Reiner, Rob 1947–

(Robert Reiner)

PERSONAL

Born March 6, 1947, in Bronx, NY; son of Carl (a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director) and Estelle (an actress; maiden name, Lebost) Reiner; brother of Lucas Reiner (an actor, director, and writer); married Penny Marshall (an actress, director, and producer), April 10, 1971 (divorced, c. 1980); married Michele Singer (a photographer), May 19, 1989; children: (first marriage) Tracy (stepdaughter; an actress); (second marriage) three, including Romy and Nick. Education: Attended University of California, Los Angeles, 1965–68. Politics: Democrat.

Addresses: Agent—Rick Nicita, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career: Director, actor, writer, and producer. Castle Rock Productions, Beverly Hills, CA, cofounder, partner, and producer, beginning 1987. Worked as an actor with theatre companies and as a comedian with improvisational comedy groups, including the Session and the Committee, between 1965 and 1968. I Am Your Child (awareness campaign; also known as Reiner Foundation), cofounder, 1997, and volunteer; California Children and Families Initiative, chair, 1999; Parents' Action for Children, founder and board chair; National Resources Defense Council, supporter.

Member: Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America.

Awards, Honors: Emmy Awards, outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series, 1974, 1978, Emmy Award nominations, outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series, 1972, 1973, 1975, and Golden Globe Award nominations, best supporting actor on television, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, and 1977, all for All in the Family; Golden Globe Award nomination, best director of a motion picture, Directors Guild of America Award nomination, best director, and Independent Spirit Award nomination, best director, Independent Features Project West, all 1987, and Readers' Choice Award, best foreign language film, Kinema Junpo Awards, 1988, all for Stand by Me; People's Choice Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 1987, for The Princess Bride; Golden Globe Award nomination and Directors Guild of America Award nomination, both best director of a motion picture, and Film Award nomination, best film, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1990, and Video Premiere Award, best audio commentary, DVD Exclusive Awards, 2001, all for When Harry Met Sally …; Academy Award nomination (with others), best picture, Golden Globe Award nomination, best director of a motion picture, Directors Guild of America Award nomination, best director, and MTV Movie Award, best movie, all 1993, for A Few Good Men; American Cinematheque Award, 1994; Golden Globe Award nomination, best director of a motion picture, 1996, for The American President; National Board of Review Award (with others), best ensemble performance, 1996, for The First Wives Club; Creative Achievement Award, American Comedy Awards, 1997; Humanitarian Award (with wife, Michelle Singer-Reiner), Crystal Awards, Women in Film, 1997; People's Choice Award, 1997; received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1999; Career Achievement Award, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2001; Dream Director Award, Young Hollywood Awards, 2003.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) The Big Mouth, 1967.

Clark Baxter, Enter Laughing, Columbia, 1967.

Leaky Couloris, Halls of Anger, United Artists, 1970.

Roger, Where's Poppa? (also known as Going Ape!), United Artists, 1970.

Don, Summertree, Columbia, 1971.

(Uncredited) Man who gets bumped in car chase, The Enforcer, 1976.

Russel Fikus, Fire Sale, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1977.

Miguelito, How Come Nobody's on Our Side, American Films, 1977.

Truck driver who picks up Navin, The Jerk, Universal, 1979.

Marty DiBergi, This Is Spinal Tap (also known as Spinal Tap), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Embassy, 1984.

Joel, Throw Momma from the Train, Orion, 1986.

Newsreel narrator, In the Mood (also known as The Woo Woo Kid), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1987.

Joe Pierce, Postcards from the Edge, Columbia, 1990.

(Uncredited) Helicopter pilot, Misery, Columbia, 1990.

Dr. Cash, The Spirit of '76, SVS/Triumph Home Video, 1991.

Regarding Henry, Paramount, 1991.

Jay, Sleepless in Seattle, TriStar, 1993.

(In archive footage) The Making of "… And God Spoke," 1993.

Sheldon Flender, Bullets over Broadway, Miramax, 1994.

Dr. Marshall Kinsky, Mixed Nuts (also known as Lifesavers), TriStar, 1994.

Dr. David Townsend, Bye Bye, Love, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995.

Dr. Plosner, Married People, Single Sex II: For Better or Worse (also known as For Better or Worse), Columbia, 1995.

Albert the chauffeur, Mad Dog Time (also known as Trigger Happy), United Artists, 1996.

Dr. Morris Packman, The First Wives Club, Paramount, 1996.

Izzy Rosenblatt, Primary Colors (also known as Perfect Couple and Mit aller macht), Universal, 1998.

Himself, One Vision, 1998.

Stan, The Story of Us, Universal, 1999.

Himself, The Muse, October Films, 1999.

Dr. Whitaker, Ed TV (also known as Edtv), Universal, 1999.

Marty DiBergi, Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, 1998.

Marty DiBergi, Catching Up with Marty DiBergi (short film), Automat Pictures, 2000.

Voice of studio executive, The Majestic, Warner Bros.,2001.

Himself, Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema, and the Myth of Cool (documentary), 2001.

Wirschafter, Alex & Emma, Warner Home Video, 2003.

Himself, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (also known as Dickie Roberts: (Former) Child Star), Paramount, 2003.

America Speaks Out (documentary),Barking Harley Productions, 2004.

(Uncredited) Tell Them Who You Are (documentary), ThinkFilm, 2005.

Voice of Screwie, Everyone's Hero (animated), Twentieth Century-Fox, 2006.

Film Director:

This Is Spinal Tap (also known as Spinal Tap), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Embassy, 1984.

The Sure Thing, Embassy, 1985.

Stand by Me, Columbia, 1986.

Rumor Has It …, Warner Bros., 2005.

Film Producer and Director:

The Princess Bride, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1987.

When Harry Met Sally …, Columbia, 1989.

Misery, Columbia, 1990.

A Few Good Men, Columbia, 1992.

North, Columbia, 1994.

The American President, Columbia, 1995.

Ghosts of Mississippi (also known as Ghosts from the Past), Columbia/TriStar, 1996.

The Story of Us, Universal, 1999.

Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, 1998.

Alex & Emma, Warner Home Video, 2003.

Film Work; Other:

Co-executive producer, Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence, Inc., 2003.

Television Appearances; Series:

Michael "Meathead" Stivic and announcer, All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1971–78.

Joseph Bresner, Free Country, ABC, 1978.

Likely Stories, Vol. 1, 1981.

Host, Showtime 30-Minute Movie (series of specials), Showtime, between 1990 and 1992.

Host, Morton & Hayes (also known as Partners in Life), CBS, 1991.

Himself, The Essentials, TCM, 2001.

Voice of Futterman, Hopeless Pictures (animated), Independent Film Channel, 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Joel Forrest, Thursday's Game (also known as The Berk), ABC, 1974.

Alan Corkus, More than Friends (also known as Love Me and I'll Be Your Best Friend), ABC, 1978.

Monte Miller, The Million Dollar Infield, CBS, 1982.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Guest, The Mickie Finns Finally Present How the West Was Lost, syndicated, 1975.

Male team captain, Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, CBS, 1977.

CBS team member, Battle of the Network Stars II, ABC, 1977.

Witness, The Richard Lewis "I'm in Pain" Concert, Showtime, 1985.

Comic Relief, HBO, 1986.

The Billy Crystal Comedy Special, HBO, 1986.

Marty DiBergi, "Billy Crystal—Don't Get Me Started—The Lost Minutes" (also known as "Don't Get Me Started" and "The Lost Minutes of Billy Crystal"), On Location, HBO, 1987.

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 20th Reunion Show, CBS, 1988.

Living in America, VH1, 1991.

Himself and Michael "Meathead" Stivic, All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special, CBS, 1991.

Marty DiBergi, A Spinal Tap Reunion (also known as The Return of Spinal Tap and A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out), NBC, 1992.

The Please Watch the Jon Lovitz Special (also known as The Jon Lovitz Show), Fox, 1992.

What Is This Thing Called Love? (also known as The Barbara Walters Special), ABC, 1993.

"Addicted to Fame," First Person with Maria Shriver, NBC, 1994.

The Comedy Hall of Fame, NBC, 1994.

Voice of Albert Maltz, Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial, American Movie Classics, 1996.

I Am Your Child (also known as From Zero to Three and Johnson & Johnson Presents: I Am Your Child), ABC, 1997.

Gilda Radner: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1997.

Stephen King: Master of Macabre, The Learning Channel, 1999.

Stephen King: Shining in the Dark, BBC, 1999.

Uncomfortably Close with Michael McKean, Comedy Central, 1999.

The Television Academy Hall of Fame, UPN, 1999.

Telling the Story of Us, 1999.

Forever Hollywood, 1999.

Comedy Central Presents: The New York Friars Club Roast of Rob Reiner, Comedy Central, 2000.

All in the Family: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2000.

The 70s: The Decade that Changed Television, ABC, 2000.

Mark Twain Prize—Celebrating the Humor of Carl Reiner, PBS, 2001.

Glen Campbell: Still on the Line, Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

Narrator, Hail Sid Caesar! The Golden Age of Comedy, Showtime, 2001.

"Carroll O'Connor: All in a Lifetime," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

AFI's 100 Years … 100 Passions, CBS, 2002.

Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Bravo, 2002.

River Phoenix, Arts and Entertainment, 2002.

The Score, Trio, 2003.

Intimate Portrait: Penny Marshall, Lifetime, 2003.

CBS at 75, CBS, 2003.

Commentator, TV Revolution, Bravo, 2003.

E! Entertainment Special: Tom Cruise, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

(Uncredited) Himself, Diary of a Political Tourist (also known as Alexandra Pelosi's "Diary of a Political Tourist"), HBO, 2004.

Inside TV Land: Primetime Politics, TV Land, 2004.

(In archive footage) Spinal Tap Goes to 20, Independent Film Channel, 2004.

How's Your News? On the Campaign Trail, Trio, 2004.

The Seinfeld Story, NBC, 2004.

Mary Tyler Moore: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2005.

AFI's 100 Years, 100 "Movie Quotes": The Greatest Lines from American Film, CBS, 2005.

Unforgettable Moments in Television Entertainment: A Museum of Television & Radio Special, NBC, 2005.

The 50 Greatest Comedy Films, Channel 4, 2006.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Son, "The Hong Kong Caper," 77 Sunset Strip, 1959.

"Carl Reiner," This Is Your Life, NBC, 1960.

(As Robert Reiner) Young cop, "Cop for a Day," Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 1961.

Mr. Brown, "Terror at Northfield," The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, NBC, 1963.

Intern, "Magic Shop," The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, NBC, 1964.

Doctor, "Thanatos Palace Hotel," The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, NBC, 1965.

Teenager, "From out of the Past Comes the Thundering Hoofbeats," Hey Landlord, NBC, 1966.

Carl, "This Little Piggy Had a Ball," That Girl, ABC, 1967.

Big guy, "Testing, One Two," Hey Landlord, NBC, 1967.

Delivery boy, "The Penguin Declines," Batman, ABC, 1967.

Moose, "Oh, How We Danced," Hey, Landlord, NBC, 1967.

Joe, "Goober's Contest," The Andy Griffith Show (also known as Andy of Mayberry), CBS, 1967.

Beatnik, "Lost, the Colonel's Daughter," Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C, CBS, 1967.

Third recruit, "Gomer the Recruiter," Gomer Pyle, U.S. M.C, CBS, 1967.

Joe Turner, "The Career Girls," The Mothers-in-Law, NBC, 1967.

Comedian, The Hollywood Palace, ABC, 1967.

Mitch, "Back to the Hills," The Beverly Hillbillies, CBS, 1969.

Mitch, "The Hills of Home," The Beverly Hillbillies, CBS, 1969.

Moondog, "Flower Power," Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C, CBS, 1969.

Tony, "Funny Money," Room 222, ABC, 1970.

Snake, "A Man Called Snake," The Partridge Family, ABC, 1971.

"Those Oldies but Goodies Remind Me of You," Getting Together, 1971.

Himself, The $10,000 Pyramid (also known as The $20,000 Pyramid, The $25,000 Pyramid, The New $25,000 Pyramid, The $50,000 Pyramid, The $100,00 Pyramid, and The New $100,000 Pyramid), CBS, multiple appearances, 1973.

Sheldon, "The Rain in Spain," The Odd Couple, ABC, 1974.

Larry "King" Sturtevan, "The No-Cut Contract," The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1976.

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game," Good Heavens, 1976.

Himself, "Urban Poverty Consultant," America 2-Night, syndicated, 1978.

People, CBS, 1978.

Michael Stivic, "Thanksgiving Reunion: Parts 1 & 2," Archie Bunker's Place, CBS, 1979.

The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour, NBC, 1982.

Jack Smith, "Johnny Appleseed," Tall Tales and Legends (also known as Shelley Duvall's "Tall Tales and Legends"), 1986.

"Dial L for Laundry," It's Garry Shandling's Show, Show-time and Fox, 1987.

"Doubt of the Benefit," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1994.

"Education," Dennis Miller Live, HBO, 1997.

Voice of Bill, "The Maris Counselor," Frasier, NBC, 1998.

"The Films of Rob Reiner," The Directors, Encore, 1999.

"The Films of Nora Ephron, The Directors, Encore, 1999.

LateLine, ABC, 1999.

Himself, "The Thong," Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, 2001.

(Uncredited) Raw Is War (also known as Monday Nigh Raw, WWE Raw Is War, WWF Raw, WWF Raw Is War, and WWF Warzone), The Nashville Network, 2003.

"Holiday Moments," TV Land's Top Ten, TV Land, 2005.

"All in the Family Episodes," TV Land's Top Ten, TV Land, 2006.

Appeared in an episode of Pros & Cons, Court TV; also voice for an episode of The Simpsons (animated), Fox.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (also known as The Best of Carson), NBC, multiple appearances, between 1971 and 1977.

Guest host, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night, Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, 1975.

The Merv Griffin Show, syndicated, 1976.

The Mike Douglas Show, syndicated, 1977.

Guest host, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (also known as The Best of Carson), NBC, 1978.

Later with Bob Costas, NBC, 1992.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1997.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1999.

The Howard Stern Radio Show, syndicated, 2000.

Primetime Glick, Comedy Central, 2002.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 30th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, CBS, 1978.

The 1st Annual American Comedy Awards (also known as The American Comedy Awards), ABC, 1987.

The 5th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1991.

Presenter, The 18th Annual People's Choice Awards (also known as The People's Choice Awards), CBS, 1992.

Presenter, The 4th Annual Environmental Media Awards, TBS, 1994.

The 2nd Annual American Comedy Hall of Fame, NBC, 1994.

Presenter, The 22nd Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1996.

Presenter, The 28th Annual NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 1997.

The 23rd Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1997.

The 24th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1998.

Presenter, The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, CBS, 2001.

TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV (also known as 1st Annual TV Land Awards), TV Land, 2003.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

The TV Show, ABC, 1979.

Max King III, Partners in Life, CBS, 1990.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Interviewee, The 100 Scariest Movie Moments, Bravo, 2004.

Interviewee, TV Land Moguls, TV Land, 2004.

Television Work; Series:

Creator and executive producer, Free Country, ABC, 1978.

Director, Likely Stories, Vol. 1, 1981.

Cocreator and co-executive producer, Morton & Hayes (also known as Partners in Life) CBS, 1991.

Television Work; Movies:

Executive producer (with Phil Mishkin), More than Friends (also known as Love Me and I'll Be Your Best Friend), ABC, 1978.

Coproducer, The Million Dollar Infield, CBS, 1982.

Television Work; Specials:

Executive producer, But … Seriously, Showtime, 1994.

Executive producer and director, I Am Your Child (also known as From Zero to Three and Johnson & Johnson Presents: I Am Your Child), ABC, 1997.

Television Work; Pilots:

Creator and producer, The Super, ABC, 1972.

Producer and director, Sonny Boy, CBS, 1974.

Executive producer (with Phil Mishkin), The TV Show, ABC, 1979.

Cocreator and co-executive producer, Partners in Life, CBS, 1990.

Stage Appearances:

Danny, The Roast, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1980.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

(In archive footage) The Best of John Belushi, 1985.

How Harry Met Sally …, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2000.

A Few Good Men: From Stage to Screen, 2001.

Narrator, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, Weston Woods, 2001.

As You Wish: The Story of "The Princess Bride," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2001.

Code of Conduct, 2001.

Misery Loves Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, 2002.

Walking the Tracks: The Summer of "Stand by Me," Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2002.

How It Began, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2004.

Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2004.

The Breakthrough Season, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2005.

Appeared as the director in the music video "Does He Love You" by Reba McEntire.

WRITINGS

Films:

Script and score (with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer), and songs "Hell Hole" and "Tonight I'm Going to Rock You Tonight," This Is Spinal Tap (also known as Spinal Tap), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Embassy, 1984.

Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, 1998.

(Uncredited; with others) Alex & Emma, Warner Home Video, 2003.

Television Episodes:

(With others) Mike's Hippie Friends Come to Visit," All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1971.

(With Phil Mishkin) "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie," All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1971.

(With Mishkin) "Flashback: Mike and Gloria's Wedding, Parts 1 & 2," All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1972.

(With Mishkin) "The Matchmaker," The Super, ABC, 1974.

(With others) "All the Way," Happy Days (also known as Happy Days Again), 1974.

(With Mishkin) "Anna's Arrival," Free Country, ABC, 1978.

(With Mishkin) "When Already?," Free Country, ABC, 1978.

Also coauthor of "The Super's Apprentice," an episode of The Super, ABC.

Television Series:

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (also known as The Summer Smothers Brothers Show), CBS, 1968.

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, 1969.

Likely Stories, Vol. 1, 1981.

Television Movies:

(With Phil Mishkin) More than Friends (also known as Love Me and I'll Be Your Best Friend), ABC, 1978.

(With Dick Wimmer) The Million Dollar Infield, CBS, 1982.

Television Specials:

Romp, ABC, 1968.

Robert Young and the Family, CBS, 1971.

Third story, Three for the Girls, CBS, 1973.

I Am Your Child (also known as From Zero to Three and Johnson & Johnson Presents: I Am Your Child), ABC, 1997.

Television Pilots:

(With Phil Mishkin) Sonny Boy, CBS, 1974.

(With others) The TV Show, ABC, 1979.

Videos:

Composer, "Big Bottom," Soundgarden: Louder than Live, 1990.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Newsmakers 91, 1991 Cumulation, Gale, 1991.

Periodicals:

Entertainment Weekly, November 18, 2005, pp. 64-68.

Interview, January, 1997, p. 54.

Mojo, November, 2000, pp. 40-48.

NEA Today, October, 1997, p. 42.

TV Guide, February 15, 2003.

US, August 7, 1989, pp. 50-53, 54.

Electronic:

I Am Your Child, http://www.iamyourchild.org, May 8, 2006.

REINER, Rob

Nationality: American. Born: 6 March 1945. Education: Attended University of California, Los Angeles. Family: Son of actor/director Carl Reiner; married 1) actress/director Penny Marshall, 1971 (divorced); 2) Michele Singer, 1989. Career: Worked as actor and improvisational comedian beginning in 1965; worked as comedy writer for television variety shows, 1968; played key role of Michael Stivic in television series All in the Family, 1971–1978; appeared in wide variety of television comedy as guest performer throughout 1970s and 1980s; directed first film, This Is Spinal Tap, 1984; directed breakthrough film, Stand by Me, 1986; co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment. Awards: Emmy awards for Best Supporting Actor, 1974 and 1978, for All in the Family.Agent: Jane Sindell, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90212, U.S.A. Address: Castle Rock Entertainment, 335 N. Maple Drive, Suite 135, Beverly Hills, California 90210–3867, U.S.A.

Films as Director:

1984

This Is Spinal Tap (+ co-sc, co-songs, role)

1985

The Sure Thing

1986

Stand by Me

1987

The Princess Bride (+ co-pr)

1989

When Harry Met Sally (+ co-pr)

1990

Misery (+ co-pr)

1992

A Few Good Men

1995

North (+ pr); The American President (+ pr)

1996

The Ghosts of Mississippi

1997

I Am Your Child (for TV)

1999

The Story of Us (role)

Films as Actor:

1967

Enter Laughing (Carl Reiner) (as Clark Baxter)

1970

Halls of Anger (Paul Bogart) (as Leaky Couloris); Where'sPoppa (Carl Reiner) (as Roger)

1971

Summertree (Anthony Newly) (as Don)

1974

Thursday's Game (James L. Brooks) (for TV)

1975

How Come Nobody's on Our Side (Richard Michaels) (as Miguelito)

1977

Fire Sale (Alan Arkin) (as Russel Fikus)

1979

More than Friends (Jim Burrows) (for TV) (+ co-sc, co-exec pr)

1982

Million Dollar Infield (Hal Cooper) (for TV) (+ co-sc, co-pr)

1987

Throw Momma from the Train (Danny DeVito) (as Joel)

1990

Postcards from the Edge (Mike Nichols) (as Joe Pierce); Likely Stories, Volume 1 (comedy sketches for cable TV)

1991

Regarding Henry (Mike Nichols)

1993

Sleepless in Seattle (Nora Ephron) (as Jay)

1994

Bullets over Broadway (Woody Allen) (as Sheldon Flender); Mixed Nuts (as Dr. Kinsky)

1995

Bye Bye, Love (S. Weisman) (as Dr. Townsend)

1996

Mad Dog Time (Bishop) (as Albert the Chauffeur); For Betteror Worse (Alexander) (as Dr. Plosner); The First WivesClub (Hugh Wilson) (as Dr. Packman)

1998

Primary Colors (Nichols) (as Izzy Rosenblatt)

1999

Ed TV (Howard) (as Whitaker); The Muse (Brooks) (as himself)

Publications

By REINER: articles—

"Prince Rob," an interview with Harlan Jacobson, in Film Comment, September 1987.

"Reiner's Reason," an interview with April Bernard, in Interview, July 1989.

"L'homme qui racontait des histoires," an interview with I. Katsahnias, in Cahiers du Cinéma, October 1989.

"Rob Reiner on Stephen King," an interview with G. Wood, in Cinefantastique, no. 4, 1991.

"Entretiens avec Rob Reiner et William Goldman," an interview with I. Katsahnias, in Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 4, 1991.

"Rob Reiner Makes a Comedy of Youthful Manners," an interview with R. Alexander, in New York Times, 24 February 1985.

Interview with D. Rosenthal, in Playboy, July 1985.

"Les fictions fatales," an interview with Iannis Katsahnias, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), October 1989.

"Reiner Reason," an interview with Nigel Floyd, in Time Out (London), 1 May 1991.

"The American President," in Premiere (Boulder), December 1995.

"Ghosts of Past and Present," an interview with G. Fuller, in Interview, January 1997.

On REINER: book—

Dunne, Michael, "Jim Henson and Rob Reiner: Kermit's Dad Meets Rob Petrie's Son," in Metapop: Self-Referentiality in Contemporary American Popular Culture, University Press of Mississippi, 1992.

On REINER: articles—

Harmetz, A., "Reiner Has Last Laugh with His Rock Spoof," in NewYork Times, 25 April 1984.

Kilday, Gregg, "Rob Reiner Grows Up," in Vanity Fair, July 1989.

Lloyd, Robert, "Pals," American Film, July/August 1989.

Weber, B., "Can Men and Women Be Friends?" in New York Times, 9 July 1989.

Gray, M., "Love Story," in Films and Filming, December 1989.

Katsahnias, I., "Les fictions fatales," in Cahiers du Cinéma, Octo-ber 1989.

Sharkey, B., "Misery's Company Loves a Good Time," in New YorkTimes, 17 June 1990.

Valot, J., "Rob Reiner," in Revue du Cinema, September 1990.

Bernard, Rita, "From Screwballs to Cheeseballs: Comic Narrative and Ideology in Capra and Reiner," in New Orleans Review, no. 3, 1990.

Kermode, Mark, "Misery," in Sight and Sound, May 1991.

Silveman, J., "Rob Reiner's Latest Hat Trick," in New York Times, 21 July 1991.

Stefancic, M., Jr., "Rob Reiner," in Ekran, no. 3, 1991.

Goldman, Steven, "Masters of the Numbers Game," in Guardian, 2 January 1993.

Biskind, Peter, "A Few Good Menshes," in Premiere, January 1993.

Newman, Kim, "A Few Good Men," in Sight and Sound, January 1993.

Bruzzi, Stella, "Court Etiquette," in Sight and Sound, February 1993.

Rhodes, Joe, "On Comedy, Books, and Toupees," in Los AngelesTimes, 16 June 1993.

Meisel, M., "Friends and Partners Mine Success at Castle Rock," in Film Journal (New York), November/December 1995.

Kelleher, E., "Justice Affirmed," in Film Journal (New York), December 1996.

Ansen, D., "Twister Impossible: The Movie as E-ticket Ride," in Written By. Journal: The Writers Guild of America, West (Los Angeles), July 1997.

Rob Reiner is a show business kid who has learned much from his famous father, Carl Reiner, creator of the American television series The Dick Van Dyke Show and director of many comedy films—most notably Where's Poppa and The Jerk. Beginning his career as an actor, Rob Reiner's most notable role was as Michael Stivic in the long-running American television series All in the Family. Michael Stivic was the not-too-bright comic foil for his right-wing, racist father-in-law, Archie Bunker. Thus, from the beginning of Reiner's career, several elements become apparent that are important to his development as a director: 1) a profound sympathy for the actor and the concomitant empathy to elicit skillful performances; 2) a deep understanding of comedy and satire and, more generally, an innate feel for timing and structure; and 3) an inherently liberal, humanistic sensibility.

If Reiner's facility as a comic gives him great abilities of observation, its negative side is that his career has been by and large a series of very skillful imitations of other directors and other styles. In this context, it is hard to think of Reiner as a major Hollywood artist, no matter how successful his films. Indeed, Reiner would have made an extraordinary director at the heyday of the studio system, taking on the A-assignments with dazzling ability. So if Reiner has not yet demonstrated himself to be an auteur—like Woody Allen, with whom he has been compared, or like David Lynch, who seems a polar opposite—he is definitely a metteur en scene, like Sydney Lumet, Norman Jewison, or Sydney Pollack. Reiner's first film was a mock documentary, This Is Spinal Tap, directed in 1984 and perhaps still one of his finest films. The basic concept of the mock documentary had been undertaken by many before, most notably by Peter Watkins in the 1960s or more popularly by Woody Allen in Zelig the year before. Reiner's sincerity is apparent in that all satire inherently admits its basis in imitation: and This Is Spinal Tap satirizes the documentary genre, as well as rock documentary and rock bands themselves. A young, hip movie with surprising subtlety, This Is Spinal Tap became a cult film and one of the few Reiner films more popular today than when it was released. Some elements of the rock satire include the early, tragic death of a band member (in this case, a drummer), the physical transformation of the band (a short-lived foray into Kiss-like makeup), the girlfriend involved in the band who virtually destroys it (a la Yoko Ono or Linda McCartney), and of course, life on the road (which includes the most brilliant pseudoverite repartee). Throughout, the film's deadpan rhythms are virtually perfect—for instance, Spinal Tap's manager, Ian, intones, "There's no sex and drugs for Ian, David. I find lost luggage!"

This Is Spinal Tap was followed by a modest, dramatic film, The Sure Thing, a sweet and low-budget coming-of-age story which showed Reiner's abilities to get very good, charming performances—in this case, from his leads Daphne Zuniga and John Cusack. The Sure Thing, if slight, was well observed, a kind of contemporary It Happened One Night offering a fairly credible view of college students, a not inconsiderable task, rarely accomplished. However, Reiner's breakthrough film was the higher-budget Stand by Me. A fully realized film based on a very short, uncharacteristic story by Stephen King, Stand by Me presented a day or so in the lives of four pre-adolescent boys. A derivative coming-of-age story which seemed to emulate Francois Truffaut (Les Mistons) or outright imitate Robert Mulligan (Summer of '42), Stand by Me is very entertaining, if manipulative, and designed to appeal to the nostalgia of the yuppie—filled to the brim with references to Pez candy, Walt Disney's Goofy, the Wagon Train television series, and so forth. By the revelations at the end, which propel the characters to their adult fates through the use of voice-over narration, the director clearly has the audience exactly where he wants them for the film's final, sentimental line: "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?" If Stand by Me holds up in the future, it will be as much for the unusually skillful performances Reiner has elicited from his very young actors, including wonderful work from the late River Phoenix in one of his first films.

The Princess Bride was a huge success in 1987. In this film, Reiner told a whimsical fantasy story, changing his style yet again—recalling Spielberg or Walt Disney, even. But an even bigger success came in 1989 with When Harry Met Sally, an absolutely hilarious comedy which made Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan breakaway movie stars. When Harry Met Sally attempted to answer, definitively, the philosophical question: Can straight men and women ever be true friends without sex causing problems? (No.) Virtually every commentator praising the film noted how overwhelmingly it imitated early Woody Allen (the funny period)—the style of joke, the use of music, the characterizations, the philosophical musings, everything. Indeed, it is not far-fetched to call When Harry Met Sally the best Woody Allen film that Allen never made. While the film added to Reiner's reputation in Hollywood and endeared him to audiences, it also began to raise some doubts about his sincerity as an artist, with no personal sensibility clearly emerging.

Misery followed in 1990. Again based on Stephen King material, Misery was in yet another style—showing Reiner to be the most clever study in all of Hollywood—this time emulating Hitchcock and his thrillers, if without Hitchcock's moral sophistication. The story of a woman who keeps a famous writer her prisoner, Misery made Kathy Bates an Academy Award-winning star, and her line "I'm your biggest fan" a kind of cultural catch-phrase. A Few Good Men, released the next year, was a military courtroom drama evoking The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, A Soldier's Story, and several contemporary films of the Reagan/Bush era, like Top Gun, which got great mileage out of men in uniforms. One senses that after having presented James Caan as a weak, passive man in Misery, and after having worked with young people and/or comedians in so many other films, Reiner was eager to show that he could make a man's man kind of film: a solid, Hawksian drama. And indeed, multiple Academy Award nominations followed; the somewhat liberal, anti-establishment theme attracted enough attention to divert from the essential potboiler nature of the project. Probably lasting more than the film's reputation will be the impressive scenery-chewing of Jack Nicholson in the key supporting role.

The critical and popular failure of the sentimental and vapid North in 1994 represented a surprise in the Reiner career, which, through seven films, had shown a steady increase in assurance and judgment, as well as in critical and popular success. North was a juvenile effort uneasily combining a Spielberg-like narrative about a boy who travels across the world to pick out better parents with trite references for their own sake to television and popular culture. Thankfully for Reiner, North was followed in late 1995 by a very strong film, The American President—a funny and moving romantic comedy with deft performances by Annette Bening and Michael Douglas. The American President emerges from Reiner's sympathies for President Bill Clinton, the first liberal Democrat in the White House in twelve years, who was elected in 1992 with great Hollywood support and subsequently excoriated by right-wing commentators over character issues for most of his presidency. The American President, which wears its liberalism proudly on its sleeve, also clearly attacks the domination of the Republican Party by the "Christian Coalition" and its mean-spirited intolerance—as represented by Bob Munson, a Kansas senator played by Richard Dreyfuss who is a clear composite of Kansas Senator Bob Dole and others like Phil Gramm, Newt Gingrich, and Pat Buchanan. The film abounds with fetching parallels to people around Clinton (his young advisor George Stephanopoulos, his daughter Chelsea, and so forth), as well as apparent insights into life in the White House. Certainly, most of Reiner's films have been derivative of other directors, and this time it is Frank Capra, although the influence is acknowledged cheerfully and clearly in the dialogue, and Frank Capra III even serves as the film's first assistant director. Somehow, the Capra vision does not rankle here, not only because it is so suited and similar to Reiner's (although Capra's is darker and more complex), but because it is totally clear that the progressive Reiner believes passionately in his material, which gives the popular form that the film takes a great, contemporary resonance. By the film's end, when the corrupt right-wingers see their influence waning as the president finally gives the speech so many have wished Clinton had given, it is hard—if you possess a liberal vision—not to be moved by Reiner's popular entertainment. Interesting, too, is that Reiner off-screen started taking on the role as spokesperson for liberal Hollywood; indeed, in response to Senator Dole's 1995 (very selective) attacks on Hollywood for trashing American cultural values, Reiner became one of Hollywood's most eloquent and public defenders. Independently, Reiner even proposed and then tirelessly worked for California's Proposition 10, an initiative to impose additional cigarette taxes in order to support children's health issues.

Unfortunately, Reiner's last two theatrical films, Ghosts of Mississippi in 1996 and The Story of Us in 1999 were not particularly well received. The melodramatic Ghosts of Mississippi, which is animated by the director's heartfelt liberal convictions, presents the story of the white prosecutor who won a murder conviction in 1990 against Byron De La Beckwith, the bigot who assassinated civil rights hero Medgar Evers in 1963. Although Ghosts of Mississippi was criticized for its narrative strategy of emphasizing the efforts of its white hero and almost completely ignoring the accomplishments of its black martyr, this criticism seems misguided, for the film's focus is clearly on the failure of white America to take an uncompromising stand for justice. Indeed, Reiner is particularly skillfully at presenting the continuing and subtle racism among his upper-class whites in the Mississippi of 1990. Although arguably a shallow film, Ghosts of Mississippi is nevertheless a melodrama with a bombastic power: when, for instance, the bigoted murderer piously announces "I got tears in my eyes . . . for Dixie," Reiner cuts to the tearful widow of Evers on her knees, scrubbing her husband's blood off their driveway. More ironies accrue as the prosecutor must actually discard his wife—who is named Dixie—in order to effect justice. As is typical in a Reiner film, performances are extraordinary, particularly James Wood's scenery-chewing in old-man make-up as De La Beckwith, which received an Academy award nomination. The Story of Us is harder to defend. A comedy in the vein of When Harry Met Sally, if more melancholy, The Story of Us analyzes the fundamental differences between men and women within the context of a dissolving marriage. Although the film evokes the superior Stanley Donen film Two for the Road, it unfortunately feels tedious and formless, dominated by direct-address, voice-over, and unrelated scenes linked only by its stars looking wistful as they try to figure out what went wrong. That The American President (written by Aaron Sorkin), for instance, is so much more engaging and successful, is a sign of how much Reiner's films really owe to their screenwriters. The Capra-esque happy ending which works so well in The American President, in The Story of Us seems unjustified and unearned—an hypocrisy that contradicts the entire film preceding it, existing only to allow Michelle Pfeiffer her own climactic, histrionic performance opportunity. Unfortunate, too, is that the generally feminist Reiner seems to have lost his bearings, giving in to a casual sexism which implies the woman is more responsible for the marital woes than the man. Clearly, although Reiner can soar when given superior material, he is unable to transcend mediocre material.

Finally, it is necessary to comment on Reiner's overall persona as a performer—for he is a genuinely talented comic actor, clever and canny, who has given a variety of skillful, light performances (notably in Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle and Woody Allen's Bullets over Broadway). With a remarkable lack of self-consciousness, Reiner seems to be forming a recent acting career from deviously satirical self-portraits, as in Mike Nichols' Postcards from the Edge—a film that comically presents the relationship between a parent and adult child in the film industry (based on Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher) and which undoubtedly resonates for Reiner. He has contributed witty, if brief work, too, in Mike Nichols' 1998 Primary Colors, and a reflexive performance playing himself in Albert Brooks' 1999 film The Muse. Ultimately, as a performer as well as director, Reiner is nothing if not likeable, and seems giving, open, and unpretentious.

—Charles Derry

REINER, ROB

REINER, ROB (1945–), U.S. director and actor. Born in New York, the son of actor/writer/director Carl *Reiner, Rob Reiner began as a sketch writer for television's Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Reiner's breakthrough as an actor came in 1971 when he was chosen for the part of Mike Stivic ("Meathead," 1971–78) on the popular tv comedy series All in the Family, for which he won two Emmy Awards. Finding only limited movement in his acting career, Reiner turned to directing, and his feature film mock-documentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984), which he cowrote, was a surprise hit. Reiner followed this success with a series of well-reputed films: The Sure Thing (1985), Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally (1989), Misery (1990), A Few Good Men (Oscar nomination for Best Picture, 1992), North (1994), The American President (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Spinal Tap: The Final Tour (1998), The Story of Us (1999), Alex & Emma (2003), and Rumor Has It (2005).

As an actor, Reiner has appeared in such films as the tv movie More Than Friends (1979), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Spirit of '76 (directed and cowritten with his brother, Lucas, 1990), Bullets over Broadway (1994), Mixed Nuts (1994), Bye Bye, Love (1995), For Better or Worse (1996), Spinal Tap: The Final Tour (1998), Ed TV (1999), The Story of Us (1999), and Alex & Emma (2003).

A principal in Castle Rock Productions, Reiner also had a hand in producing a variety of films and tv series. From 1971 to 1979, Reiner was married to actress/director Penny Marshall.

add. bibliography:

J. Ferry, Rob Reiner (Behind the Camera) (2002).

[Jonathan Licht /

Ruth Beloff (2^nd ed.)]