On December 14, 2025, Reiner and his wife were foundstabbed to death in their Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts offirst-degree murder and the case is ongoing.
Reiner as a child, from the credits ofMore Than Friends, a 1978 TV movie co-starring his then-wifePenny Marshall
Robert Reiner was born into a Jewish family inthe Bronx, New York City, on March 6, 1947.[3][4] His parents were the actorsEstelle andCarl Reiner.[5] His siblings are poet, playwright, and authorAnnie Reiner and painter, actor, and directorLucas Reiner. The family lived onthe Grand Concourse in the Bronx.[6] Later in his childhood, they lived at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road inNew Rochelle, New York.[7] Reiner had no middle name. "My mother didn't have a middle name, my father didn't have one, so they didn't give me one."[8] Carl Reiner loved baseball and took Rob to his firstMajor League Baseball game in 1951, adoubleheader atYankee Stadium: "It wasMickey Mantle's first year in the Majors andJoe DiMaggio's last...I was four years old, and I stayed through both games. I was fascinated. I was hooked at that point."[9]
In the 1970s, Reiner became widely known for playingMichael Stivic,Archie Bunker'sliberal son-in-law, onNorman Lear's 1970s situation comedyAll in the Family,[21] which was adapted from the British sitcomTill Death Us Do Part. The series was the most-watched television program in the United States for five consecutive seasons (1971–1976). The character's nickname "Meathead" (given to him by his cantankerous father-in-law Archie) became closely associated with Reiner, even after he left the role and established himself as a director. Reflecting on the enduring association, Reiner remarked, "I could win the Nobel Prize and they'd write 'Meathead wins the Nobel Prize.'"[22] For his performance, Reiner won twoEmmy Awards, received three additional nominations, and earned fiveGolden Globe nominations.[23]
In October 1971, Reiner appeared as a guest in an episode ofThe Partridge Family.[24] The following year, Reiner, Mishkin, and Gerry Isenberg created the situation comedyThe Super forABC, starringRichard S. Castellano, about the life of a harried Italian-American buildingsuperintendent in New York City; the show ran for one season during the summer of 1972.[25] In 1978 Reiner co-wrote an ABC-TV movie calledMore Than Friends, in which he starred opposite his then-wifePenny Marshall.[26] Early in the film, Reiner's character lamented, "Whaaat? I have no sex appeal? That hurts my feelings. And I'm going to be bald on top of it."[27]
Beginning in the 1980s, Reiner established himself as a director of several successful Hollywood films spanning multiple genres. His early works includecult classics such as the rock-bandmockumentaryThis Is Spinal Tap (1984), thecoming-of-age dramaStand by Me (1986), and the comedic fantasyThe Princess Bride (1987).[28] He also appeared as faux-documentarian Marty Di Bergi inThis Is Spinal Tap. He frequently collaborated with film editorRobert Leighton,[29] who also worked on several films with fellow director-actorChristopher Guest.[30]
Decades afterAll in the Family, Reiner returned to television with a recurring role onNew Girl (2012–2018).[16] In addition to playing Jess's dadBob Day onNew Girl, his late-career TV guest star work included "politically infused roles" onThe Good Fight,When We Rise, and the miniseriesHollywood, and business consultantAlbert Schnur onThe Bear (2025).[36]
In 2015, he directed the semi-autobiographical filmBeing Charlie, co-written by his son Nick.[37] He directed and played a major supporting role in the journalism dramaShock and Awe (2017). In November 2023, Reiner and journalistSoledad O'Brien launched the ten-part podcast seriesWho Killed JFK?.[38] In December 2023, Reiner opened the primetime CBS specialDick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic with a tribute to, and conversation with,Dick Van Dyke.[39]
His final completed film,Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025), was released three months before his death.[40] In August 2025, Reiner filmed Spinal Tap performing atStonehenge for a concert film,Stonehenge: The Final Finale,[41] with musical guestsEric Clapton,Shania Twain andJosh Groban.[42]Final Finale was planned for a 2026 theatrical release.[43][44] The film's release was put on hold following Reiner's murder.[45][46]
In 1998, Reiner chaired the campaign to passCalifornia Proposition 10, theCalifornia Children and Families Initiative, which created First 5 California, a program of early childhood development services funded by a tax ontobacco products. He served as the organization's first chairman from 1999 to 2006. His lobbying, particularly as an anti-smoking advocate, led to his likeness being used satirically in theSouth Park episode "Butt Out", where he was depicted as a morbidly obese, hypocritical tyrant.[49]
Reiner came under criticism for campaigning forProposition 82, a ballot measure to fund publicpreschools, while serving as chair of the First 5 Commission. He resigned from his position on March 29, 2006.[50] An audit later concluded that the commission had not violated state law and had clear legal authority to conduct public advertising campaigns related to preschool. However, the auditor reported that the commission awarded more than $77 million in media contracts without reviewing their costs.[51] Proposition 82 ultimately failed to win approval.[52][53]
Reiner was a member of the Social Responsibility Task Force, an organization advocating moderation where social issues such as violence and tobacco use intersect with the entertainment industry.[54] He was also active in environmental causes, successfully leading the effort to preserve California'sAhmanson Ranch as a state park and wildlife refuge rather than as a commercial real estate development.[16] In July 2007, he introduced the reunitedSpinal Tap at the LondonLive Earth concert.[55]
Reiner endorsedJoe Biden for president in the2020 United States presidential election.[65] In June 2021, Reiner announced he was developing a television project,The Spy and the Asset, about therelationship between Trump and Vladimir Putin. He said the series would explore the leaders' childhoods and trace their lives up to the point where they intersect. Reiner said he was collaborating with writer Ward Parry on the project.[66][67]
Michele and Rob Reiner at the LBJ Presidential Library for a screening of his filmLBJ in 2016
Reiner married actress and directorPenny Marshall in 1971.[69] He adopted Marshall's daughter, actressTracy Reiner, from her previous marriage to Michael Henry. Reiner and Marshall divorced in 1981.[70]
While directingWhen Harry Met Sally..., Reiner was introduced to photographerMichele Singer. The meeting not only influenced his decision to change the film's ending,[71] but also led to their marriage in 1989.[72] They had three children: sons Jake and Nick and daughter Romy.[73][74] Rob and Michele's eldest son, Jake, has been involved in filmmaking and was a news reporter inHouston, Texas.[75][76][77] Rob Reiner hadseason tickets forDodger Stadium beginning in the 1960s, and he would go to baseball games all around the country with Jake, who had aDodgers podcast circa 2023.[9] Second son Nick entered the first of a number of stays indrug rehab at the age of 14,[78][79] cycling "in and out of rehab" subsequently for years.[79] Their youngest child, daughter Romy, is a filmmaker and had a very close relationship with both of her parents.[77]
In 1997, Reiner and Singer founded the I Am Your Child Foundation and, in 2004, they established Parents' Action for Children, a nonprofit organization with a dual purpose of raising awareness of the importance of a child's early years by producing and distributing celebrity-hosted educational videos for parents, and advancing public policy through parental education and advocacy.[80]
Reiner said his childhood home was not observantly Jewish, although he did have abar mitzvah ceremony.[81] His father, Carl, had become anatheist in response toHitler andthe Holocaust.[82] Reiner identified as an atheist on the January 13, 2012, episode ofReal Time with Bill Maher.[83][84] He later said that, while he rejected organized religion, he was sympathetic to the ideas ofBuddhism.[83]
On December 14, 2025, Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 70,[b] were found in theirBrentwood, Los Angeles, home, dead fromsharp force injuries.[85][72][86] The couple's youngest child, Romy, had gone to the house with her roommate after the Reiners'massage therapist informed her that the couple had missed their appointment; she discovered her father's body, but was not aware that her mother was at home, and was later told of her mother's death.[87][88][89] TheLos Angeles Fire Department responded to a medical aid call at the residence at 3:38 p.m.PST.[79][90][91][92]
The same day,Los Angeles police arrested the Reiners' son Nick near theUniversity of Southern California on suspicion of murder.[93][94] Nick had been living with his parents at the time.[79] Rob and Nick had attended a Christmas party hosted byConan O'Brien on the evening of December 13 and had reportedly had an argument.[95] Nick had been disruptive at the party and had made guests feel uneasy.[96][97] Sources who attended the party but wished to remain anonymous toldThe New York Times that the loud argument between Nick and Rob started after Rob told him his behavior at the party was not appropriate.[98] On December 16, Nick was charged with two counts offirst-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders.[99][100][101]
Rob and Michele's other two children, Jake and Romy, released a joint statement on December 17 describing their parents as their "best friends".[102] Close friends and collaboratorsAlbert Brooks,Billy Crystal,Larry David,Martin Short,Barry Levinson,Marc Shaiman andAlan Zweibel released a joint statement which read in part, "There is no other director who has his range...he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him." They also wrote, "Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens...They were a special force together—dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever".[103][104] Former U.S. presidentsBill Clinton andJoe Biden also released statements memorializing Reiner and offering condolences to his loved ones.[105][106][107]
The Reiners werecremated atMount Sinai Memorial Park; their remains were given to their son Jake for private disposition.[108][109] Funeral plans for the family were not made public.[110] On December 22, Jake and Romy Reiner issued a statement confirming that they were making plans for a public memorial service and would release details at a future date.[111]
Reiner was a notable figure in the development of mainstream American cinema and television.This Is Spinal Tap popularized themockumentary genre, and its use of improvisation was revolutionary for a Hollywood film. The movie established conventions that later filmmakers adopted in both cinema and television, particularly in comedy built around realism, parody, and unscripted performance. Its success also contributed to the wider acceptance of mock-documentary formats in mainstream media.[112] It is also considered one of the greatest comedies of all time.[28]
Across the 1980s and 1990s, Reiner directed a series of culturally influential films in multiple genres, including coming-of-age dramaStand by Me, fantasy romanceThe Princess Bride, and romantic comedyWhen Harry Met Sally....[112]The Princess Bride is credited with having numerous phrases enter the regular lexicon.[28] Another Reiner-directed film,A Few Good Men, has been judged by some critics as the best military courtroom drama ever made.[113]
When Harry Met Sally..., in particular, helped redefine the modern romantic comedy through its balanced focus on male and female perspectives[112] and is considered one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time.[28] Reiner has regularly been cited by critics as having one of the greatest directing streaks in Hollywood with his first seven films.[28]The Bucket List popularized the eponymous term.[28] Three of Reiner's films –When Harry Met Sally...,The Princess Bride andThis Is Spinal Tap – have been selected for preservation by theNational Film Registry for cultural, historical, and aesthetic contributions.[114]
Following his death,CNN published an article describing how Reiner "changed movies forever by challenging himself as an artist".[115] In its obituary, theAssociated Press noted that Reiner was "the son of acomedy giant who became one himself as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation".[116]
Beyond his work as a director, Reiner had a significant impact as a producer and studio executive through hisCastle Rock Entertainment. The company was instrumental in bringing influential film and television projects to a wide audience, most notablySeinfeld, which reshaped expectations of what network television comedy could achieve. Castle Rock also produced several highly regarded films, includingThe Shawshank Redemption (1994) andThe Green Mile (1999), both of which were directed byFrank Darabont and achieved long-term critical and popular recognition.[112]
^Thomas, Kevin (October 20, 1978)."Friends, Lovers—A 20-Year Quest".The Los Angeles Times. p. 109.Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2026.
^Squigenny.2 (December 1, 2021).More Than Friends (1978).Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"We're not equal? How are we not equal?" Rob Reiner on Real Time with Bill Maher, in response to Maher's statement, "I would argue atheists are [not considered equal under the law]". Maher then stated, "For a group that is about 17 percent now ... no representation in congress..." to which Reiner replied, "You're right about that-that we don't have that representation. I include myself in that same 17 percent." "Real Time with Bill Maher".
^"Rob Reiner".goldenglobes.com. Golden Globe Awards.Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. RetrievedNovember 18, 2023.
^"1988 Hugo Awards".thehugoawards.org. Worldcon Intellectual Property. July 26, 2007.Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. RetrievedDecember 15, 2025.
^"Rob Reiner Director".dga.org. Directors Guild of America.Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. RetrievedNovember 19, 2023.
^"Rob Reiner".Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. October 25, 2019.Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. RetrievedDecember 15, 2025.
^Willman, Chris (July 21, 1991)."Reiner, Morton & Hayes".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on December 21, 2025. RetrievedDecember 21, 2025.
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