Rob Reiner

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rob Reiner

• Rob Reiner was born in the Bronx, New York City, into a Jewish family of actors.

• During childhood, he lived at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, New York, before later moving to California with his family.

• He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1964 and later studied film at the UCLA Film School.

• In the early 1960s, Reiner worked as a trainee and apprentice at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

• In February 1962, he appeared in a non-speaking role as a horse wrangler in an episode of the television series Wagon Train.

• During the late 1960s, he acted in small roles on television shows including Batman, That Girl, The Andy Griffith Show, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

• He also appeared in films during this period, including Where’s Poppa? released in 1970 and directed by his father, Carl Reiner.

• In 1968 and 1969, Reiner began working as a television writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour alongside writer Steve Martin.

• In 1971, he gained national recognition playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the CBS sitcom All in the Family. The series remained the most-watched television program in the United States for five consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1976.

• For his role on All in the Family, Reiner won two Primetime Emmy Awards and received additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

• In October 1971, he appeared as a guest actor in an episode of the television series The Partridge Family.

• In 1972, Reiner co-created the sitcom The Super for ABC, which aired for one season during the summer. In 1984, Reiner made his directorial film debut with the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.

• He directed The Sure Thing in 1985 and the coming-of-age drama Stand by Me in 1986. In 1987, he directed The Princess Bride, which later won the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

• In 1989, he directed When Harry Met Sally…, followed by Misery in 1990.

• Reiner married actress and director Penny Marshall in 1971 and adopted her daughter Tracy Reiner. He and Penny Marshall divorced in 1981 after ten years of marriage.

• In 1989, he married photographer Michele Singer, whom he met while working on When Harry Met Sally…. Reiner and Singer had three children together named Jake, Nick, and Romy.

• In 1997, the couple founded the I Am Your Child Foundation focused on early childhood development awareness. In 2004, they established Parents’ Action for Children to support parental education and public policy advocacy.

• Reiner publicly identified as an atheist in 2012, while stating interest in Buddhist ideas without religious affiliation.

• In 1992, he directed A Few Good Men, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 1995, Reiner directed The American President, continuing his work across multiple film genres. Through Castle Rock Entertainment, he directed and produced several commercially successful films during the 1980s and 1990s.

• Reiner received four Golden Globe nominations for Best Director and three nominations from the Directors Guild of America. Alongside directing, he continued acting in films including Throw Momma from the Train, Sleepless in Seattle, and Bullets Over Broadway.

• He appeared in The First Wives Club, Primary Colors, EDtv, Everyone’s Hero, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

• He also acted in several of his own films, most notably as Marty DeBirgi in This Is Spinal Tap. In 2007, he directed The Bucket List, and in 2015, he directed Being Charlie, co-written by his son Nick Reiner.

• His final film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, was released in 2025.

• Reiner returned to television acting with a recurring role on New Girl between 2012 and 2018. In December 2023, he appeared in a CBS special honouring Dick Van Dyke.

• Reiner was politically active and co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which challenged California Proposition 8.

• In 1998, he chaired the campaign for California Proposition 10, leading to the creation of First 5 California. He served as the first chairman of First 5 California from 1999 until his resignation in 2006.

• Reiner campaigned for Democratic candidates, including Al Gore, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. He served on the advisory board of the Committee to Investigate Russia, launched in 2017.

• On 14 December 2025, Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead inside their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

• Emergency responders arrived at approximately 3:38 p.m. following a medical aid call to the residence. Authorities confirmed that both Reiner and his wife had sustained fatal stab wounds.

• The Los Angeles Police Department opened a homicide investigation led by its Robbery-Homicide Division.

• At the time of the announcement, no suspects were in custody, and the investigation was ongoing. Robert Norman Reiner was 78 years old at the time of his death.