Josephine Burge is best known as the second wife of British actor Oliver Reed, whose performances in Oliver!, Women in Love, and Gladiator made him a memorable figure in international cinema. She married Reed in September 1985 and remained his wife until his death in Malta in May 1999. Their relationship attracted considerable attention because of their age difference and Reed’s controversial public reputation. Following his death, Burge remained in Ireland and married Walter Ryan-Purcell in July 2001. Although her name is closely connected to Reed’s Hollywood legacy, her life has extended well beyond that marriage.
Who Is Josephine Burge?
Josephine Burge is a British woman whose public biography is primarily connected to her marriage to actor Oliver Reed. Unlike her famous husband, she did not establish a widely documented career in film or television.
She became known to entertainment journalists during the early 1980s when her relationship with Reed began attracting attention. Reed was already an established international actor, recognized for his commanding screen presence and unpredictable behavior away from film sets.
Burge accompanied him during important periods of his later life, including the years when the couple settled in Ireland.
Her story also includes a significant chapter following Reed’s death: a second marriage and a life outside the celebrity attention associated with her first husband.
Josephine Burge Biography and Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Josephine Burge |
| Also known as | Josephine Reed |
| Nationality | British |
| Birth year | Approximately 1963–1964 |
| Age in 2026 | Approximately 62–63 |
| Known for | Marriage to actor Oliver Reed |
| First husband | Oliver Reed |
| First marriage | September 7, 1985 |
| First marriage location | Epsom, Surrey, England |
| Oliver Reed’s death | May 2, 1999 |
| Second husband | Walter Ryan-Purcell |
| Second marriage | July 21, 2001 |
| Second marriage location | Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland |
| Profession | Not publicly established |
| Later documented connection | County Cork, Ireland |
Her approximate age is based on contemporary newspaper coverage identifying her as 21 when she married Reed in 1985 and 37 when she remarried in 2001. Her exact birth date has not been established through the sources examined.
Josephine Burge’s Early Life and Background
Josephine Burge’s childhood and family background are not extensively documented in contemporary newspaper archives.
Her parents’ names, educational history, and early professional activities cannot be reliably established from the major publications covering her marriage.
By the beginning of the 1980s, however, she had entered a relationship that would connect her to one of Britain’s most recognizable movie stars.
Reed was considerably older and already had an established career when they became involved.
Their relationship developed during a period when Reed’s acting achievements and reputation for excessive drinking frequently appeared together in newspaper coverage.
For Burge, this meant that a personal relationship became the subject of national entertainment reporting.
How Did Josephine Burge Meet Oliver Reed?
Josephine Burge and Oliver Reed began their relationship around 1980.
A Reuters report published by the Los Angeles Times on September 10, 1985, stated that they had been together for approximately five years before marrying.
The same report identified Burge as 16 when their relationship began.
Reed, born in February 1938, was approximately 42 at that time.
Their substantial age difference attracted criticism and media scrutiny. Reed publicly acknowledged that their relationship had faced criticism when speaking to journalists following their wedding.
The couple nevertheless remained together and eventually decided to marry.
Their relationship continued during an important transitional period in Reed’s career, as he moved further away from the leading roles that had defined his earlier decades in cinema.
Josephine Burge and Oliver Reed’s Wedding in 1985
Josephine Burge married Oliver Reed on September 7, 1985, at a register office in Epsom, Surrey.
The ceremony was a civil wedding rather than a large Hollywood-style celebration.
Contemporary Reuters coverage described the ceremony as lasting approximately 10 minutes. Burge was 21 years old.
For Reed, the marriage represented his second formal marriage.
He had previously been married to Kate Byrne, with whom he had a son, Mark. Reed also had a daughter, Sarah, from his relationship with dancer Jacquie Daryl.
Burge consequently became part of a family that already included Reed’s two children.
Their marriage lasted nearly 14 years, ending with Reed’s death in 1999.
What Was Their Marriage Like?
Oliver Reed was known for performances that combined intensity, physical presence, and charisma. His private reputation, however, was frequently dominated by stories about drinking, confrontations, and unpredictable public appearances.
Contemporary accounts suggest that Burge experienced the difficulties associated with that lifestyle.
When discussing her remarriage in July 2001, Father Patrick Joseph Twohig, a priest acquainted with Reed and Burge in Ireland, described her as a quiet person who had supported Reed through challenging circumstances.
His comments provide a perspective from someone familiar with the couple rather than relying entirely on celebrity coverage.
However, Burge herself did not publish a detailed account of their marriage, and it would be misleading to assume that outsiders fully understood their private relationship.
Their Life Together in Ireland
During the 1990s, Josephine Burge and Oliver Reed established a home in County Cork, Ireland.
By 1999, they were living at Castle McCarthy near Churchtown, a village in the northern part of the county.
Contemporary reporting in The Irish Times described the property as a Georgian building surrounded by approximately 17 acres of land, including paddocks and stables.
The location offered a different setting from the film industry’s major centers in London and Los Angeles.
Reed became a familiar figure in the Churchtown community, particularly through his visits to local pubs.
In a March 1995 interview published by The Independent, Reed was identified as living in Cork with his wife, Josephine.
This contemporary reference establishes that their Irish residence was already part of their lives several years before his death.
The couple’s connection to County Cork would remain significant after Reed’s final film.
Oliver Reed’s Death and Its Impact on Josephine Burge
Oliver Reed died on May 2, 1999, in Valletta, Malta, while working on Ridley Scott’s historical epic Gladiator.
He was 61 years old.
During a break from filming, Reed became seriously ill while at a bar. Contemporary news reports described his death as resulting from an apparent heart attack.
He died before reaching the hospital.
His death occurred before he had completed all his scenes for Gladiator, in which he portrayed Proximo, the gladiator trainer who becomes an important figure in the story.
The production subsequently used a combination of existing footage, visual effects, and other filmmaking techniques to complete the character’s remaining scenes.
Released in 2000, Gladiator became one of Reed’s most widely recognized later performances.
He received a posthumous BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Reed’s Funeral and Burial in Ireland
Following his death, Reed’s body was returned to Ireland.
He was buried in Churchtown, County Cork, where he had spent his final years.
His funeral attracted relatives, friends, and admirers of his acting career.
For Josephine, his death ended a relationship that had begun when she was a teenager and continued throughout much of her adult life.
She remained connected to the Irish community where the couple had made their home.
Did Josephine Burge Remarry After Oliver Reed’s Death?
Yes. Josephine Burge subsequently married Walter Ryan-Purcell in July 2001.
Their relationship was documented in detail by the Irish Examiner, which published contemporary reports about their engagement and wedding arrangements.
On May 15, 2001, the newspaper reported that Ryan-Purcell worked as the manager of a recycling factory and had family connections to an ancestral property in Churchtown.
He explained that he and Josephine had met approximately 10 months after Reed’s death.
Ryan-Purcell proposed during a visit to Glandore, a coastal village in West Cork.
The couple planned their wedding for July 21, 2001.
A subsequent Irish Examiner report published on the wedding date described the planned ceremony at Ryan-Purcell’s ancestral home.
The priest conducting the service indicated that Josephine preferred a straightforward religious ceremony rather than an elaborate occasion.
A later Irish Examiner article published in May 2019 independently identified Ryan-Purcell as having married Oliver Reed’s widow in 2001.
Her remarriage is an important part of her biography because it establishes that her personal life continued beyond her first husband’s death.
Did Josephine Burge Have Children?
Oliver Reed had two children from relationships that preceded his marriage to Josephine Burge.
His son, Mark Reed, was born during his marriage to Kate Byrne.
His daughter, Sarah Reed, was born from his relationship with Jacquie Daryl.
Contemporary accounts of Reed’s family identify these two children but do not establish that he and Josephine had biological children together.
Some later biographical websites attribute two sons to Josephine’s marriage to Walter Ryan-Purcell. However, the contemporary newspaper sources examined for this article do not provide sufficient independent confirmation of the children’s number or birth dates.
It is therefore important not to confuse Reed’s documented children with claims about Josephine’s later family.
Where Is Josephine Burge Now?
Josephine Burge’s later life has been closely associated with Ireland, particularly County Cork.
Her second marriage in 2001 was documented by the Irish Examiner, and the newspaper again referred to that marriage in its 2019 coverage of Walter Ryan-Purcell.
However, the contemporary sources examined do not establish her exact current residence, professional activities, or personal circumstances as of October 2026.
Some biographical websites place her in West Cork, including the area around Schull, but those more specific claims are not supported by sufficiently strong recent reporting to state them as confirmed facts.
There is likewise no reliable basis for describing her current health, relationship circumstances, or everyday activities.
The most accurate account is that Burge remained connected to Ireland after Reed’s death and subsequently built a life with her second husband.
Josephine Burge’s Net Worth and Career
Josephine Burge’s personal net worth has not been established through credible financial disclosures.
There are no independently substantiated figures showing her current assets, income, or inherited wealth.
Estimates that assign her a specific multimillion-dollar fortune should therefore be approached cautiously.
Her professional history is similarly unclear.
Although her first husband was a prominent actor, there is no strong evidence establishing that Burge pursued a public acting career herself.
Her identity should not be confused with other individuals who share similar names or with performers associated with Oliver Reed’s films.
Frequently Asked Questions About Josephine Burge
1. Who is Josephine Burge?
Josephine Burge is best known as the second wife of British actor Oliver Reed. They married in 1985 and remained together until Reed died in 1999. She later married Walter Ryan-Purcell in Ireland.
2. How old is Josephine Burge in 2026?
Josephine Burge is approximately 62 or 63 years old in October 2026. Contemporary reporting identifies her as 21 in 1985 and 37 in 2001, although her exact date of birth has not been independently established.
3. When did Josephine Burge marry Oliver Reed?
Josephine Burge married Oliver Reed on September 7, 1985, in Epsom, Surrey, England. Their relationship had begun approximately five years earlier.
4. Did Josephine Burge and Oliver Reed have children together?
Contemporary biographical accounts do not identify biological children from their marriage. Oliver Reed had two children, Mark and Sarah, from earlier relationships.
5. Who is Josephine Burge’s second husband?
Her second husband is Walter Ryan-Purcell, who worked as a recycling factory manager when their marriage was announced in 2001. They married in County Cork, Ireland, on July 21, 2001.
6. Is Josephine Burge still alive?
No reliable death announcement was identified in the sources examined. However, her current personal circumstances have not been independently confirmed, so a definitive statement about her status in 2026 would go beyond the available evidence.
Conclusion
Josephine Burge’s biography is closely connected to British cinema through her marriage to Oliver Reed, but it also includes a significant life beyond his fame.
Their relationship began around 1980, developed into a marriage in 1985, and continued until Reed’s death in Malta in 1999. Their years in County Cork became an important part of his final chapter.
Burge subsequently married Walter Ryan-Purcell in 2001 and continued her connection with Ireland.
While many aspects of her personal life remain outside the documented historical record, contemporary journalism provides a clear account of the major events that connect her to Oliver Reed’s life and legacy.
Sources
The following references document the principal biographical events discussed in this article.
- Los Angeles Times / Reuters (September 10, 1985) — Oliver Reed Weds; 5-Year Courtship.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-10-ca-3286-story.html - The Guardian (May 3, 1999) — Oliver Reed Obituary.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/may/03/features1 - The Irish Times (May 3, 1999) — Actor Oliver Reed Dies in Malta Bar.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/actor-oliver-reed-dies-in-malta-bar-1.180416 - Irish Examiner (May 15, 2001) — Oliver Reed’s Widow to Marry.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30012684.html - Irish Examiner (July 21, 2001) — Oliver Reed’s Widow Remarries in Cork.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30018808.html - Irish Examiner (May 6, 2019) — Absence of Brian Crowley Sparks Scramble for Votes.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30922233.html - The Independent (March 25, 1995) — How We Met: Oliver Reed and Ken Russell.
https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/howwe-met-1612956.html
