Harry Reems
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Harry Reems is the stage name of one of the best-known porn stars of the 1970s.
Early Life and Career
Harry Reems was born Herbert Streicher to a Jewish family in Bronx, New York on August 27, 1947. He 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, Reems 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. 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.
Reems's appearance in Deep Throat led to his indictment in Memphis, Tennessee in 1976 on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines. He was convicted, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. 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 young, liberal Hollywood actors during his trial. His successful appeal was handled by attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Later Years
After years of alcohol and drug abuse, Reems began recovery from alcoholism in 1989. He eventually married, converted to Christianity, and is now a successful real estate agent in Park City, Utah. He continues to identify himself as "Harry Reems".
Reems was interviewed in the 2005 documentary Inside Deep Throat.
