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Rob Reiner
The German premiere of The Bucket List, 2008
Born	Robert Reiner (1947-03-06) March 6, 1947 (age 66) Bronx, New York, United States
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor, director, producer
Years active	1959–present
Spouse(s)	Penny Marshall (1971–1979; divorced) Michele Singer (1989–present; 3 children)

Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor, director, and producer.

As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Michael "Meathead" Stivic, son-in-law of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton), on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s. As a director, Reiner was recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) with nominations for Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally..., and A Few Good Men. He also directed Misery, The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap. He studied at the UCLA Film School.^[1]

Early life [edit]

Reiner was born to a Jewish family in The Bronx, New York, and is the son of Estelle Reiner (née Lebost), an actress, and Carl Reiner, a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director.^[2] As a child, Reiner lived on Bonnie Meadow Lane in New Rochelle, New York, the same street address as the fictional Petrie family in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" created by Rob's father, Carl Reiner.

Career [edit]

Reiner began his career writing for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and 1969. A few years later, Reiner became famous playing Michael Stivic, Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law, on Norman Lear's 1970s sitcom All in the Family, which was the most-watched television program in the United States for five seasons (1971–1976). The character's nickname became closely associated with him, even after he had left the role and went on build a high-profile career as a director. Reiner has stated, "I could win the Nobel Prize and they'd write 'Meathead wins the Nobel Prize'."^[3]

Rob Reiner at the 1988 Emmy Awards

Beginning in the 1980s, Reiner became known as a director of successful Hollywood films. Some of these films—The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, and This Is Spinal Tap— remain highly popular with fans. He often collaborates with film editor Robert Leighton, whom he also shares with fellow director-actor Christopher Guest as their go-to editor.

Reiner has gone on to direct other critically and commercially successful films with his own company, Castle Rock Entertainment, such as When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, and his most commercially successful work, A Few Good Men.^[4]

He has also been the target of modern satire, notably in a South Park episode entitled "Butt Out". Reiner has made cameos on a number of movies and television shows, including Throw Momma from the Train, Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway, The First Wives Club, Primary Colors, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, New Girl, and 30 Rock.

Personal life [edit]

Rob Reiner speaking at a Howard Dean rally on Oct. 29, 2003

Rob Reiner married actress/director Penny Marshall in 1971 and adopted Marshall's daughter from a previous marriage, actress Tracy Reiner. Reiner and Marshall divorced in 1979.

Reiner was introduced to his future wife, photographer Michele Singer, while directing When Harry Met Sally. That meeting not only resulted in him deciding to change the ending of that movie, but he also eventually married Singer in 1989. They have three children. In 1997, Reiner and Singer founded the "I Am Your Child Foundation," now "Parents' Action for Children," a non-profit organization promoting early childhood development by producing and distributing celebrity-hosted educational videos for parents.

Reiner has devoted considerable time and energy to liberal activism in recent years. His lobbying as an anti-smoking advocate in particular, earned his likeness a satirical role in a South Park episode titled "Butt Out".

Reiner is a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights which initiated the court challenge against California Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.^[5]

In 1998, Reiner chaired the campaign to pass Prop 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created First 5 California, a program of early childhood development services, funded by a tax on tobacco products. He served as the first chairman of First 5 California, from 1999 to 2006. Reiner came under criticism for campaigning for a ballot measure (Prop 82) to fund state-run preschools while still chair of the First Five Commission, causing him to resign from his position on March 29, 2006. An audit was conducted, and it concluded that the state commission did not violate state law and that it had clear legal authority to conduct its public advertising campaigns related to preschool. In the end, Prop 82 failed to win approval, garnering only 39.1% support.

Reiner was mentioned as a possible candidate to run against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 but decided not to run for personal reasons. He campaigned extensively for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election, and he campaigned in Iowa for Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean just before the 2004 Iowa caucuses. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president for the 2008 election.

Reiner is a member of the Social Responsibility Task Force, an organization advocating moderation where social issues (such as violence and tobacco use) and the entertainment industry meet.

Reiner is also active in environmental issues, and he successfully led the effort to establish California's Ahmanson Ranch as a state park and wildlife refuge rather than as a commercial real estate development. He introduced Spinal Tap at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007.

Reiner has stated that his childhood home was not observantly Jewish, although he did have a Bar Mitzvah.^[6] He identified himself as having no religious affiliation on the January 13, 2012 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.^[7]

Filmography [edit]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rob Reiner

• Rob Reiner at the Internet Movie Database
• Rob Reiner's biography, awards, and milestones at Hollywood.com
• Rob Reiner Archive of American Television Interview
• American Foundation for Civil Rights at Wehoconfidential.com