Randal Reeder
Randal Reeder is a professional actor, producer, director and writer.
Early life
Randal Reeder was born in November 1971 in Pasadena, Texas. His family had a plumbing company in La Porte, Texas and later had a horse farm in Carthage, Texas where Randal went to high school and developed his love for the outdoors. Randal and his younger brother Richard Reeder spent their childhood divided between working in their family's plumbing company, taking care of the horses on the farm and working on hotrods and custom cars with their father Rusty Reeder. After high school, at the age of 17, Randal left east Texas to work at a horse racing track in Kentucky as a groom before he hit the road transporting horses.Professional Wrestling
After his short lived career trucking horses cross country Randal was noticed at a pro wrestling event at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas by the step son of WWF legend, Ivan Putski. As is Randal’s nature, he wasted no time and began training with Ivan Putski and Joe Blanchard at the Western Wrestling Alliance training center that very week. Randal quickly made a friend in fellow student Tony Norris, later to become Ahmed Johnson at WWE, and worked with wrestlers from the prior class that included Lash and Booker Huffman, who later became Stevie Ray and Booker T of WCW's Harlem Heat. Not long after his learning the basics with his training at the WWA, the organization shut down leaving Randal no place to work at his new craft. Randal next contacted Texas All Pro Wrestling where his basic training as a wrestler was polished by Tugboat Taylor and Sputnik Monroe. Randal's first match was at the grand opening of the World Gym in Pasadena, Texas. The matches took place in the parking lot and featured Lou Ferrigno as a special guest referee. Randal's pro wrestling career had begun. It was at TAP where Randal met his lifelong friends Wayne Knight and Jeff Grettler who also wrestled for TAP.Just before his 19th birthday Randal performed in his second match and his first televised match in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for Grizzly Smith and Five Star Wrestling beginning his TV career. Randal continued working on the independent wrestling circuit for the next year or two eventually landing a regular spot at Global Wrestling Federation, which was televised daily on ESPN. Randal first worked under the ring name Body Snatcher for Joe Pedicino but later enjoyed much success at the GWF under the ring name Big Bad John, given to him by the late "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert. As Big Bad John, Randal was managed by "The Expert" Bruce Prichard and had a longstanding feud with "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, eventually tag teaming with the Dark Patriot against Eddie Gilbert. Randal performed on cards and shared the locker room with many past and future legends like Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman, Scott Anthony Levy and The Patriot at the GWF.
After a short lived move to Hollywood in 1997, Randal went back to his family trade of plumbing until the opportunity arose in 1998 to begin wrestling with the Texas Wrestling Alliance in San Antonio, Texas, owned and ran by wrestling legend "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Randal debuted at the TWA as part of a tag team named UBG with his tag team partner Busta Time but ended his career with the long awaited pairing up with his old friend and road partner Wayne Knight as the FU Man Kru. Being a veteran wrestler Randal often did matches with the students graduating from the TWA school such as Lance Kurtis McNaught, Brian David Kendrick and Bryan Danielson, all who went on to be WWE superstars. Due to turmoil in the industry with the demise of WCW in 2001 and a prior commitment with his then wife and mother of his three children, Randal put away his wrestling boots for good and worked once again at his family trade as a plumber until 2004.
TV and film work
While wrestling with GWF Randal began attending regular acting workshops at KD Studios in Dallas, Texas and studying with veteran character actor and acting coach Cliff Osmond, who he continued training with for many years in Dallas and later Los Angeles, California. Randal quickly began auditioning for and booking acting roles in the Texas market. Taking a break from pro wrestling to pursue his acting career Randal built his resume working on low-budget films such as House on Todville Road, Dark Dancer and Night Vision as well as appearing on Walker, Texas Ranger with Chuck Norris in two separate seasons.In 2005, Randal played a hit man role in the film Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, as well as a major role in the film Idiocracy, where he became friends with and continued to work with writer/director Mike Judge. After these two pivotable roles Randal decided to once again make the move to Hollywood. Randal worked doors at various LA and Hollywood night clubs until again working with Mike Judge as a utility voice in numerous guest starring roles on his hit TV show King of the Hill and eventually finding success as a working actor in Hollywood. Randal continued to build his credits acting in such films as Happy Madison's Grandma's Boy and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and TV shows such as Jake in Progress, ER and Reno 911!.
In 2007 due to the film industry boom in Louisiana and the lack of work in LA because of the writers strike, Randal moved to Shreveport, Louisiana to continue making his living as an actor and where he could live closer to his three children. The move proved to be a good one as Randal continued to rack up acting credits, working with such directors and actors as Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone and actor Josh Brolin in W. and director Tim Blake Nelson and Academy Award winning actor Edward Norton in Leaves of Grass while also playing multiple roles in many more films over the years.
In early 2007 while living in LA Randal had directed and produced a short film titled Wrestler's Cocktail about a day in the life of a banged up pro wrestler that he had written in 2004, so in 2008 Randal tried his hand at writing and directing with the feature film he titled Stabbin Kabin. After Stabbin Kabin, Randal formed the company FU Man Kru Entertainment with lifelong friends Wayne Knight and Jeff Grettler. Named after their wrestling tag team, The FU Man Kru's goal was to write direct and produce feature films and TV shows. In 2009 the trio decided to write, produce and have Randal direct a psychological thriller titled For Whom He Tolls.
In 2010, Randal, his brother Rick, his friends Chris Peters and Mike Mchaney, started developing an idea that Randal had for a hunting and cooking show called Killin N Grillin. The four of them quickly shot a sizzle reel, Mchaney and Kelly Wayne Chambers wrote and recorded a theme song and they met with the Pursuit Channel in August 2010. After securing time slots for the 2011 season they began filming in September 2010. Before production began Peters and Mchaney left to pursue other opportunities so the Reeder brothers brought in their cousin Kelly Wayne Chambers to help with the books, add character and to provide music for Killin N Grillin. The first and second episode of Killin N Grillin were filmed in Sea Drift Texas at Castaway Lodge and guest starred Jon Reep and Hobson Smith whom also is the balladeer of Killin N Grillin. The first season began airing in December 2010 and was met with rave revues from fans and the network although it did ruffle a few feathers with Pursuit Channel for being too real by showing drinking after the hunt and their use of questionable language. With some creative compromise on both sides Killin N Grillin found a happy medium with the network and with help from sponsors like S3 Power Sports and Roaddawg Safe ride, successfully finished their first season while adding Tyler Tarjick as a partner and airing 22 episodes. The first season saw many more guest stars and appearances from celebrities and musicians such as Mike Judge, John Popper, Jeff Griffith and the Casey Donahew Band.
In 2011 Randal played the role of Karl in the feature film 21 Jump Street that starred Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. In the film Randal's character Karl is the right hand man to Domingo played by DeRay Davis, the leader of the motorcycle club the 1%'ers. The 1%'ers are busted for drugs early in the film, they later become the major suspects and the film ends with an explosive car chase in which De Ray and Randal are blown up.
Late in 2011 as Kelly Wayne Chambers left the show to pursue other opportunities, Randal, Rick and Tyler decided to shut down Killin N Grillin and start the new show KNG Chronicles with a new partner Rock Bordelon. KNG Chronicles immediately began filming episodes for the 2012 season and began airing in late December 2012 on Pursuit Channel and Sportsman Channel. The new show continues to climb in the ratings, gaining popularity and has featured musical guests form The Goodtime Rounders, Kelly Wayne Chambers, Kevin Fowler, Aaron Lewis and Wes Jeans whose song "Forest of the Pines" plays during the opening credits of KNG Chronicles.