Oscar-nominated actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, December 14, with police indicating that homicide is suspected. Their son, Nick, is reportedly in police custody and faces a bond of 4 million dollars for felony charges related to the death of his parents.
According to the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the home for a medical aid request made by one of their children, which was made shortly after 3:30 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters found Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, already dead. Detectives from the homicide division of the Los Angeles Police Department were dispatched to the scene. By 9:15 p.m., Nick Reiner had been taken into police custody, and he was booked into jail shortly after 5 a.m. The following day. The cause of death of the two victims was not initially announced but was later revealed to have been related to stab wounds found on both of the bodies. Little more is being released regarding Nick Reiner's arrest and presumably impending arraignment at this time.
The couple had been married since 1989 and have two other children, Jake and Romy. They are being mourned by many colleagues, including neighbors Billy Crystal and Larry David, who reportedly arrived at the home during the investigation and were highly disturbed by the incident. The deaths have also been addressed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who honored Rob Reiner's film legacy while also acknowledging him as "a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights," drawing particular attention to his anti-tobacco and pro-education work.
Reiner began his film acting career in the 1970s, with bit roles on shows like Manhunt and Batman, but it was his role as Michael "Meathead" Stivic on All in the Family that provided his first huge break, providing a foil to Archie Bunker's cantankerous conservative character and earning him two Emmy Awards. His legacy may be most firmly cemented in Hollywood legend as the director and co-producer of the 1987 hit The Princess Bride.
In 1992, his military legal drama film A Few Good Men, which he directed and co-produced, was nominated for Best Picture and three other trophies at the 65th Annual Academy Awards. Other top films that benefited from Reiner's expertise include This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, Sand By Me, and Misery, while some of the more popular films he appeared in include The Wolf of Wall Street, The Jerk, Throw Momma from the Train, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Majestic. His final on-screen movie credit was reprising his role as fictional documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi in 2025's Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.
Rob Reiner Film History
As Actor
- Enter Laughing
- Halls of Anger
- Where's Poppa?
- Summertree
- Fire Sale
- The Jerk
- This Is Spinal Tap
- Throw Momma from the Train
- Postcards from the Edge
- Helicopter Pilot
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Bullets Over Broadway
- Mixed Nuts
- For Better or Worse
- Bye Bye Love
- The First Wives Club
- Mad Dog Time
- Primary Colors
- EDtv
- The Muse
- The Story of Us
- The Majestic
- Alex & Emma
- Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
- Everyone's Hero
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- And So It Goes
- Sandy Wexler
- Shock and Awe
- Family Squares
- Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
As Director
- This Is Spinal Tap
- The Sure Thing
- Stand by Me
- The Princess Bride
- When Harry Met Sally
- Misery
- A Few Good Men
- North
- The American President
- Ghosts of Mississippi
- The Story of Us
- Alex & Emma
- Rumor Has It...
- The Bucket List
- Flipped
- The Magic of Belle Isle
- And So It Goes
- Being Charlie
- LBJ
- Shock and Awe
- Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
- Spinal Tap II: The End Continues