Rob Reiner is the mastermind behind some of Hollywood's most iconic films.
The filmmaker and actor, who was found killed with his wife, Michele Singer, in their family home on Sunday, is known for the indelible mark he left on television and film.
As the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, a writer, producer, director and actor during Hollywood's golden era, Reiner followed in his father's footsteps and extended his family's legacy in film and television with his own creative vision.
Throughout his career, he's earned two Primetime Emmy Awards, countless Golden Globe nominations and a best picture Oscar nomination in 1992 for "A Few Good Men."
Watch the ABC News Special, "The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy," on ABC at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT, Tuesday, and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Before stepping behind the camera, Reiner also spent time in front of it as Michael Stivic, a.k.a. Meathead, on "All in the Family," which helped make him a beloved figure in television history.
Here's a look back on all of Reiner's legendary films and shows over the years.
Among Reiner's roles in front of the camera, "All in the Family" is perhaps his most beloved and established the actor and filmmaker as a household name. The role of Meathead represented the younger, liberal generation in Norman Lear's popular sitcom and his interactions with the more conservative Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) in the series allowed the show to explore political tensions in the U.S. in the 1970s.
In an interview with "60 Minutes" in 1994, Reiner said "All in the Family" was a learning experience for him in how he approached filmmaking. The show earned him two Emmy Awards for outstanding continuing performance by a supporting actor in a comedy series in 1978 and best supporting actor in comedy in 1974.
Reiner's directorial debut was the 1984 mockumentary comedy film, "This is Spinal Tap." The film, which is a satire of rock bands and rock documentaries, follows the fictional heavy metal band, Spinal Tap, as they go on tour in the U.S. It starred Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the band. Reiner also starred in the film as Martin "Marty" Di Bergi. The film was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2002.
In September, Reiner released the sequel to "This is Spinal Tap" called "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," with Guest, McKean and Shearer reprising their roles. Elton John and Paul McCartney also make cameos in the film.
"The fun thing for me was falling back with old friends," Reiner told USA Today in an interview in September about the sequel. He also noted that, then and now, all the scenes in the movie are improvised.
"You just start doing your thing with each other, Chris used to call it 'schneedeling,' and right away, we were schneedeling as if no time has gone by. You can't beat that," he added.
This star-studded film from 1986, about a writer who recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy, is one that Reiner said has "meant the most to me." In an interview with Piers Morgan in October, he said he loves all his films, but he said "Stand by Me" is "an extension of my personality and my sensibility."
Reiner, who directed the film written by Stephen King, Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans added that the film "has a mixture of humor and melancholy and emotion and it's something that is closest to me of all the films I've done."
Since its release in 1989, the classic romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally…” has ingrained itself into the American cultural zeitgeist in a way few films have before, by asking the question: Can a man and woman be just friends?
Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, as road trip companions turned friends, turned lovers, Reiner’s film, written by Nora Ephron, was nominated for an Academy Award for best screenplay and five Golden Globe awards.
According to an interview with The Guardian in 2018, Reiner re-worked the ending to the film after meeting his would-be wife on set. “Originally, Harry and Sally didn’t get together. But then I met Michele, and I thought: OK, I see how this works,” he said.
Reiner's 1987 film "The Princess Bride," starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin, has become a cult classic over the years. The film opens with a boy's grandfather reading him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love. The movie is known for its witty dialogue, memorable one-liners and a timeless mix of adventure, romance and comedy.
In an interview with The Television Academy in 2004, Reiner reflected on the film and said "The Princess Bride" was one of his favorite books as a child and added that it combined all his favorite elements: satire, adventure and romance.
"People come up to me and they say 'Spinal Tap' and 'Princess Bride' -- those are the two movies that they mention to me more often than any other movies I've done," he said.
The 1990 horror film, “Misery,” starring Kathy Bates, marked Reiner’s most noteworthy venture into the horror genre. The chilling depiction, based on a Stephen King novel by the same name, tells the story of a man who suffers a destructive car crash in a remote area, only to be rescued and kidnapped by Kathy Bates, character Annie Wilkes.
“A Few Good Men,” the 1992 drama starring Tom Cruise, would go on to score four Oscar nominations, including a best picture nod. The film told the story of a military trial held in regards to a hazing incident at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The star-filled cast included Jack Nicholson, Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland, with the story from Aaron Sorkin.
“A Few Good Men” would score four Oscar nominations and five Golden Globe nods.
“The theme of it, the moral dilemma of when do you follow orders and when do you draw the line. It's not like a message, it's just there,” said Reiner in a 1992 interview with WFAA. “You know, it's just part of the fabric of the piece and it's a moral dilemma that's faced, you know, people in the military since the beginning of time,” he said.
Following "All in the Family," which Reiner starred in from 1971 to 1978, the actor and director starred in several projects across film and television. One of his most memorable parts was in the 1993 beloved film "Sleepless in Seattle," starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, in which he had a cameo as the best friend of Tom Hanks' character, Sam.
Reiner reflected on the film in 1994 in an interview with the American Film Institute and described it as a version of "An Affair to Remember."
"It's about two people who meet each other. She hears him on the radio, talking," he said. "He's a widower, he's lost his wife, and she's about to get married but she falls in love just by listening to him and you don't think they're ever gonna meet and finally, they make an arrangement to meet at the top of the Empire State Building, which is the way it is in 'An Affair to Remember.'"
Reiner also played Zooey Deschanel's father in the comedy series "New Girl" from 2012 to 2018. The role marked his return to acting after years of being behind the camera as a director. In the hit television show, Reiner played Bob Day, the protective father of Deschanel's Jess Day, who has a habit of scaring away the men Jess dates.
Deschanel took to Instagram on Monday following the news of Reiner's death and said her heart is "broken."
"Rob Reiner was the absolute warmest, funniest, most generous of spirits. A truly good human being," she said. "I cherish the time we spent working together and the many films he made that have shaped who I am."
In the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Reiner starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey and more in the story of Jordan Belfort. Reiner took on the role of Max Belfort, the often loud and enraged father of Jordan Belfort, in the film about the Wall Street pro’s excess and success.
“There is a moral rudder to Max, and I think for him, it’s very hard for him to watch his son be out of control,” Reiner told the Associated Press about his role. He called working with Martin Scorsese “a pleasure.”
Reiner's final television acting role before his death was in season 4 of "The Bear," in which he played Albert Schnurr, a restaurant consultant brought in to mentor Edwin Lee Gibson's Ebraheim, who successfully runs The Beef, the sandwich window at the back of The Bear.
In July, while speaking to People about the 41st anniversary re-release of "This Is Spinal Tap," he said that he credits Jamie Lee Curtis for encouraging him to take on the role of Albert in the hit FX series.
"It was so much fun to do," Reiner said at the time. "It's fun to act, and I love acting because it's no worries. You just show up and do your work."
