Rob Reiner’s circle was wide and eclectic, spanning comedians honing punchlines and Oscar-winning actors and filmmakers shaping Hollywood itself.Â
As the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, he entered the world of entertainment early, but went on to make a name for himself as a director, filmmaker, and actor in his own right.
He’s perhaps best known for his breakout role at age 23 as Archie Bunker’s liberal son-in-law, Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the hit 1970s sitcom “All in the Family,” though others may know him more recently as Bob Day, the father of the quirky Jess Day in “New Girl.” Reiner also directed iconic films such as “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me” and “A Few Good Men.”
Friends and colleagues who worked with Reiner through the years sat down with CBS News to share their personal anecdotes and fond memories of him following the news of his tragic death. Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14 and their son, Nick, was charged in their murders.
Here’s a look at some tributes from those who knew Reiner best, featured in “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life,” a one-hour special broadcast Sunday after “60 Minutes” on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks said he’s still in disbelief over the death of his good friend, who he’s known since the pair attended drama class together at Beverly Hills High School more than 60 years ago. He said he was heartbroken, but he loves to talk about his friendship with Reiner because it’s “genuine and it’s rare.”
“Rob was my oldest friend. It’s that simple. He’s the person that I’ve known the longest. I met him when I was 14 years old. So I’m still in that not believing it stage,” he told CBS News.
Brooks said he still finds himself dialing his pal’s number to chat, and then freezes when he realizes what he’s done.Â
“I know it happened, but, you know, I’m driving around and all of a sudden — I actually two days ago, I called his number,” he recalled.
Kathy Bates
Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates has credited Reiner with changing “the course of [her] life” by directing her unforgettable performance as Annie Wilkes in “Misery” in 1990.
“If I hadn’t done ‘Misery,’ it would be like George Bailey going back and seeing what his life would have been like if he had never been there,” she said. “I wouldn’t have had some of the friends that I have now. I wouldn’t have had the richness in my life. I quite frankly probably would have stayed in the theater and I doubt I would have had a movie career. I might have dropped out altogether.”
She recalled Reiner’s enthusiasm when she walked on stage to accept her Oscar for Best Actress in 1991.
“When they called my name, I looked over and Rob was standing and he was just pounding his fist together going, ‘Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!'” she recalled.
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland who played Lt. Jonathan Kendrick in the 1992 legal drama “A Few Good Men” said Reiner had an unforgettable presence on set as director. He recalled the tense courtroom scene where Jack Nicholson – Colonel Nathan Jessup – had to deliver his now famous line, “You can’t handle the truth!”Â
After the first moving take, Sutherland recalled Reiner asking Nicholson if he wanted to go again.
“No one said a word, and Rob went up to Jack Nicholson and whispered in his ear, ‘Do you want to do another one?’ And Jack Nicholson said, ‘Well, we’re here,'” Sutherland recalled. “So they did another one, and it was just as extraordinary.”
The actors planned a marathon filming day, but Sutherland said Reiner was so blown away by Nicholson’s performance that day that he sent everyone home early.
“They had planned to shoot the whole day, and Rob looked at everybody and said, ‘I couldn’t ask for anything more, so you guys all have the rest of the day off,” Sutherland said.
Annette Bening
Annette Bening played Sydney Ellen Wade, an environmental lobbyist and love interest of widower President Andrew Shepherd, portrayed by Michael Douglas in the 1995 political romantic comedy, “The American President.” During filming, Bening said Reiner made it a priority as the movie’s director to ensure the cast and crew could spend quality time with their families.
“On the set, he had that kind of enthusiasm that is infectious. The leader sets the tone, right? So he was wonderful that way. And a real avid family man,” Bening said.
She added, “He would insist that the day ended at a sane time, which in show business is kind of unusual. But, he said, ‘No, we want everyone to be able to have dinner with their kids.'”
Michael Douglas
Like Reiner, Michael Douglas was also born to Hollywood royalty, the son of Kirk Douglas.Â
“Well, my experience was, watching him, that I could never be the man that my father was. He could do everything, you know, I mean he was Spartacus. Once you go into the same business, it stares you in the face,” Douglas said. “And, in Rob’s case, are you as funny as your father? But that I think is also what created his tenacity, his strength, and that’s something that’s not really talked about enough with Rob, about his endurance.”
Douglas said Reiner was “spectacular” to work with in “The American President.” “He was looking out for you,” he said.
Jerry O’Connell
When Jerry O’Connell was 11, he was cast as the shy but loyal Vern Tessio in the 1986 coming-of-age drama “Stand by Me.” He met Reiner for the first time at his audition for the film, and recalled Reiner putting him at ease. He said Reiner was like a father figure to him during that time, and the years after.
Months after the movie came out, when he was 12 years old, O’Connell said Reiner took him out to lunch in Los Angeles.
“He took me out to lunch, man. He didn’t have to do that, You know what I’m saying? It was months after the movie came out. He was a busy man, and he took a 12-year-old me out to lunch. Just to be like, ‘Thanks so much. What a great movie,'” O’Connell recalled, with tears in his eyes. “That lunch meant so much to me, you know? It’s just stuff that kids need to hear.”
Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin played Inigo Montoya, a Spanish swordsman, in Reiner’s 1987 film adaptation of “The Princess Bride.” It was the role of a lifetime.
After wrapping up filming, Patinkin said the cast was invited to come out to Los Angeles to see the first rough cut together. When the film was over, Patinkin turned in the screening room and said he “never dreamed” he would get to be in something like this.
“I didn’t even have time to dream it. And he made that dream for me. And I don’t go anywhere, where some child or adult or grandfather comes up to me and says, ‘Say the line,'” said Patinkin of his famous line, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die.”
The word that came to min when Patinkin heard the news about Reiner and his wife, Michele: “Inconceivable.” He said he doesn’t know how to process it and he’s not looking to understand how to process it.
“Rob worked hard to try to get me the best human being I could be. One time he said to me, ‘I just wish you could get out of your own way.’ And I haven’t been able to achieve that to this day, but I won’t quit trying. He cared about my nature. He showed it to me over and over again,” Patinkin said. “I believe that we can connect with Rob and Michele. And every time we’re thinking about this or talking about it or anybody tells a story, he’s here. He’s here with you. He will not be forgotten.”
