The Brady Bunch was a legendary television series that ran from 1969 until 1974 for a total of five seasons. The late Robert Reed starred as "Mike Brady" alongside Maureen McCormick ("Marcia Brady"), Susan Olsen ("Cindy Brady"), Barry Williams ("Greg Brady"), Eve Plumb ("Jan Brady"), Christopher Knight ("Peter Brady"), Mike Lookinland ("Bobby Brady") and Florence Henderson ("Carol Brady").

The Brady Bunch: Robert Reed as "Mike"  

But how did Reed actually land the role of the "Brady" father? In the book, "The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch: How the Canceled Sitcom Became the Beloved Pop Culture Icon We Are Still Talking About Today" by Kimberly Potts, some interesting facts about the show especially about the casting of Robert Reed, are revealed.

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The Brady Bunch: Gene Hackman was not a contender for "Mike" 

There is a legend that Gene Hackman almost got to pay the iconic role of "Mike" however, that is (mostly) untrue. Executives on the project wouldn't clear an interview with Hackman for casting because he didn't have any popularity among TV audiences at that point in his career. However, his lockout from The Brady Bunch didn't end up hurting him or his career too bad...

Jeffrey Hunter was too handsome to play "Mike"  

Jeffrey Hunter ("Captain Christopher Pike" in the first Trek pilot) was originally wanted as "Mike" however, the actor was just simply too handsome to play the role. And then, low and behold Robert Reed was perfect for the job. As a classically trained actor, Reed was often the leading man in on-stage productions. He also starred in 132 episodes of The Defenders as "Kenneth Preston" from 1961 until 1965.

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Robert Reed was perfect for the role of "Mike Brady" and he executed it extremely well. He starred in many television series and TV films after The Brady Bunch, leading up to his death on May 12th, 1992. 

'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' from 1989

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