Rob Reiner | |
|---|---|
 Reiner in 2025 | |
| Born | Robert Reiner (1947-03-06)March 6, 1947 (age 78) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingTracy Reiner |
| Parent(s) | Carl Reiner Estelle Reiner |
| Relatives |
|
Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role ofMike "Meathead" Stivic on theCBS sitcomAll in the Family (1971–1979), a performance that earned him twoPrimetime Emmy Awards.[1] His other acting credits includeThrow Momma from the Train (1987),Sleepless in Seattle (1993),Bullets Over Broadway (1994),The First Wives Club (1996),Primary Colors (1998),EDtv (1999),Everyone's Hero (2006), andThe Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
Reiner made his directorial film debut with heavy metalmockumentaryThis Is Spinal Tap (1984). He then earned acclaim directing the romantic comedyThe Sure Thing (1985), coming of age dramaStand by Me (1986), fantasy adventureThe Princess Bride (1987), romantic comedyWhen Harry Met Sally... (1989), psychological horror-thrillerMisery (1990), military courtroom dramaA Few Good Men (1992) which was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture, and romantic comedy-dramaThe American President (1995). He has earned nominations for fourGolden Globe Awards for Best Director,[2] and threeDirectors Guild of America Awards.[3]
Reiner was born into a Jewish family inthe Bronx, New York, on March 6, 1947. His parents wereEstelle andCarl Reiner. As a child, Reiner lived at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road inNew Rochelle, New York. He studied at theUCLA Film School.[4]
In the early 1960s Reiner served as a trainee/apprentice at the Bucks County Playhouse inNew Hope, Pennsylvania. He is credited (as Robert Reiner) with the non-speaking role of Thomas, who is the horse wrangler (appointed by the bloodthirsty Sergeant Wesley Kiles played by Charles McGraw) inWagon Train, Season 5, Episode 22 "The Lieutenant Burton Story" starring Dean Jones in the title role, which aired on 2/27/1962. In the late 1960s, Reiner acted in bit roles in several television shows includingBatman,[5]That Girl,The Andy Griffith Show,Room 222,Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. andThe Beverly Hillbillies. During this time he also appeared in several films, including some by his father such asWhere's Poppa? (1970). He began his career writing for theSmothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and 1969, withSteve Martin as his writing partner as the two youngest writers on the show.
Two years later, Reiner became famous playing Michael Stivic, Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law, onNorman Lear's 1970s situation comedyAll in the Family, which was inspired by the British sitcomTill Death Us Do Part. It was the most-watched television program in the United States for five seasons (1971–1976). The character's nickname "Meathead" (given to him by his cantankerous father-in-law Archie) became closely associated with him, even after he had left the role and went on to build a career as a director. Reiner has stated, "I could win theNobel Prize and they'd write 'Meathead wins the Nobel Prize'."[6] For his performance, Reiner won twoEmmy Awards, in addition to three other nominations, and fiveGolden Globe nominations. After an extended absence, Reiner returned to television acting with a recurring role onNew Girl (2012–2018).
In October 1971, he had a guest role in an episode ofThe Partridge Family.[7] In 1972, Reiner, Phil Mishkin, and Gerry Isenberg created the situation comedyThe Super forABC. StarringRichard S. Castellano, the show depicted the life of the harried Italian Americansuperintendent of a New York Cityapartment building and ran for 10 episodes in the summer of 1972. Reiner and Mishkin co-wrote the premiere episode.
Beginning in the 1980s, Reiner became known as a director of several successful Hollywood films that spanned many different genres. Some of his earlier films include cult classics such as the rock-bandmockumentaryThis Is Spinal Tap (1984) and the comedic fantasy filmThe Princess Bride (1987), as well as his period piece coming of age taleStand by Me (1986). He often collaborates with film editorRobert Leighton, whom he also shares with fellow director-actorChristopher Guest as their go-to editor.
Reiner has gone on to direct other critically and commercially successful films with his own company,Castle Rock Entertainment. These include the romantic comedyWhen Harry Met Sally... (1989), which has been critically ranked among the all-time best of its genre,[8] the tense thrillerMisery (1990), for whichKathy Bates won theAcademy Award for Best Actress, and his most commercially successful work, the military courtroom dramaA Few Good Men (1992), which was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.[9] Subsequent films directed by Reiner include the political romanceThe American President (1995), the courtroom dramaGhosts of Mississippi (1996), and the uplifting comedyThe Bucket List (2007).
Reiner has continued to act in supporting roles in a number of films and television shows, includingThrow Momma from the Train (1987),Sleepless in Seattle (1993),Bullets Over Broadway (1994),The First Wives Club (1996),Primary Colors (1998),EDtv (1999),New Girl (2012–2018), andThe Wolf of Wall Street (2013). He has also acted in several of his own films, most notably as faux-documentarian Marty DeBirgi inThis is Spinal Tap. Other acting roles in his movies includeThe Story of Us (1999),Alex & Emma (2001), and a major supporting role in his journalism dramaShock and Awe (2017), among others. Reiner has also parodied himself with cameos in works such asDickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), and30 Rock (2010).
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.[10]
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Reiner has devoted considerable time and energy toliberal activism.[11]
Reiner is a co-founder of theAmerican Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge againstCalifornia Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in the state.[12]
In 1998, Reiner chaired the campaign to pass Prop 10, theCalifornia Children and Families Initiative, which created First 5 California, a program of early childhood development services, funded by a tax on tobacco products. He served as the first chairman of First 5 California, from 1999 to 2006. His lobbying, particularly as an anti-smoking advocate, prompted his likeness to be used in a satirical role in aSouth Park episode titled "Butt Out", in which he is depicted as a morbidly obese, hypocritical tyrant.[13][14] Reiner came under criticism for campaigning for a ballot measure (Prop 82) to fund state-run preschools while still chair of the First Five Commission, causing him to resign from his position on March 29, 2006. An audit was conducted, and it concluded that the state commission did not violate state law and that it had clear legal authority to conduct its public advertising campaigns related to preschool. Prop 82 failed to win approval, garnering only 39.1% support.
Reiner is a member of the Social Responsibility Task Force, an organization advocating moderation where social issues (such as violence and tobacco use) and the entertainment industry meet. He is also active in environmental issues, and he successfully led the effort to establish California'sAhmanson Ranch as a state park and wildlife refuge rather than as a commercial real estate development. He introducedSpinal Tap at theLondonLive Earth concert in July 2007.
Reiner was mentioned as a possible candidate to run against California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 but decided not to run for personal reasons. He campaigned extensively forDemocratic presidential nomineeAl Gore in the2000 presidential election, and he campaigned inIowa for Democratic presidential candidateHoward Dean just before the2004 Iowa caucuses. He endorsedHillary Clinton for president for the2008 election. In 2015, he donated $10,000 toCorrect the Record, a political action committee that supported Hillary Clinton's2016 presidential campaign.[15] Since the 2016 election, he has continued to campaign againstDonald Trump, calling himracist,sexist,anti-gay, andanti-Semitic. Reiner said thatHarvey Weinstein is a "bad guy" but Trump is "also an abuser".[16]
Reiner serves on the advisory board of theCommittee to Investigate Russia.[17][18] He andDavid Frum launched the site in September 2017 withMorgan Freeman warning people that "We are at war" and thatRussia has attacked the United States.[18] Others on the committee's advisory board at the time of launch includedJames Clapper, Max Boot, Charles Sykes, and Norman Ornstein.[18][19] Additionally, in early November 2020, the advisory board included Evelyn Farkas, Michael Hayden, Michael Morrell, Leon Panetta, and Clint Watts.[20]
Reiner endorsedJoe Biden for president for the2020 election.[21]
In June 2021, Reiner said that he was working on a 10- to 13-episode TV project covering the relationship betweenVladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The project, he said, would cover the leaders' childhoods up until the point where their lives cross. Reiner said he is working with writer Ward Parry on the project, which he is callingThe Spy and the Asset.[22][23]
Rob Reiner married actress/directorPenny Marshall in 1971. He adopted Marshall's daughter, actressTracy Reiner (A League of Their Own), from a previous marriage to Michael Henry. Reiner and Marshall divorced in 1981.[24]
Reiner was introduced to his future wife, photographer Michele Singer, while directingWhen Harry Met Sally. The meeting not only resulted in his decision to change the ending of that film,[25] but he also married Singer in 1989. They have three children, Jake (born 1991), Nick (born 1993), and Romy (born 1997).
In 1997, Reiner and Singer founded the "I Am Your Child Foundation", and in 2004, they founded the "Parents' Action for Children", a non-profit organization with a dual purpose: 1) to raise awareness of the importance of a child's early years by producing and distributing celebrity-hosted educational videos for parents, and 2) to advance public policy through parental education and advocacy.[26]
Reiner has stated that his childhood home was not observantly Jewish, although he did have abar mitzvah ceremony;[27] Reiner's father Carl acknowledged that he himself had becomeatheistic as theHolocaust progressed.[28] Reiner identified himself as having no religious affiliation and as atheistic on the January 13, 2012, episode ofReal Time with Bill Maher.[29][30] Reiner later said that while he rejected organized religion, he was sympathetic to the ideas ofBuddhism.[29]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Yes | No | Yes |
| 1985 | The Sure Thing | Yes | No | No |
| 1986 | Stand by Me | Yes | No | No |
| 1987 | The Princess Bride | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1989 | When Harry Met Sally... | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1990 | Misery | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1994 | North | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1995 | The American President | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1999 | The Story of Us | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2003 | Alex & Emma | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2005 | Rumor Has It... | Yes | No | No |
| 2007 | The Bucket List | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Flipped | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 | The Magic of Belle Isle | Yes | Yes | Uncredited |
| 2014 | And So It Goes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2015 | Being Charlie | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | LBJ | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2017 | Shock and Awe | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2023 | Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2024 | God & Country | No | Yes | No |
| 2025 | Spinal Tap II: The End Continues | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Enter Laughing | Clark Baxter | |
| 1969 | Halls of Anger | Leaky Couloris | |
| 1970 | Where's Poppa? | Roger | |
| 1971 | Summertree | Don | |
| 1977 | Fire Sale | Russel Fikus | |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Truck Driver Picking Up Navin | Uncredited |
| 1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Marty DiBergi | |
| 1987 | Throw Momma from the Train[31] | Joel | |
| 1990 | Postcards from the Edge | Joe Pierce | |
| Misery | Helicopter Pilot | Uncredited | |
| 1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Jay Mathews | |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Sheldon Flender | |
| Mixed Nuts | Dr. Klinsky | ||
| 1995 | For Better or Worse | Dr. Plosner | |
| Bye Bye Love | Dr. David Townsend | ||
| 1996 | The First Wives Club | Dr. Morris Packman | |
| Mad Dog Time | Albert | ||
| 1998 | Primary Colors | Izzy Rosenblatt | |
| 1999 | EDtv | Mr. Whitaker | |
| The Muse | Rob Reiner | ||
| The Story of Us | Stan | ||
| 2001 | The Majestic | Studio Executive | Voice role |
| 2003 | Alex & Emma | Wirschafter | |
| Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Rob Reiner | ||
| 2006 | Everyone's Hero | Screwie | Voice role |
| 2013 | The Wolf of Wall Street | Max Belfort | |
| 2014 | And So It Goes | Artie | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Marty Markowitz | |
| Shock and Awe | John Walcott | ||
| 2022 | Family Squares | Narrator | Voice role |
| 2025 | Spinal Tap II: The End Continues | Marty DiBergi |
TV writer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Smothers Brothers | 20 episodes |
| 1971 | The Partridge Family | 1 episode |
| 1971–1972 | All in the Family | 4 episodes |
| 1972 | The Super | 12 episodes; also co-creator |
| 1974 | Happy Days | Episode: "All the Way" |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | More Than Friends | No | Yes |
| 1981 | Likely Stories: Vol. 1 | Yes | Yes |
| 1982 | Million Dollar Infield | No | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–1967 | That Girl | Chuck / Hairdresser / Carl | 3 episodes |
| 1967 | Batman | Delivery Boy | Episode: "The Penguin Declines" |
| The Andy Griffith Show | Joe, The Printer's Apprentice | Episode: "Goober's Contest" | |
| The Mothers-in-Law | Joe Turner | Episode: "The Career Girls" | |
| 1967–1969 | Gomer Pyle – USMC | Various | 3 episodes |
| 1969 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Mitch | 2 episodes |
| 1970 | Room 222 | Tony | Episode: "Funny Money" |
| 1971 | The Partridge Family | Snake | Episode: "A Man Called Snake" |
| 1971–1978 | All in the Family | Michael "Meathead" Stivic | Series regular; 182 episodes |
| 1974 | The Odd Couple | Sheldn Stimler, Myrna Turner's boyfriend | Episode: "The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in Vain" |
| 1975 | Saturday Night Live | Host / Various | Episode: "Rob Reiner" |
| 1976 | The Rockford Files | Larry 'King' Sturtevant | Episode: "The No-Cut Contract" |
| 1978 | Free Country | Joseph Bresner | 5 episodes |
| More Than Friends | Alan Corkus | Television film | |
| 1979 | Archie Bunker's Place | Michael Stivic | Episode: "Thanksgiving Reunion" |
| 1982 | Million Dollar Infield | Monte Miller | Television film |
| 1987–1990 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Himself | 4 episodes |
| 1991 | Morton & Hayes | Narrator | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself (cameo) | Episode: "Doubt of the Benefit" |
| 2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | Episode: "The Thong" |
| 2006 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Himself | 2 episodes |
| The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Million-Dollar Abie" | |
| 2009 | Hannah Montana | Himself (cameo) | Episode: "You Gotta Lose This Job" |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Himself (cameo) | Episode: "Future Harper" | |
| 2010 | 30 Rock | Rep. Rob Reiner (cameo) | Episode: "Let's Stay Together" |
| 2010–2017 | Real Time with Bill Maher | Guest | 7 episodes |
| 2012–2018 | New Girl | Bob Day | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Mel Brooks: Make a Noise | Himself | American Masters documentary |
| 2014 | The Case Against 8 | Himself | HBO documentary |
| 2015 | Happyish | Himself | 2 episodes |
| The Comedians | Himself | Episode: "Misdirection"[32] | |
| 2016 | Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You | Himself | American Masters documentary |
| 2017 | When We Rise | Dr. David Blankenhorn | 2 episodes |
| The History of Comedy | Himself | CNN documentary | |
| 2018 | The Good Fight | Judge Josh Brickner | Episode: "Day 422" |
| André the Giant | Himself | HBO documentary | |
| 2019 | The Big Interview | Himself | Episode: "Carl and Rob Reiner" |
| 2020 | Hollywood | Ace Amberg | 4 episodes |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Grandfather / Grandson | 2 episodes (as Grandfather); Episode: "Chapter Ten: To the Pain!" (as Grandson)[33] | |
| 2022 | Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter | Himself | Television special[34] |
| 2023 | Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic | Himself | Television special |
| 2025 | The Bear | Albert Schnur | 3 episodes |
Television
Film
| Year | Film | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1986 | Stand by Me | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1987 | The Princess Bride | 1 | |||||
| 1989 | When Harry Met Sally... | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1990 | Misery | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | 4 | 5 | ||||
| 1995 | The American President | 1 | 5 | ||||
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 1 | |
