Highlights
- Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner are found dead at their Brentwood residence
- Los Angeles police investigate the deaths as a homicide
- Reiner’s career spans television, film directing and political activism
Rob Reiner, the actor and director whose work ranges from All in the Family to The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally…, is found dead on Sunday afternoon at his home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. He is 78. His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, is also found dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles Police Department says the deaths are being investigated as a homicide. Local reports say the couple suffered stab wounds.
In a statement, the family says they are “heartbroken by this sudden loss” and ask for privacy.
Police investigate deaths at Brentwood home
Authorities respond to the residence Sunday afternoon and begin a homicide investigation. Officials do not release details about suspects or a possible motive, saying the inquiry is ongoing.
The Los Angeles Police Department says the deaths are being investigated as a homicideGetty Images
From sitcom breakout to film director
Reiner first gains national recognition as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on CBS’s All in the Family, playing the outspoken son-in-law of Carroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker for nine seasons. He wins Emmy Awards for best supporting actor in a comedy in 1974 and 1978.
The son of writer, director and comedian Carl Reiner, he also works as a television writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Happy Days and All in the Family before turning to feature films.
A defining run of hit films
Reiner makes his directorial debut with This Is Spinal Tap in 1984, an improvised mockumentary in which he also appears as filmmaker Marty DiBergi. The film later becomes a cult classic.
Over the next decade, he directs a series of box office successes across genres, including Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery and A Few Good Men. The films establish his reputation for working comfortably in comedy, drama and thriller.
His most recent project is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, a sequel to the original film.
Castle Rock and later work
Beginning in 1987, Reiner produces most of his films and co-founds Castle Rock Entertainment, which releases several of his projects and other hits such as In the Line of Fire, Needful Things and Malice. Turner Broadcasting acquires the company in 1993.
While later films draw more mixed commercial results, Reiner continues directing projects including The Bucket List, Being Charlie and politically focused films such as Ghosts of Mississippi, LBJ and Shock and Awe. In 2023, he directs the documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.
Political voice and personal life
A prominent progressive figure in Hollywood, Reiner remains active in California ballot initiatives and Democratic politics. He publicly opposes former President Donald Trump and briefly considers a run for California governor in 2006 before stepping aside.
Born March 6, 1947, in the Bronx, Reiner grows up in Hollywood and studies film at UCLA. He is survived by his children Jake, Nick and Romy, and by his adopted daughter Tracy Reiner from his first marriage to Penny Marshall.
