Rob Reiner, Actor Who Went on to Direct Classic Films, Dies at 78

Rob Reiner, the son of a pioneering television comedian who became a popular sitcom actor himself before directing a slate of beloved films, including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “When Harry Met Sally …” and “The Princess Bride,” died on Sunday. He was 78.

His death, along with that of his wife, Michele, was announced by Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department said it was investigating “an apparent homicide” at the Reiners’ home.

Mr. Reiner, who initially rose to fame playing Meathead, Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, on the sitcom “All in the Family” in the 1970s, went on to become a remarkably versatile film director. He seemed equally adept at the mockumentary (“Spinal Tap,” 1984), the coming-of-age film (“Stand by Me,” 1986), the children’s classic (“Princess Bride,” 1987), the romantic comedy (“When Harry Met Sally …” 1989) and the courtroom drama (“A Few Good Men,” 1992).

Throughout his career as a director and a producer, Mr. Reiner continued to work as an actor on television and in the films of others, making himself into a rare Hollywood fixture who was known for his work both behind the camera and in front of it. He also led a vibrant political life, lending his celebrity to a variety of liberal causes, including gay marriage.

Mr. Reiner’s family was rooted in show business. His father, Carl Reiner, created “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” moving the family to Los Angeles from New York in the 1950s and at times drawing inspiration from his own family life into his scripts. His mother, Estelle Reiner, was an actress and a singer.

After he was drawn to acting in a high school drama class, Mr. Reiner worked in small theaters and started his own improv group before landing the role on what would become one of America’s defining family sitcoms.

During Mr. Reiner’s eight years on “All in the Family,” from 1971 to 1978, he won two Emmy Awards for best supporting actor. He also began spending time in the writers’s room and closely observing the set, picking up an education in behind-the-scenes work.

He had an ambition to direct since he was a teenager, and while a cast member on the sitcom, he directed a little-known television movie. Five years after the show ended, in 1984, he made his directorial debut with “This Is Spinal Tap,” a mockumentary about a British band past its prime that turned into a cult classic.

After directing “The Sure Thing,” a romantic comedy starring John Cusack, Mr. Reiner decided to adapt a fantasy-adventure novel by William Goldman that he had loved: “The Princess Bride.” A charming mix of satire, adventure and romance, the movie received broad critical acclaim.

“People take a look at ‘Princess Bride,’ and exclaim, ‘God, this is such an odd conglomeration!’” Mr. Reiner told The New York Times shortly after the movie was released in 1987. “‘How could you balance all those things?’”

“But it didn’t seem all that strange to me," he went on, “because those are all parts of my personality. I’ve definitely got this satirical side to me, and this romantic side, and this more realistic way of looking at things.”

In 1971, Mr. Reiner married the actress Penny Marshall, who later co-starred in the sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and became a film director herself. It was after they divorced and Mr. Reiner re-entered the dating world that he had the idea for a romantic comedy about whether men and women could truly be friends without sex getting in the way.

The idea drew the interest of the writer Nora Ephron, who interviewed Mr. Reiner about his dating life as she wrote the screenplay. Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, “When Harry Met Sally …” would become one of the most beloved and culturally enduring romantic comedies of all time.

While making the movie, Mr. Reiner was introduced by the movie’s director of photography to Michele Singer, a photographer from New York. They fell in love and married seven months later, in 1989. Mr. Reiner has said the romance led him to change the ending of the film. An earlier version ended with Harry and Sally walking away from each other.

In the 1990s, Mr. Reiner continued directing at a brisk pace, releasing “Misery,” an adaptation of a Stephen King novel starring Kathy Bates and James Caan; “A Few Good Men,” a courtroom drama starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise that received an Oscar nomination for best picture; and “The American President,” in which Michael Douglas plays a widowed commander in chief who falls for a lobbyist, portrayed by Annette Bening.

Mr. Reiner and his wife had three children together: Jake, Nick and Romy. When Mr. Reiner was married to Ms. Marshall, he adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner, who became an actress, appearing in films such as “A League of Their Own” and “Apollo 13.”

A devoted Democrat, Mr. Reiner was a longtime activist and an outspoken supporter of candidates and political causes. In California, he spearheaded a 1998 ballot initiative that increased taxes on tobacco to pay for early childhood programs and worked with unions on labor issues. He backed a legal campaign aimed at persuading the Supreme Court to establish a constitutional right of same-sex marriage.

In more recent years, he was a vocal critic of the Trump administration, making headlines when he said the president was a threat to democracy. Shortly after the news of his death, prominent Democrats — including former President Barack Obama — released statements mourning him.

Long after he became a director, Mr. Reiner continued to act in films and television shows. He appeared in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013), played a protective father in the sitcom “New Girl” (2012-18) and this year made a cameo in the fourth season of “The Bear.”

Last year, as Mr. Reiner was preparing to shoot the sequel to “Spinal Tap,” he spoke to The New York Times about some of the things that were most important to him. The first things he mentioned were “my wife and kids.”

“That’s the most important to me,” he said. “There’s that joke, nobody on their death bed ever said, ‘I should have spent more time at the office.’ Nobody says that.”

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