Growing up on the streets of segregated Norfolk, Tim Reid learned the lessons of being a good storyteller at an early age.

His first stage: the dinner table at his grandmother’s boarding house.

“They'd sit around and start telling lies and talking about their lives, and I would listen, then my grandmother would say, ‘Junior, tell them about what thing happened at church the other Sunday,’ and I'd tell them and they'd laugh,” said Reid. “And I've often thought about the training I received, but also the art of storytelling that I gained from those people. A lot of their dreams had been deferred, they were broken in many ways, but they told of their lives in a way that I've always wanted to give honor to.”

Reid, one of Virginia’s favorite actors and comedians, sat down with Catie Beck on the latest episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’

The interview was conducted shortly before the death of Tom Dreesen, Reid’s longtime friend and former comedy partner. The duo is considered to be America’s first interracial comedy team.

Growing up on the streets of segregated Norfolk, Tim Reid learned the lessons of being a good storyteller at an early age.
His first stage: the dinner table at his grandmother&rsquo;s boarding house.
&ldquo;They'd sit around and start telling lies and talking about their lives, and I would listen, then my grandmother would say, &lsquo;Junior, tell them about what thing happened at church the other Sunday,&rsquo; and I'd tell them and they'd laugh,&rdquo; said Reid. &ldquo;And I've often thought about the training I received, but also the art of storytelling that I gained from those people. A lot of their dreams had been deferred, they were broken in many ways, but they told of their lives in a way that I've always wanted to give honor to.&rdquo;
Reid, one of Virginia&rsquo;s favorite actors and comedians, sat down with Catie Beck on the latest episode of &lsquo;Untold &ndash; A WTVR Podcast.&rsquo;
The interview was conducted shortly before the death of Tom Dreesen, Reid&rsquo;s longtime friend and former comedy partner. The duo is considered to be America&rsquo;s first interracial comedy team.

Untold is a one-hour journey into the previously unheard stories of the people in charge of making big decisions, generating conversations, and sometimes causing controversy in Richmond, Virginia and beyond.

Untold is a one-hour journey into the previously unheard stories of the people in charge of making big decisions, generating conversations, and sometimes causing controversy in Richmond, Virginia and beyond.