Biography

June was born in Schenectady, New York, was graduated summa cum laude from SUNY in 1954 and earned a Master of Arts degree from NYU in 1962. She went on to have a career in television as an award-winning writer, producer and director at a time when women were a distinct minority in a male-dominated industry. She specialized in programs devoted to young people and their concerns, often under the supervision of NBC's chief of children's programming, George Heinemann. Among her notable TV shows were: "The World of Stuart Little," narrated by Johnny Carson, which the New York Times praised as "artful television... written with charm ... and adroitly made into a television script by June Reig."; a candid one-hour program on drug abuse aimed at youngsters 4-11, which the Times applauded; a 1976 version of "Little Women" featuring New York City Ballet star Edward Villella; and "Tut: The Boy King," narrated by Orson Welles, a 1977 documentary that coincided with a major King Tut exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The following year, June wrote a companion book, Diary of the Boy King Tut-Ankh-Amen.

June met Robert Maxwell while they were both working at NBC and they were married on June 26, 1969. Bob was a renowned harpist whose work bridged the worlds of classical music and jazz. He performed at Carnegie Hall and composed the music for such popular standards as "Ebb Tide" and "Shangri-La." After moving to The Piano Factory co-op in Hell's Kitchen in 1982, the Maxwells lived in semi-retirement, as June formed her own production company and continued to produce and teach while Bob continued to perform and write music.

June's love of animals was legendary as evidenced by her vast collection of bunnies, including a real one that she and Bob brought with them when they moved to midtown. Her production company was named, appropriately, Bunny/Chord.

June Reig passed away on March 15th, 2020, just a few months shy of her 95th birthday. She had been home-bound for some time and had recently suffered a stroke and heart complications.
- IMDb mini biography by: Frank Shanbacker