Brother-in-law of Victoria Stuart.
Children: Peggy, Kirk and Kim.
Grew up in Hawaii and Los Angeles.
In 2001, the city of Santa Cruz honored Reed by declaring July 14 "Walter Reed Day". A restored print of his 1956 Western Seven Men from Now (1956) was shown at a local theater, and, afterward, Reed made imprints of his hands and feet in a square of wet cement in front of the theater.
In the late 1960s, Reed ended his acting career, moving to Santa Cruz (CA), and becoming a real estate investor/broker.
Interviewed in "It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition" by Tom Weaver (McFarland, 1996).
Younger brother of Jack Smith.