Harry Reems - Biography

Harry Reems (born Herbert Streicher, August 27, 1947) is the nom de film of one of the most notorious pornographic actors of the 1970s and star of the 1972 cult classic Deep Throat.

Early life and career

Reems was born Herbert Streicher. Reems served briefly in the United States Marine Corps before electing to pursue an acting career, principally in off-Broadway theater.

Looking for ways to support himself, Streicher began to appear in dozens of short, silent stag films, often referred to as "loops," during the early 1970s. He eventually went on to appear in approximately 140 feature-length sexploitation and hardcore films between 1971 and 1989, with Deep Throat (1972) and The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) being the best known, as well as roughies like Forced Entry (1973) and Sex Wish (1976). In the former, he plays a sadistic Vietnam veteran hellbent on rape and murder; while the latter has him as a husband turned vigilante to seek revenge over the rape and murder of his wife. In 1975, he published a memoir, Here Comes Harry Reems, in which he details the early years of his experience as an adult film actor. He had sex (in hardcore pornographic film) with the underage Traci Lords.

For the production of Deep Throat in Miami, Florida in January 1972, Streicher was hired to be part of the lighting crew, but the director was unable to cast one of the roles and asked him. He was paid $250 for the one day of acting work. Streicher was unaware that the director had given him the name "Harry Reems" until he saw the movie.

Reems's appearance in Deep Throat led to his arrest by FBI agents in New York City in July 1974, and indictment in Memphis, Tennessee in June 1975 on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines. He was convicted in April 1976 with 11 other individuals and four corporations. His conviction was overturned on appeal in April 1977, because his activities in making the film occurred before a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on obscenity in 1973 (Miller v. California), and Reems was granted a new trial. The charges against Reems were dropped in August. Reems's defense claimed that he was the first American actor to be prosecuted by the Federal government merely for appearing in a film, and he received considerable support from established Hollywood and New York celebrities during his trial. His successful appeal was handled by attorney Alan Dershowitz.

Reems was cast in the musical film Grease as Coach Calhoun, the Rydell High track coach (before making pornographic films, he had done legitimate theater). However, for fear that his popularity would cause the film's box office in the South to be jeopardized, Sid Caesar was cast for the role instead.

Later years

After years of drug abuse, Reems began his recovery in 1989. He married and converted to Christianity. "Being the low-bottom drunk that I was, I started going around to churches," said Reems. "I called myself a church gypsy." Reems credits his conversion to Reverend Mark Heiss, a former pastor with Park City Community Church in Park City, Utah. Heiss was abruptly replaced at the church by someone else, for reasons Reems says were never explained; Reems left the congregation because he believed church attendance was "about putting money in the coffers." Today, outside organized religion, he continues to meditate, pray and offer gratitude to God. "If I didn't put God in my life, I'd be dead now," he said. "I am not religious. I'm spiritual, 100 percent." He continues to identify himself as "Harry Reems."

Reems was interviewed in the 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat.

In popular culture

• Harry Reems and his legal battle are featured in episode 105 of the series Swingtown.

External links

• Long interview and retrospective (The Observer)
• Bullz-Eye Harry Reems Interview 2005
• Harry Reems on Inside Deep Throat, an interview with Channel 4
• Interview with SexHerald.com