Robert Norman Reiner
12 min read
Reading time
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Film credits
5
Awards
Rob Reiner, who played Meathead on All in the Family, directed Stand By Me and The Princess Bride. He co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment in 1987 and his films received Oscar nominations. He was murdered in 2025 at age 78.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Rob Reiner — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Rob Reiner by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Rob Reiner — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Rob Reiner grew up on Bonny Meadow Lane in New Rochelle, New York—the same address as the Petrie family on The Dick Van Dyke Show, created by his father Carl Reiner. His father, an Emmy-winning comedian, was his role model. He attended Beverly Hills High School, graduating in 1964 alongside future stars Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks. After high school, he worked as an apprentice at the Bucks County Playhouse and later studied film at UCLA.
Reiner took the role of Michael Stivic on All in the Family in 1971, believing the show would not last long. It became a massive hit, earning him two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor. He began directing with the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in 1984, followed by Stand By Me in 1986, and The Princess Bride in 1987. In 1987, he co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced his later hits When Harry Met Sally… in 1989, Misery in 1990, and A Few Good Men in 1992. He also acted in films like The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013 and made cameos in TV shows including 30 Rock and The Simpsons.
Rob Reiner married actress and director Penny Marshall in 1971; they adopted a daughter, Tracy Reiner, before divorcing in 1981. In 1989, he married Michele Reiner; they had three children: Jake, Nick, and Romy. He dealt with depression, a condition he revealed after Robin Williams’s suicide. He co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights and launched a successful California ballot initiative to tax cigarettes for early childhood programs.
Three of his films—This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally…—are in the National Film Registry. He directed Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for Misery, Jack Nicholson, and James Woods to Oscar-nominated performances. In 2002, three of his films appeared on the American Film Institute’s list of top love stories. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sits next to his father’s. Reiner’s work spanned comedy, drama, and romance, and his role as Meathead on All in the Family remains indelible.
The complete filmography of Rob Reiner — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Rob Reiner — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Rob Reiner — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Like to Think of Myself as a Very Young Old Person. but You Start Thinking, How Many Years Am I Going to Have to Be Productive? Especially in Our Business, Youth Is so Stressed. You Start Thinking, How Many More Movies Am I Going to Get to Make? Maybe, If I’m Lucky, I’ll Make Five More.
I’m Worried About the Country Not Being Here. or Not Being Here in the Way I Have Lived It My Whole Life, Which Is Being a Liberal Democracy. We Don’t Have One Right Now. the Founding Fathers Designed a System of Checks and Balances That Do Not Exist Anymore in Anerica. You Have a Republican Congress That Is More Than Willing to Enable a Man Who Lies Every Minute of His Life and Is in League with an Authoritarian Enemy.
Stephen King’s Obvious Reputation Is as a Great Horror Writer, but to Me, It Was Always the Quality of His Writing the Character Development and the Dialogue. It Kind of Gets Overshadowed.
I Could Win the Nobel Prize and They’d Write Meathead Wins the Nobel Prize.
I’d Never Ask an Actor to Do Something I Couldn’t Do Not That I’m the Best Actor in the World but If I Can Do It, Then I Know That Anyone I Hire Can Do These Things.
Little-known facts about Rob Reiner — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
In high school, he was best friends with Richard Dreyfuss, whom he later directed in Stand by Me in 1986.
He considers Stand by Me, released in 1986, his masterpiece and favorite among all the films he has directed.
His production company Castle Rock was named after a fictional town created by Stephen King, with whom he has collaborated.
Billy Crystal is one of his best friends.
As a child, he lived across from future wife Penny Marshall’s home in the Bronx.
He was close friends with Robin Williams and after Williams’ suicide revealed that he too has suffered from depression.
Three of his movies ranked on the American Film Institute’s 2002 list of top 100 love stories: the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally… at number 25, the 1995 film The American President at number 75, and the 1987 film The Princess Bride at number 88.
During the filming of Stand by Me in 1986, he yelled at young actors Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell to make them cry for a train scene.
He directed three actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Kathy Bates, who won for Misery in 1990, Jack Nicholson, and James Woods.
He co-wrote the first episode of Happy Days in 1974.
His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is next to his father Carl Reiner’s star.
One of his directed films, A Few Good Men from 1992, was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and he appeared as an actor in another Best Picture nominee, The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013.
He wore a toupee while playing Meathead on All in the Family, which began in 1971.
Three of his films have been selected for the National Film Registry: This Is Spinal Tap from 1984, The Princess Bride from 1987, and When Harry Met Sally… from 1989.
Despite their on-screen rivalry on All in the Family, he grew close to actor Carroll O’Connor off-camera.
He is the son of Estelle Reiner and Carl Reiner.
With wife Michele Reiner, he had three children.
He counted Bea Arthur and Michael Douglas among his friends.
His acting mentor was the late Carroll O’Connor.
He is one of only two directors to have a film on both Roger Ebert’s Great Movies list and Most Hated list: This Is Spinal Tap from 1984 on the former, North from 1994 on the latter; the other is Bob Clark.
He is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, with ancestry from Austria, Romania, Germany, Russia, and Poland.
He spearheaded a California ballot initiative to add a tax on cigarettes for early childhood development programs, which passed narrowly.
He and wife Michele Reiner are the parents of screenwriter Nick Reiner, Jake Reiner, and Romy Reiner.
In an AFI poll, he named It’s a Wonderful Life as his favorite film.
He auditioned for All in the Family in 1971 not expecting the show to last, seeking only temporary work while pursuing writing and directing.
He is the adoptive father of Tracy Reiner, Penny Marshall’s daughter from a previous marriage.
He passed away on the same date as actor Anthony Geary; they had appeared together in an episode of All in the Family titled Judging Books by Covers in 1971.
His favorite sports movie is The Hustler from 1961.
In his first project after All in the Family, he produced, co-wrote, and co-starred with then-wife Penny Marshall in the TV movie More Than Friends from 1978, based on their courtship.
He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1964, alma mater of many famous figures including Angelina Jolie, Nicolas Cage, and Lenny Kravitz.
He is the brother of painter Lucas Reiner and poet and playwright Sylvia Ann Reiner.
He is portrayed by Trey Parker in the South Park episode Butt Out.
Casting agents Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson have cast most of his films starting with The Sure Thing in 1985.
He is the ex-brother-in-law of Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin.
He is most recognized by the public for his role as Michael Meathead Stivic on All in the Family, which began in 1971.
He was a big fan of The Beach Boys.
He replaced Ted Griffin as director of Rumor Has It… in 2005 twelve days into principal photography.
His father Carl Reiner met Carroll O’Connor when O’Connor first met the young actor, who was living at the Reiner home during the production of The Dick Van Dyke Show.
He is the ex-son-in-law of Anthony W. Marshall and Marjorie Marshall.
He was a former comedic partner of Larry Bishop.
He supported Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election.
He prominently appeared at protests against the 2003 invasion of Iraq alongside Anjelica Huston.
He was murdered by his own son, Nick Reiner, alongside his wife.
He is brother-in-law of Maud Winchester.
He endorsed Howard Dean in the 2004 presidential election.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Rob Reiner.
Celebrities similar to Rob Reiner — same craft, ranked by reach.
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