# Alaina Reed Hall

Alaina Reed Hall (November 10, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American actress and singer who portrayed Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the PBS children's television series Sesame Street, and Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227.

## Early years

In the mid-1960s, Reed attended Kent State University where she was active in many stage productions at KSU's E. Turner Stump Theater. These included The Streets of New York; It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!; and The Tragedy of Tragedies — The Life and Death of Tom Thumb The Great.
Alaina sang in a group called Tiny and the Dunnaways, an all girl singing group in Kent. In the fall of 1966, Glenn Lucas, Bob Boettcher and Bruce Rusin with Alaina "Tiny" Reed and Marty Kralik formed "The Velours". In February 1967. They began playing continuously, at the Kove in Kent, Ohio 5 nights a week until December 1968.

## Career

Reed began her professional career in Philadelphia and off-Broadway productions. She was among the original cast members in the 1974 off-Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road. Hall appeared in productions of Hair (Chicago in 1970 and the 1977 revival), Chicago, and Eubie!.
In 1976, she won the role of Olivia on the children's series Sesame Street. Her character was a photographer and the younger sister of Gordon. In 1985, she starred in the Sesame Street movie Follow That Bird, reprising her role as Olivia. That same year, Hall co-starred on the sitcom 227. For a time, she traveled between New York City (where Sesame Street is taped) and Los Angeles (where 227 was taped). She left Sesame Street in 1988.
After 227 ended in 1990, Hall appeared in guest roles on various TV shows, including Herman's Head and Blossom. She also provided the voice for animated characters on Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?. In 1995, Hall co-starred on the short-lived WB sitcom Cleghorne!, starring Ellen Cleghorne. The following year, she appeared in the television film The Cherokee Kid. She also had recurring roles on Ally McBeal, Any Day Now, and ER.
In addition to stage and television work, Hall also appeared in roles in feature films including Death Becomes Her (1992), Cruel Intentions (1999), and the 2007 independent feature I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks).

## Personal life

She was married three times and had two children.
Her first marriage was to Richard Cook, with whom she had two children. The marriage ended in divorce.
In December 1988, Reed married actor Kevin Peter Hall. She met Hall when he was a guest performer on 227. Hall died in April 1991 of complications from AIDS-related pneumonia. Hall had contracted HIV after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion during surgery for injuries he sustained in a car accident a year prior.
In 2008, Hall married Tamim Amini. They were married until her death.

## Death

Hall died of breast cancer at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California on December 17, 2009, at the age of 63. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean according to her husband, Tamim Amini. No funeral services were planned.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | Olivia | |
| 1992 | Death Becomes Her | Martha | |
| 1993 | Me and the Kid | Sarah | |
| 1999 | Cruel Intentions | Nurse Olivia | |
| 2001 | Chasing Sunsets | Mrs. Stevens | |
| 2003 | Scrambled | Gert | |
| 2006 | The Shift | Mother | |
| 2007 | I'm Through with White Girls... | Jerri Moore | |
| 2007 | A-Date | Valerie | Short film |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976–1988 | Sesame Street | Olivia Robinson | 59 episodes |
| 1978 | Cindy | Venus | Television film |
| 1978 | Baby, I'm Back | Jackie | Episode: "You Bet Your Wife" |
| 1985–1990 | 227 | Rose Lee Holloway | 115 episodes |
| 1991-1993 | Harry and the Hendersons | Lorraine Hall | 7 episodes |
| 1992 | Herman's Head | Margaret Bracken | Episode: "Bracken Up Is Hard to Do" |
| 1992 | A Different World | Claims Officer #5 | Episode: "Occupational Hazards" |
| 1993 | Blossom | Esther Smith | Episode: "Big Doings: Part 2" |
| 1995 | Friends | The Admissions Woman | Episode: "The One with Two Parts: Part 2" |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Nurse Doris Berkey | Episode: "Target: Jimmy Olsen" |
| 1995 | Cleghorne! | Lena Carlson | 15 episodes |
| 1995 | The Drew Carey Show | Lois Perry | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1996 | The Cherokee Kid | Ma Holsopple | Television movie |
| 1997 | The Steve Harvey Show | Corinthia Grier | Episode: "I Do, I Don't" |
| 1997 | Between Brothers | Vera Ford | Episode: "Family Affair" |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Mrs. Angela Cheevers | Episode: "It Takes a Village" |
| 1997–1998 | Ally McBeal | Judge Elizabeth Witt | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Caroline in the City | Stanchfield | Episode: "Caroline and the Cabbie" |
| 1999 | NewsRadio | Ms. Rose Dawson | Episode: "Apartment" |
| 1998–2000 | Any Day Now | Aunt Della Watt | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Mrs. Minnie Mayweather | Episode: "Loosely Ballroom" |
| 2007 | ER | Betty Dixon | 2 episodes |