Rob Reiner, famous director and actor who rose to prominence all in the Family And started directing classic comedy films this is spinal tap, the Princess Bride And When Harry met Sally…died Sunday at his California home with his wife, Michelle Singer, by his side. he was 78 years old,
“It is with great sadness that we announce the tragic passing of Michelle and Rob Reiner,” their family said in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
Police are treating these deaths as apparent murders. according to LA TimesAuthorities have questioned a member of Renner’s family in connection with the death. As of Sunday night, the LAPD has not officially identified any suspects rolling stone has confirmed that Renner’s son, Nick, was involved in the murder. A source confirmed this rolling stone The couple’s daughter Romi found her parents’ bodies.
The couple were found dead on Sunday afternoon. Detectives from the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division have been assigned to the case, NBC Los Angeles reports. Paramedics were called to the home around 3:30 a.m. and firefighters were dispatched to authorities after discovering a death.
Born on March 6, 1947, in New York, Reiner was the son of television and film comedy veteran Carl Reiner, who dick van dyke show and directed ShockWhen Rob Reiner set out to make a name for himself, he tried not to ride on the heels of his father’s big guns, “I didn’t take any money from them, I didn’t take any advice, ,,, I knew I was going to get it,” he recalled in 2016, [nepotism] Material. …But I knew in my heart what I had done.”
While Reiner played several minor roles in popular television shows in the sixties, including batman And the andy griffith showand co-wrote with Steve Martin The Smothers Brothers Comedy HourHis breakout role came in the seventies playing liberal Mike “Meathead” Stivic, son-in-law of cantankerous conservative Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) in Norman Lear’s hit sitcom. all in the Familywhich ran from 1971 to 1979, Renner won two Emmys for the portrayal.
During that time he also played a guest role pheasant family and made sitcoms Superwith Phil Mishkin and Gerry Isenberg, which aired in 1972.
But his artistic legacy was cemented by the series of wonderful, diverse comedies he directed in the 1980s and nineties. With his debut in 1984 this is spinal tapA spoof about a notoriously terrible UK metal band, Renner teamed up with his stars and co-writers Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer to craft a heavily improvised film that mocked rock-star egos and artistic pretensions. For Reiner, a sitcom actor trying to become a film director, the film was a chance to prove himself in a skeptical industry.
“At that time,” he wrote in the book 2025 A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap“There was a huge gulf in Hollywood between those who worked in television and those who worked in movies. Film people were considered royalty. They looked down on the lowly peasants of TV. Today, actors, writers and directors move easily between movies and television. But it was not until sitcom alumni like Ron Howard, Danny DeVito, Penny Marshall and I, along with TV writers Barry Levinson and Jim Brooks, successfully These dividing lines were erased in the eighties.”
he followed this is spinal tap 1985 romantic comedy with You surewhich starred relative unknown John Cusack, but his next five films were indelible. Adapting Stephen King’s novel Body In stand with meRenner demonstrated his ability to elicit great live-in performances from his young cast, which included Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell. The film launched his Hollywood career and remains a beloved coming-of-age story, with Reiner once claiming that it was the film that meant the most to him.
,[I]This was the first time I did a film that really reflected my personality,” he said later. “There’s some sadness in it, there’s some emotion in it and there’s humor in it and the music was from my time… I think people relate to it,” he said. There’s a line at the end of the movie where he says, ‘You never have friends like you had when you were 12.’ And this is the true thing. When you connect with your friends when you’re 12, it’s a very strong emotional bond.
The following year, he worked on another adaptation, William Goldman’s fantasy book the Princess BrideAnd showed that he was equally capable of crafting a tender, funny fairy tale. Like his previous films, the Princess Bride Was not only popular, but proved to be a storehouse of endlessly quotable lines: “Enjoy storming the castle!” “Unthinkable!” These early hits influenced people of all ages, but with their 1989 film, When Harry met Sally…He created one of the intelligentst, most adult romantic comedies of the period.
Working from Nora Ephron’s impeccable script, Renner tells the story of two ideal friends, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan), who eventually discover they love each other. When Harry met Sally… Took the urban sophistication of Woody Allen’s best New York love stories and fused it with contemporary concerns about relationships and, of course, fake orgasms. (The film’s infamous scene in which Ryan faked it in a restaurant featured Rainer’s own mother Estelle saying the lead line: “I’ll have what she’s having.”)
Reiner didn’t just master comedy: his 1990 adaptation of King’s best-selling novel Suffering Kathy Bates won an Oscar for terrorizing James Caan’s spoiled novelist Paul Sheldon. Although very funny, Suffering It was also legitimately scary, which shows Renner’s ability to know how to produce excellent mainstream Hollywood entertainment.
This trend continued till 1992 some good menAaron Sorkin adapted his own play for a live-wire courtroom drama, featuring stellar performances from others like Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, whose crucial “You can’t handle the truth!” The showdown was another example of Reiner introducing instant-classic moments into his box-office hits.
Amidst this incredible run, he always remained humble about his talent. “I’m not good at anything, but I’m really good at a lot of things,” he said. film commentary In 1987. “I’m a very good actor, a very good writer, I have very good musical abilities, a very good sense of scene and color and costume. I’m not great at any of these things, but as a director I have the opportunity to use all of these things in the same job. That’s why I love doing it. … I choose people who are creative and gentle and willing to struggle a little with me if I’m not sure exactly. People say that For it is a real sin to confess that he never confesses.” I don’t know what he wants. But I’m just as confused as the next guy.”
Renner Will Beat One Last Undisputed Gem, the 1995 White House Rom-Com us PresidentBut if his career produced no other films that captured the public’s imagination, he continued to make films on a myriad of subjects, primarily focusing on the political issues he cared about, An outspoken liberal who criticized George W, Bush and Donald Trump, he channeled that anger at the country’s rightward direction into images like LBJ And shock and aweWhich was a provocation aimed at getting everyday Americans to look more closely at their government.
He returned to acting occasionally and agreed to a recurring role. new girlReiner appeared in the films of 1987, throw mom off the train and 1993 sleepless in Seattle, And that was bliss in 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street Leonardo DiCaprio’s unscrupulous stockbroker plays Jordan Belfort’s father, And he enjoyed spoofing his own leftist image by playing himself as Rep. Rob Reiner in a memorable episode. 30 rock,
Recently he made his first sequel by directing Spinal Tap II: The End ContinuesWhich hit theaters in September. He reunited with Shearer, McKean and Guest and reprized his role as unknown documentarian Marty DiBergi. Renner and his stars had long resisted the temptation to make a part two. “We never even considered it,” he wrote. a fine line between stupid and smart“Why fuck with the classics? ,,, But after a few more meetings, we noticed that we still made each other laugh,”
Despite the abundance of enduring favorite films directed by Reiner, he was only nominated for one Oscar (Best Picture). some good menBut the endless re-watchability of his best films highlights what he accomplished as a mainstream filmmaker, blending craft, smarts, heart and humor in a way few directors do.
When asked what makes a “Rob Reiner film” 60 minutes In 1994, Reiner explained that his films were hard to categorize given his range, but “the main character in the film is always experiencing something that I have experienced or am experiencing, and I try to make it as personal as possible,” he said.
“It’s the only way I know how to tell the story,” he adds. “I don’t come from film schools. I’m an actor, and I look at it from the perspective of can I inhabit this character? Can I become this person? And if I can, I know how to tell the story of what that person is going through. And I also know how to tell the actor who’s playing that role how to play the role.”
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