Alaina Reed Hall

Alaina Reed Hall (born Bernice Ruth Reed on November 10, 1946) was an American actress, singer and, later in life, a trained chef who left an indelible mark on both children's television and prime‑time sitcoms. Raised in Santa Monica, California, she first honed her performance skills at Kent State University where she participated in a wide range of stage productions and sang with the all‑girl group Tiny and the Dunnaways before co‑founding the band The Velours in 1966. After graduating, Reed launched her professional career in Philadelphia and off‑Broadway, notably joining the original cast of the 1974 off‑Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road and later appearing in revivals of Hair and the musical Eubie! . In 1976 she won the role of Olivia Robinson, Gordon’s younger sister and a budding photographer, on the iconic PBS series Sesame Street, a role she would sustain for twelve years and reprise in the 1985 feature film Follow That Bird. While still a regular on Sesame Street, Reed expanded her résumé by co‑starring as Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227, commuting between New York and Los Angeles until she departed Sesame Street in 1988. Following the end of the sitcom, she guest‑starred on popular series such as Herman’s Head, Blossom, Ally McBeal, Any Day Now and ER, and provided voice work for the animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. Her film credits include memorable supporting parts in Death Becomes Her (1992), Cruel Intentions (1999) and the independent drama I’m Through with White Girls (2007). Beyond her on‑screen achievements, Reed earned a culinary certificate and pursued her passion for cooking, a skill she delighted in sharing with friends and family. She was married three times—to Richard Cook, actor Kevin Peter Hall (who died in 1991), and finally Tamim Amini in 2008—and was the mother of two children. Reed Hall succumbed to breast cancer on December 17, 2009 at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean, leaving behind a legacy of talent, resilience and warmth.