Harry Reems, ‘Deep Throat' Actor, Dies At 65

Harry Reems, the porn actor who starred in Deep Throat, died from pancreatic cancer on Tuesday in Salt Lake City. He was 65.

Reems, born Herbert Streicher, had been in failing health for the last few years, suffering from both neuropathy and emphysema, his friend Don Schenk wrote on the Warrior Forum. This past summer, during an unrelated doctors visit, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although Reems began undergoing intensive chemotherapy and radiation, he was hospitalized on Mar. 5 due to jaundice. With his body shutting down, he slipped into a coma, Schenk revealed. Four days later, he passed away at the Salt Lake City VA Hospital.

Although Reems initially had aspirations of having an acting career upon the theater stage, he began working in pornographic movies in the early 70s. When Deep Throat premiered in movie theaters in 1972, he was thrust into the national spotlight. The uproar caused by the film, led the FBI to charge Reems for conspiracy to distribute obscene material across state lines. While Reems was convicted of the charge, the conviction was ultimately overturned just a year later.

After Reems’ life saw a stretch of both alcoholism and homelessness, he quit drinking in 1989 and began a new life for himself. He eventually embarked on a career in real rstate and found his wife of 22 years, Jeannie Sterrett Reems.

While Reems managed to fade out of the spotlight in recent years, the legacy of Deep Throat lives on. Anytime someone references the Nixon-Watergate scandal, it’s almost certain that Woodard and Bernstein’s source, who went by the moniker “Deep Throat,” is also mentioned. Furthermore, a film about the making of Deep Throat premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year – Lovelace starring Amanda Seyfried, and Adam Brody.

Reems is survived by his wife and a brother.