Deborah Reed didn’t have many screen acting credits to her name, but she made enough of an impression in her screen debut to gather a legion of fans: she played Creedence Leonore Gielgud in the (in)famous 1990 film Troll 2 (watch it HERE), which has been described as one of the best worst movies ever made. Sadly, we have to share the news today that Reed passed away earlier this month at the age of 73.
Born on October 29, 1950, she passed away peacefully at her home on November 18, 2023. Her obituary notes, “She was surrounded by her loving children at the time of passing.”
Here’s more information on Reed’s life, from the obituary shared on RussonMortuary.com: “She was born to Leo Hansen and Barbara Groo on October 29th, 1950, in Salt Lake City, Utah. At five years old she moved with her family from Utah to Lafayette, California. At an early age Deborah’s love for performing began when she would create characters for anyone willing to be a captive audience. In 1970 her family moved to Spokane, Washington. It was there she began performing in musical theater, including Oliver and Hello Dolly, while honing her skills as both playwright and director. The desire to touch people’s hearts through media was entrenched and has never left her.
In 1980, Deborah joined the renowned McCarty Agency where, over the next twenty years, she worked extensively as a print model, makeup artist, and actor in film and hundreds of television ads. With her passion for children’s self-esteem, she created a forum of children’s classes as a means of introducing them to skills and confidence needed in ‘the industry’ while developing habits of positive thinking and self-respect for which she became instructor for the next fifteen years. In 1989, Deborah landed the role of Creedence Leonore Gielgud in Troll 2, and was adored by many fans, many of which became friends.
Deborah took a sabbatical from the industry from 1997 – 2000 when hired as Executive Assistant to United States Congressman Merrill Cook. Her areas of Special Interest were Youth, Disabilities, Heritage Foundation, and the Arts and Humanities. Among her accomplishments, she spearheaded the Bicentennial Local Legacies project, which documented Utah’s Native American Heritige. Her work contributed to the office receiving multiple awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. During Cook’s second term, Deborah produced and co-hosted the radio program, The Merrill Cook Show.
At various points she worked as a multi-talented artist; excelling in fine arts painting, and Trompe l’oeil murals, writing children’s stories, crafting jewelry, and other creative passions. She soon met her husband, radio personality Randy Holman. They started their own multimedia production company, producing a television series they co-hosted, It’s All About Homes, as well as documentaries and TV commercials for clients. They ran the company together until Randy’s untimely death from cancer in 2012.
Later in life, she managed the media accounts for her good friend John Cottam (The Spectacle in Historic Trolly Square) by creating content that spoke volumes of her personality.
Despite all of Deborah’s amazing accomplishments, she had a strong testimony in Jesus Christ and exemplified it through her love and actions with her children, grandchildren, family, fur-babies, and everyone she encountered. Her compassion for all animals brought attention to shelter animals and the need for publicized uplifting adoption stories through her recent work as a writer and blogger. She found humanity through humor and made us all laugh.
In 2017, Deborah was diagnosed with CLL which later evolved into Richter’s Syndrome, and passed away on November 18th, 2023, due to complications of cancer.
She is preceded in death by her husband Randy Holman. Survived by her former husbands Peter Anderegg (father of Gavin) and Philip Reed (father of Remington); children Gavin Reed and Remington Reed (Christy); and Grandchildren Moss and Zoey. She is preceded in death by her brother Eric (Anabel) and survived by her brother Dave (Sallie).“
There was a livestream of her funeral service that is now archived at the Russon Mortuary link.
Written and directed by Claudio Fragasso (going by the name Drake Floyd), Troll 2 has the following synopsis: When young Joshua learns that he will be going on vacation with his family to a small town called Nilbog, he protests adamantly. He is warned by the spirit of his deceased grandfather that goblins populate the town. His parents, Michael and Diana, dismiss his apprehensions, but soon learn to appreciate their son’s warnings. Guided by his grandfather’s ghost, will Joshua and his family stand a chance in fighting off these evil beings? Reed gives a memorable performance as the Queen of Goblins, and I’m sure many fans will soon be having memorial viewings of the film in her honor.
Our sincere condolences go out to Deborah Reed’s family, friends, and fans.