 Excelling in the tenor buffo repertoire, Reiss was particularly associated with the roles of David in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" and Mime in Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen", two roles he sang in numerous houses internationally.Reiss was born in Berlin and began his career as an actor.He appeared in several plays in Berlin and Strasbourg before deciding to pursue an operatic career under the encouragement of Bernhard Pollini and Ernestine Schumann-Heink.