Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner was married to actress and director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted Marshall’s daughter, actress Tracy Reiner. In 1989, he married photographer Michele Singer, whom he met while working on When Harry Met Sally...; they had three children, Jake, Nick, and Romy.

Reiner grew up in a show-business family as the son of actor, comedian, writer, and director Carl Reiner and actor and singer Estelle Reiner. His siblings were writer Annie Reiner and painter, actor, and director Lucas Reiner. His father’s career and his own complicated feelings about living up to it became recurring themes in accounts of his life and work.

Reiner began in television writing and small acting roles, including work on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. His breakthrough came in 1971, when Norman Lear cast him as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family. The character was Archie Bunker’s liberal son-in-law and served as a foil to Carroll O’Connor’s conservative, bigoted patriarch.

The role made Reiner widely known and earned him Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1974 and 1978. Lear became an important mentor to Reiner, whom Reiner called a second father. Reiner left the regular cast in 1978 but later returned to the character for appearances on Archie Bunker’s Place.

Reiner moved into feature-film directing after directing the television movie Sonny Boy in 1974. His first major film success was This Is Spinal Tap (1984), a largely improvised mockumentary about a dysfunctional heavy metal band. Reiner also played the fictional documentary director Marty DiBergi, while Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean portrayed the band members.

He followed it with Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), and When Harry Met Sally... (1989). The films established his range across coming-of-age drama, fantasy romance, and romantic comedy. Stand by Me adapted Stephen King’s novella The Body, while The Princess Bride was adapted from William Goldman’s novel. When Harry Met Sally..., written by Nora Ephron and starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, became a model for the modern romantic comedy.

Reiner then directed the Stephen King adaptation Misery (1990), the political romance The American President (1995), and the courtroom drama A Few Good Men (1992). Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her performance in Misery, and A Few Good Men received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

In 1987, Reiner co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment with Martin Shafer, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick, and Alan Horn. The company produced films and television projects including Seinfeld, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, City Slickers, and Lone Star. Castle Rock was sold to Turner Broadcasting System in 1993.

Reiner continued directing through the 1990s and 2000s with films such as Ghosts of Mississippi, The Story of Us, Alex & Emma, The Bucket List, Flipped, The Magic of Belle Isle, Being Charlie, LBJ, and Shock and Awe. He also directed and appeared in the documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023). His final completed film was Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025), in which he again played Marty DiBergi.

As an actor, Reiner appeared in films including Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway, The First Wives Club, Primary Colors, EDtv, and The Wolf of Wall Street. His later television roles included Bob Day on New Girl, Ace Amberg in Hollywood, and Albert Schnur on The Bear.

Reiner was active in liberal political and social causes, particularly early childhood education, health care, environmental protection, anti-smoking campaigns, and LGBTQ rights. He chaired the 1998 campaign for California’s Proposition 10, which created First 5 California, a program funded by a tobacco tax to support early childhood development services. He and Michele Singer also founded the I Am Your Child Foundation and Parents’ Action for Children.

In 2008, Reiner co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which helped challenge California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. He campaigned for Democratic candidates including Al Gore, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, and remained an outspoken critic of Donald Trump.

Three of Reiner’s films, This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally..., were selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. He received two Emmy Awards, a Hugo Award for The Princess Bride, the Chaplin Award from Film at Lincoln Center in 2014, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.

Rob Reiner died in Los Angeles on December 14, 2025, after being fatally stabbed at his home. His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, also died in the incident.

Reiner’s death ended a career that moved from television comedy to feature-film direction, production, political advocacy, and recurring acting roles. His films continued to be associated with mockumentary comedy, coming-of-age drama, romantic comedy, fantasy, and courtroom drama.