{{short description|American actor and dancer (1926–2013)}} {{Infobox person | name = Georges Reich | birth_name = Georges Frank Reich | birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|12|15|df=y}} | birth_place = Patchogue, Long Island, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2013|05|04|1926|12|15|df=yes}} | death_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S. | other_names = ''George F. Reich'' | education = Ballet Markova Dolin Company | alma_mater = | occupation = {{Hlist | Actor | Dancer | Choreographer | Composer}} | years_active = 1948–1970 | agent = | spouse = | partner = Jean Marais (1948–1959) | children = | relatives = }}
'''Georges Reich''' (December 15, 1926 – May 4, 2013) was an American-born dancer, choreographer, actor, composer, and director who played a pivotal role in the French cabaret and modern dance scenes of the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{cite book|title=Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia, with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995|publisher=McFarland & Company, Publishers|page=462|year=1997}}</ref> He is also widely recognized for his high-profile romantic partnership with the iconic French actor Jean Marais.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Ned Rorem Reader|publisher=Yale University Press|page=16|year=2001}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Reich was born in Patchogue, Long Island, New York.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> He began his professional dance training in the United States, performing with the Ballet Markova Dolin Company.<ref>{{cite book|title=S. Hurok Presents; A Memoir of the Dance World: Enriched Edition. Dive Into the Heart of Dance: Legends, Triumphs, and Anecdotes|publisher=Good Press|page=241|year=2023}}</ref> He launched his career on Broadway, appearing in the musicals ''Inside U.S.A.'' (1948) and ''Touch and Go'' (1949).<ref name=FireIslandNews/>
== Career == === Dance career in France (1950s–1960s) === In the early 1950s, Reich signed a six-month contract to dance at the Lido de Paris, a stay that eventually extended to 18 years in France.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> In 1955, he founded The Ballet HO de George Reich, the first company to introduce American-style modern dance to the French public.<ref name=FireIslandNews/>
He was a star at the Moulin Rouge, the Olympia Music Hall, and the Ballet de Paris.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> Notably, he was the first male principal at the Lido to wear a mirrored G-string, a costume designed for a routine choreographed by Gwen Verdon.<ref name=ElisaRolle>{{cite web|url=https://www.elisarolle.com/queerplaces/fghij/George%20Reich.html|title=Georges Reich|website=www.elisarolle.com|date=January 2, 2026}}</ref>
He was offered a seven year contract to stay with MGM Studios.<ref name=ElisaRolle/> Despite receiving an MGM contract offer following ''The Glass Slipper'' (1955), he returned to France.<ref name=ElisaRolle/> Other film roles included ''School for Love'' (1955) and ''Black Tights'' (1961).<ref name=ElisaRolle/>
He directed and choreographed shows for legendary performers including Josephine Baker (''Paris Mes Amours'', 1957), Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Brigitte Bardot, and Line Renaud.<ref name=FireIslandNews>{{cite web|url=https://www.fireislandnews.com/features/8016dexfg99vi92wyzpkjmk7fy5j7c/|title=A Tale as Old as Time|website=Fire Island & Great South Bay News|date=July 22, 2023}}</ref>
=== Later career in America === After his tenure in France, Reich moved back to the United States.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> He became a major influence in the cruise industry, where his choreography and direction became the standard for Carnival Cruise Line production shows for several decades.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bahamian Review: The National Monthly News Magazine of the Bahamas|publisher=Cartwright Publications|page=36|year=1986}}</ref>
== Personal life == Reich was the romantic companion of actor Jean Marais from approximately 1948 to 1959.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> The pair were known for their striking physical resemblance—both were athletic and blonde—and lived together on a péniche (houseboat) named ''L'Apprenti fakir'' on the Seine.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> Marais, an accomplished artist, used Reich as a frequent subject for his paintings and sculptures.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Paris Review|publisher=Random House, Incorporated|page=253|year=1991}}</ref><ref>Trambouze, Claude. [http://www.lacritiqueparisienne.fr/60/60marais.pdf Jean Marais<!-- This space between his last name and the colon was in the original French article. --> : Un Homme aux milles]. ''PORTRAIT'' (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2015.</ref>
== Death == He died in Dallas, Texas, in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ariacremation.com/obituaries/Reich-George-F?obId=31241735|title=George F. Reich Obituary|website=Aria Cremation Service and Funeral Home|date=February 28, 2026}}</ref>
== Filmography == === Television === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col"|Year ! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Role ! scope="col"|Notes |- |1949 | ''Admiral Broadway Revue'' | Frank James | Episode: Sing in a New Day |- |1950 | ''The Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter'' | Dancer | S1. Episode: 7 |}
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col"|Year ! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Role ! scope="col"|Notes |- |1955 | ''Daddy Long Legs'' | Specialty Dancer | |- |1955 | ''The Glass Slipper'' | Dancer |<ref name=FireIslandNews/> |- |1955 | ''School for Love'' | Dick Killian |<ref>{{cite book|title=Jean Marais: biographie|publisher=A. Carrière|page=152|year=1994}}</ref> |- |1956 | ''Les Lumières Du Soir'' | Steve Crown |<ref>{{cite book|title=Cahiers du cinéma - Volumes 11-12|publisher=Cahiers du cinéma|page=60|year=2022}}</ref> |- |1956 | ''Cette Sacrée Gamine'' | Dancer | Choreographer |- |1956 | ''Bonsoir Paris'' | Le maître de ballets |<ref>{{cite book|title=Cinéma français: les années 50 : les longs métrages réalisés de 1950 à 1959|publisher=Éd. du Centre Pompidou|page=1956|year=1987}}</ref> |- |1957 | ''La Garçonne'' | Peer-Rys |<ref>{{cite book|title=Marcel Achard: ou, 50 ans de vie parisienne|publisher=Éditions France-Empire|page=472|year=1977}}</ref> |- |1959 | ''Julie La Rousse'' | Dancer | Choreographer |- |1961 | ''Black Tights'' | Christian de Neuvillette |<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheuer |first1=Philip K. |title='Black Tights' Artistic Yet Not Too Highbrow |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28248636/la_times_review_of_black_tights/ |accessdate=2019-02-10|work=The Los Angeles Times |date=4 March 1962 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |- |1962 | ''Taras Bulba, the Cossack'' | Ostapi |<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Italian_Sword_and_Sandal_Films_1908_1990/IO08DgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Taras+Bulba,+the+Cossack+film+1962+george+reich&pg=PA168|title=Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990|publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers|page=168|year=2017}}</ref> |- |1962 | ''Indiscrétion'' | Dancer | Director<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of French Film Directors - Volume 1|publisher=Scarecrow Press|page=855|year=2010}}</ref> |- |1970 | ''Cover Me Babe'' | Composer | Lyrics |}
== Artistic Impact == As a prominent gay American living in Paris during the mid-20th century, his open relationship with Jean Marais and his presence in artistic circles like Cherry Grove on Fire Island made him a significant figure in early LGBTQ+ history.<ref name=FireIslandNews/> His physical "unworldly handsome" appearance remains immortalized in the paintings and sculptures of Jean Marais, securing his place in 20th-century French art history.<ref name=FireIslandNews/><ref name=ElisaRolle/>
== Legacy == Reich's most enduring commercial legacy is in the cruise industry.<ref name=ElisaRolle/> His choreography and direction became the foundational mainstay for Carnival Cruise Line.<ref name=ElisaRolle/> Through his company, Le Ballet HO, Reich was the first to introduce American-style modern dance to the French public in the 1950s.<ref name=FireIslandNews/><ref name=ElisaRolle/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|0716934}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reich, Georges}} Category:1926 births Category:2013 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:American gay actors Category:American LGBTQ male actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male film actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American male dancers