[2] His father was the actor Emanuel Reicher, born in Galicia, then part of the Kingdom of Austria.

Emanuel married firstly the opera singer Hedwig Reicher-Kindermann (15 July 1853 – 2 June 1883): their son was the actor Frank Reicher.

After Hedwig's death, he married the actress Lina Harf and the couple had three children: Hedwiga Reicher, Ernst, and Elly (b. Berlin 1893), who all worked as actors.

He wrote, directed and starred in two films: Das Werk in February 1913, and Die Statue in 1914, which was banned by the Berlin police censor until 1919.

[7] For more than a decade after 1914, Reicher continued to write and star as Stuart Webbs, and was closely identified with the part.