How Rob Reiner’s career kicked off in New Hope and what we know about his death

Before he came to be a beloved actor on All in the Family or celebrated for directing hits like The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner was just a teenager training in New Hope, Pa.

The late filmmaker — who was found dead alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on Sunday in their Los Angeles home — got his start at the Bucks County Playhouse.

In a 2016 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Reiner said his senior year at Beverly Hills High School sparked a career path in acting because drama class felt “familiar and comfortable.”

After graduating at 17, he apprenticed at the Playhouse in 1964. As noted by Philadelphia Magazine, the Playhouse was one of a short list of regional theaters where Broadway plays would be workshopped. In turn, a lot of famous — or in Reiner’s case, soon-to-be famous — people came to New Hope, including Liza Minnelli and Robert Redford.

Reiner’s time working on shows as a Playhouse Apprentice meant he rubbed elbows with Alan Alda, Merv Griffin, and Shelly Berman, a spokesperson said. It was the same year Minelli appeared at the Playhouse and Arthur Godfrey was in Our Town.

“Reiner mentioned often his gratitude for the training he received on our stage, and his fondness for his time in New Hope,” Bucks County Playhouse producing director Alexander Fraser said. “He joins Grace Kelly, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Richard Kind and many others in using their experience as an apprentice in launching remarkable careers.”

Here’s what else we know about the deaths of the Reiners.

Reiner was long considered one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and 90s, including This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, and The Princess Bride.

His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic All in the Family, alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together.

The couple continued to collaborate on both film and advocacy projects. In 1997, they founded the I Am Your Child Foundation for early childhood development. In 2004, they established the Parents’ Action for Children nonprofit focused on public policy and early learning initiatives.

Reiner was regarded as a liberal activist and praised for his work as a cofounder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge against California Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.

A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the Reiners’ death to reporters.

Police said they were investigating the case as an apparent homicide after a family member discovered them dead. The couple had stab wounds.

As of Monday morning, the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, 32, was in custody on unspecified felony charges. His bail is set at $4 million, records show.

Tributes for the Reiners have been pouring in across Hollywood and beyond.

Relatives of Norman Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, released a statement about Lear’s relationship with Rob Reiner.

“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” the statement said. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”

The Obama family released a tribute praising the couple’s art and advocacy work.

“Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” Barack Obama’s statement said. “They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”

Kathy Bates, who starred in Misery, the thriller directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s writing, released a statement.

She praised the late director as “brilliant and kind” and someone who “fought courageously for his political beliefs.” She also highlighted Singer Reiner‘s photography work, including promotional photographs for Misery.

King posted a tribute on X, calling Reiner a “brilliant filmmaker.”

President Donald Trump wrote a statement about Reiner’s death in a post on Truth Social that has been classified as “incendiary,” “deranged,” and “inappropriate” by reports and critics — including GOP members.

The long-winded statement suggested Reiner and Singer Reiner’s death arose from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Reiner, who was known for his liberal activism, often publicly criticized Trump and his policies.

Trump continued in his post, “[Reiner] was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.”

Republican lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Trump’s statement Monday morning in X posts, calling him out of line.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.