Speaker 1 (00:00):
… as reported earlier, the investigation into the murder of director Rob Reiner and his wife continues tonight. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown looks back at his life and his work.
Jeffrey Brown (00:13):
Rob Reiner was born into show business. His father Carl, a legendary television comedy pioneer whose credits included creating the Dick Van Dyke Show. His mother, Estelle, an actress and singer. He first came to national prominence as Michael 'Meathead' Stivic.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Michael, where's your tie?
Speaker 16 (00:33):
Well, I tried Gloria, but it doesn't look good with an empty neck.
Jeffrey Brown (00:37):
Shaggy haired son-in-law to Carroll O'Connor's bigoted Archie Bunker in Norman Lear's game-changing sitcom that ran for eight seasons in the 1970s and brought Reiner two Emmys for best supporting actor.
Speaker 16 (00:50):
Hi, how are you?
Jeffrey Brown (00:51):
His move to directing began with the 1984 mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
There's some problems here. I don't even know where to start.
Speaker 8 (00:59):
If you'd like, take a breath.
Jeffrey Brown (01:00):
A spoof of an aging rock band that would become a cult classic. He just recently brought out a sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Then a string of hits in a wide variety of genres, including the coming of age tale, Stand By Me in 1986, based on a Stephen King novel.
Speaker 9 (01:21):
Surrender.
Jeffrey Brown (01:22):
1987's Princess Bride.
Speaker 10 (01:24):
I will accept.
Speaker 11 (01:25):
Will you promise not to hurt this man?
Speaker 12 (01:27):
Yes.
Jeffrey Brown (01:28):
1989's When Harry Met Sally, co-written with Nora Ephron, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. A defining romantic comedy of its era. That's Reiner's mother, Estelle, in one of the film's most memorable scenes.
Estelle Reiner (01:43):
I'll have what she's having.
Jeffrey Brown (01:45):
Misery, a horror film from 1990, was based on another Stephen King thriller.
Speaker 14 (01:51):
I don't give a damn.
Jeffrey Brown (01:52):
And the military courtroom drama, A Few Good Men in 1992.
Speaker 14 (01:56):
I did the job.
Speaker 15 (01:57):
Did you order the code red?
Speaker 14 (01:59):
You're goddamn right I did.
Jeffrey Brown (02:00):
Starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, and Demi Moore. It brought Reiner his only Oscar nomination for best film. The movies would continue as would his occasional acting, including in Martin Scorsese's 2013 film, The Wolf of Wall Street, with Leonardo DiCaprio.
(02:18)
Reiner would also become known for his activism on behalf of liberal political causes, including overturning a ban on same-sex marriage, first in California, then at the national level. And he was a frequent critic of President Trump, calling him a threat to democracy. Reiner spoke of his involvement in politics in a 2023 appearance on the News Hour, marking the death of Norman Lear.
Rob Reiner (02:42):
From Norman, I got this idea that you could use your celebrity, you could use your fame and you could do something good with it. And I took that to heart. And I've done things with my celebrity that I probably wouldn't have done it had I not had that path.
Jeffrey Brown (03:00):
He also combined his art and politics, making the 2024 documentary God and Country, a critique of the rise of Christian nationalism. Reiner was married for 10 years to Penny Marshall, also an actor and director. He adopted her daughter before their divorce in 1981. He met Michele Singer on the set of When Harry Met Sally, where she served as director of photography. He later said falling in love with her led him to change the film to have a happy ending. The couple had three children. Their son, Nick, now 32, and being held on suspicion of homicide, had spoken openly in the past about his struggles with drug abuse. Including in 2016 for an interview with Amna on ABC News about the film, Being Charlie, directed by Rob and co-written by Nick, about the story of a drug addicted teen clashing with his famous father.
Amna (03:56):
Was there ever a moment when you thought this is too much, I don't want him to know all this?
Nick Reiner (04:01):
The father character initially was … it was harsh on him and I, believe it or not, was not wanting the character to be that villainous. And it was hard for him for a while to think that I thought of him that way. And to convince him that that's not how I felt, but that fathers do get in that mode sometimes when they're trying to help their kid who is in danger.
Rob Reiner (04:23):
I did think that. I mean, the father originally was written as a very black and white bad guy, and I thought, "Oh God, that's what Nick thinks of me."
Jeffrey Brown (04:31):
Today tributes to Rob Reiner poured in. Ron Howard wrote, "He proved to be a superlative filmmaker, a supportive colleague, and at all times a dedicated citizen." Kathy Bates, who starred in Misery, told the News Hour, "He was brilliant and kind. A man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He changed the course of my life." Barack Obama wrote, "Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people." Michele Singer Reiner was 70. Rob Reiner was 78. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Jeffrey Brown.