Shock and grief are still being felt through Hollywood following the murder of film industry titan Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner on Dec. 14. Police have arrested and charged the couple’s son Nick Reiner, 32, with knifing the couple to death in their home.
The outpouring of grief and remembrance extends back to the Philadelphia area, where Reiner, who was Jewish, launched his career as a teenager at the Bucks County Playhouse.
“We are devastated to hear about the death of Rob Reiner, one of the greatest Jewish filmmakers of our time. From “When Harry Met Sally” to “The Princess Bride,” “Stand By Me,” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” his iconic films will leave a lasting legacy. May his memory be a blessing, as we know his work will continue to inspire filmmakers, artists, and audiences for years to come,” Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media stated on social media.
Reiner graduated high school at 17 and went to work as an apprentice at the playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania before going on to UCLA and studying in their theater department.
“Rob Reiner was a notable member of the Bucks County Playhouse apprentice program in 1964, working alongside Alan Alda, Merv Griffin, Shelley Berman, Liza Minnelli and Arthur Godfrey that summer,” said Alexander Fraser, the current producing director at Bucks County Playhouse.
The Playhouse has a storied reputation as an early career stop for many famous film and television stars. According to a 1968 newspaper profile, Reiner didn’t do much acting at Bucks County, getting only one line in one show. His experience came from painting backdrops and building scenery without pay, and learning from the other actors.
“Reiner mentioned often his gratitude for the training he received on our stage, and his fondness for his time in New Hope,” Fraser said. “He joins Grace Kelly, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Richard Kind and many others in using their experience at Bucks County Playhouse in launching remarkable careers.”
Reiner’s career ballooned after leaving Philadelphia, as he appeared in several television shows during the late 1960s and became a writer for the popular and influential “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” He got his big break playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family,” the country’s top-rated TV show for five years running.
But his best-known work came as a film director starting in the 1980s with films including “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), “Stand By Me” (1986), “The Princess Bride” (1987), “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), and “A Few Good Men” (1992), among many others.
Those films are regarded as some of the most influential in their genres and are cultural mainstays in American film.
Rob and Michele met on the set of “When Harry Met Sally,” while Singer was working as a photographer. Michele is credited for inspiring Rob to make a change to the ending of the classic love story, with the film’s two leads ending up together in an iconic moment.
The couple were married in 1989 and had three children together: Jake, Nick and Romy.
The Reiners were found dead in their Los Angeles home with stab wounds that investigators believe were made by Nick Reiner during the early morning hours of Dec. 14.
