James Halleck Reid (April 14, 1863 – May 22, 1920) was an American playwright and stage and screen actor.

Born in 1863, Reid entered the film business in 1910 as an actor, director, and writer, bringing along his teen son Wallace Reid, who had aspirations to be a director or cameraman.

[2] Reid was at one time said to be actually Harry Preston and that he had served a prison sentence for an unspecified crime.

[3] In 1915 Reid visited Georgia convicted murderer Leo Frank in prison for source material of a film he was making Thou Shall Not Kill.

[4] His son Wallace Reid became an actor who starred in many films of Hollywood's silent era.