Harry Reems was a man in films.
He worked in many movies. He had a very famous name. He also worked in a house for sales. He lived a long life. Do you like movies?
Harry Reems was a man in films.
He worked in many adult movies. He was very famous for his roles. He was the first actor to face a big trial for his films. Many famous people helped him during his trial. Later, he worked as a real estate agent. He sold houses to people. He lived in a place called Utah. He died when he was 65 years old. He had a long life of many jobs.
Harry Reems was a famous American actor. He was born Herbert John Streicher in 1947. He worked in many adult films. His most known roles were in Deep Throat and The Devil in Miss Jones. These films made him very well known.
His fame led to a big legal problem. He was the first American actor to face a trial just for being in a film. He was charged with a crime in 1975. Many famous stars helped him during his trial. Later, his conviction was overturned. This means the legal choice was changed.
Reems had many different jobs in his life. He acted in some regular movies and plays too. He also worked as a real estate agent. He sold houses to people. In his later years, he lived in Utah. He worked to stay healthy after hard times. He was a spiritual person. He died in 2013 from pancreatic cancer. He was 65 years old.
Harry Reems was a well-known American actor in the adult film industry. He was born Herbert John Streicher on August 27, 1947. He grew up in a Jewish family with two siblings. His father, Don, worked as a salesman and a bookmaker. His mother, Rose, worked as a model. Later, his father joined the printing industry and moved the family to Westchester, New York.
Reems had many different roles throughout his career. He was very famous for playing Doctor Young in the 1972 film Deep Throat. He also played The Teacher in the 1973 film The Devil in Miss Jones. Between 1971 and 1974, he appeared in about 140 feature-length films. He even appeared in some mainstream movies and television films. These included the horror film Demented and the comedy National Lampoon's Movie Madness. He also worked as a narrator for the film Mae West in 1982.
His life in the film industry led to a major legal event. In 1974, FBI agents arrested him in New York City. In 1975, he faced federal charges in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the first American actor prosecuted just for appearing in a film. He was convicted in April 1976 along with 11 other people. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal in April 1977. This happened because of a change in how the law defined certain films. Many famous stars, like Jack Nicholson, supported him during this time.
Before he became a famous adult actor, Reems studied other paths. At age 18, he went to the University of Pittsburgh to study dentistry. He also served in the United States Marine Corps. He later moved to the East Village in Manhattan to act in theater. He performed in plays for groups like the National Shakespeare Company. He even worked on a lighting crew for a film in Miami. During that job, he was paid $250 for one day of work.
In his later years, Reems lived a very different life. He moved to Park City, Utah, and worked as a real estate agent. He faced hard times with health and housing, but he found recovery in 1989. He became a spiritual person and converted from Judaism to Christianity. He was a trustee at a local Methodist church. Reems died from pancreatic cancer on March 19, 2013. He was 65 years old when he passed away in Salt Lake City.
Herbert John Streicher, known professionally as Harry Reems, was a prominent American actor within the adult film industry. He was born on August 27, 1947, into a Jewish family. His father, Don, worked as a salesman and a bookmaker before entering the printing industry. His mother, Rose, worked as a model. The family eventually moved to Westchester, New York, after his father became wealthy. Streicher's early life involved diverse interests and paths. At age 18, he attended the University of Pittsburgh to study dentistry. He also served in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an honorable discharge following hardship leave. Later, he moved to Manhattan's East Village to pursue acting in off-Broadway theater. He performed with groups like the National Shakespeare Company and the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.
Reems' career in adult cinema began through specific encounters with filmmakers. He was first chosen by Eduardo Cemano to perform in a scene for the film *The Deviates*. This scene involved body painting with tempera paint, which Streicher later described as a painful experience because the paint dried and cracked on his skin. Cemano also cast him in the 16 mm feature *The Weirdos and the Oddballs*, which was later released as *Zora Knows Best*. During this time, he used the name Peter Long. To support himself in the early 1970s, he appeared in dozens of short silent films known as "loops." This period marked the beginning of a very prolific era in his professional life.
Between 1971 and 1974, and again from 1982 to 1985, Reems appeared in approximately 140 feature-length films. He was most famous for his roles in two major cult classics. In the 1972 film *Deep Throat*, he played the character Doctor Young. In the 1973 film *The Devil in Miss Jones*, he played The Teacher. He also appeared in various exploitation films, such as *Forced Entry* and *Sex Wish*. He expressed regret regarding his role in *Forced Entry*, where he played a violent Vietnam veteran. His work spanned different genres, including Swedish-produced films like *Justine & Juliette* and *Molly*. He even crossed over into mainstream media, appearing in films like *National Lampoon's Movie Madness* and providing narration for the film *Mae West*.
His fame led to significant legal challenges involving federal authorities. In July 1974, FBI agents arrested Reems in New York City. He was later indicted in June 1975 in Memphis, Tennessee. The charges involved a conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines. This legal action occurred because the film *Deep Throat* had been transported to Memphis for screening in February 1974. Reems described the selection of the location as "forum shopping." In April 1976, he was convicted along with 11 other individuals and four corporations. This made him the first American actor to be prosecuted by the federal government solely for appearing in a film.
Reems' legal battle eventually resulted in a successful appeal. In April 1977, his conviction was overturned. The court found that the jury instructions had improperly used a definition of obscenity established in the 1973 Supreme Court case *Miller v. California*. Because his filming occurred before this ruling, he was granted a new trial. The federal charges were ultimately dropped in August 1977. During his trial, he received support from many famous Hollywood and New York celebrities. These included Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Stephen Sondheim. Some actors, such as Nicholson and Beatty, were reportedly prepared to testify on his behalf.
Following his legal victory, Reems continued to work in various entertainment sectors. He was cast as Coach Calhoun in the 1978 musical *Grease*, but he was replaced by Sid Caesar. This replacement happened because producers feared his notoriety would hurt the film's box office numbers in the Southern United States. He later returned to the stage in plays like *The Office Murders* and *What the Butler Saw*. In 1982, he returned to the adult industry after an eight-year hiatus, reportedly earning a six-figure salary for the film *Society Affairs*. He retired from the adult film industry in 1985. That same year, he was recognized by being included in the XRCO Hall of Fame and the AVN Hall of Fame.
In his later years, Reems experienced significant personal changes. After periods of homelessness and drug abuse, he began a recovery process in 1989 while living in Park City, Utah. During this time, he met Jeanne Sterret and converted from Judaism to Christianity. He described himself as "spiritual, 100 percent" rather than strictly religious. He worked as a real estate agent, still using his professional name, Harry Reems. He also served as a trustee at a local United Methodist church. Reems died of pancreatic cancer on March 19, 2013, at the age of 65. His life and the legal controversies surrounding his career have since been the subject of theatrical productions, including the play *The Deep Throat Sex Scandal* and the award-winning play *Porno Chic*.
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