Rob Reiner biography

Synopsis

Younger Years

Famed actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner was born Robert Norman Reiner on March 6, 1947, in the Bronx, New York. The son of comedic genius Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner has enjoyed great success in the entertainment industry, both behind and in front of the camera. He spent his early years surrounded by show business personalities such as Sid Caesar and Mel Brooks, while his father worked on hit television program Your Show of Shows in the early 1950s. Reiner also spent time on the set of his father's next successful series, The Dick Van Dyke Show, starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

According to family friend and legendary producer Norman Lear, Reiner showed great comedic promise as a child. He moved to California with his family when he was 13 and attended Beverly Hills High School, where he became friends with future actors Albert Brooks and Richard Dreyfuss. Wanting to pursue a career in comedy, Reiner started a group called The Session with some friends.

Early Acting Career

After high school, Reiner attended the University of California Los Angeles and continued to work with improvisational comedy groups, landing some small television roles. In 1967, he made his film debut in Enter Laughing, a romantic comedy written and directed by his father. He also worked as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Reiner got his first taste of success as Mike "Meathead" Stivic on the popular sitcom All in the Family. Stivic and his wife, Gloria, lived with her parents—bigoted curmudgeon Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor) and flighty Edith (played by Jean Stapleton). Premiering in 1971, the show surprised audiences with its confrontational humor. All in the Family, created by Norman Lear, showed that comedy could tackle the issues of the day, including racism.

For seven years, Reiner played "Meathead," a liberal intellectual who frequently clashed with his father-in-law. He won two Emmy Awards in the best supporting actor in a comedy category, first in 1974 and then in 1978. Reiner left the show after the 1977-78 season to pursue other opportunities, including starring on the short-lived show Free Country, which ran during the summer of 1978.

Acclaim for Filmmaking

Reiner's next big break, however, came from his work behind the camera in 1984. Movie audiences were delighted and probably a bit confused by This Is Spinal Tap, a comedy disguised as a rock documentary. At the heart of the film was the dysfunctional heavy metal act known as Spinal Tap (played by actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer). Reiner served as the film's director as well as one of its writers.