Lydia Reed

Lydia Reed is an American actress born on August 23, 1944, at Mitchel Field, New York, a location also known as Mitchel Air Force Base. She pursued her early training at the Professional Children's School before embarking on a career in acting as a child.

Reed made her Broadway debut in 1952 in Mrs. McThing, which starred Helen Hayes. From there she transitioned into film and television work, accumulating a range of credits throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. Her film appearances included Main Street to Broadway (1953), The Seven Little Foys (1955), Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955), High Society (1956), and The Vampire (1957).

On television, Reed became widely recognized for her recurring role as Hassie on the series The Real McCoys, which ran from 1957 to 1963. She was also among three actresses who played the role of Kim Emerson on the television adaptation of the soap opera Valiant Lady. During her time on The Real McCoys, Reed balanced her professional schedule with formal education, receiving three hours of daily schooling on the Desilu set before attending afternoon classes at a private Hollywood school. She also took classes two evenings per week. To maintain a degree of anonymity among her fellow students, she wore her hair differently than she did on screen and went by the first name Tracy.

Reed's acting career concluded at the age of 18.