played the "Time Goblin" in the 2006 short film
Tenacious D: Time Fixers. He also went on the
world tour to support the album as "Satan" and "The Metal" amongst other roles, he would continue these roles at summer festivals a couple of years later, such as
Reading and Leeds festivals 2008 and
Outside Lands in 2009. He can be seen on
The Complete Master Works 2. In late 2009, Reed featured in the viral thanksgiving video, "The Sexy Pilgrim" and in 2010 Reed featured in Remington's "Keep It Hairy". In 2013, Reed featured as the lead role in "Campus Security", an Internet series, as well as featuring in an episode of
Community. In 2014, Reed featured in
Nickelodeon's
Henry Danger. In 2015, he made his international film debut in the Danish film
Klown Forever as himself and the Battle Cat. In the fall of 2015, Reed's signature "The Metal" costume, used on the 2006–2007 world tour, was put on auction by Tenacious D in support of Josh Homme's Sweet Stuff Foundation, to raise funds for the victims and families of the
November 2015 Paris attacks. In 2016, Reed featured in
Black-ish as a substitute teacher.
Commercial work Reed's career includes commercial work for Time Warner, Microsoft, TiVO, Carl's Jr, Hardee's, Taco Bell, Silk Soy Milk, Tanqueray, Volkswagen, Planter's Nuts and
Castrol Motor Oil. His most notable lead role in McDonald's "The Fish Is Back" Filet-O-Fish commercial went viral in between 2008 and 2010. He has also featured in Remington's "Keep it Hairy" and in Muscle Milk's "The Sexy Pilgrim" music videos, both of which feature Reed as the lead role. More recently, Reed featured in a commercial for hotels.com. In 2015, Reed featured in commercials for
Rite Aid promoting flu treatment. == Appearances ==