Rob Reiner’s friends Billy Crystal and Larry David remember director together: ‘He was always at the top of his game’ | Rob Reiner
US comedy stars Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and Albert Brooks came together to pay tribute to their friend and peer Rob Reiner, hours after the director’s son was accused of murdering his family.
Nick Reiner, 32, has been in custody since Sunday evening, hours after his sister Romy discovered the bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner in their Los Angeles home. Police said the couple suffered fatal stab wounds.
On Tuesday, Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special count involving multiple homicides and a special allegation involving the use of a dangerous weapon, a knife. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
A letter signed by Reiners’ friends was published in the Associated Press on Tuesday. Signed by Billy and Janice Crystal; Albert and Kimberly Brooks; Martin Short; comedy writer Alan Zweibel and his wife Robin; David and his wife, filmmaker Ashley Underwood; composer Marc Shaiman and his husband Lou Mirabal; director Barry Levinson and his wife Diana; and former U.S. ambassador to Spain James Costos and his partner Michael Smith.
Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner first met in 1975, when Crystal had a small role on the sitcom All in the Family, in which Reiner played Mike “Meathead” Stivic. He had a small role in Rob Reiner’s directorial debut, This is Spinal Tap, and appeared in two of the director’s best-loved films, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, and the two men remained good friends for 50 years.
Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner met in high school and have been close friends for 60 years, but have only worked together once: when Reiner directed the 2023 documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.
Rob Reiner’s production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, produced Larry David’s show Seinfeld, and the two men were longtime friends; Reiner played a comedically exaggerated version of himself in an episode of David’s comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The joint letter is as follows:
Going to the movies or watching an intense drama in a darkened hall full of strangers sharing a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, is still an unforgettable thrill. Tell us a story that audiences demand from us. Absorbing everything he learned from his father Carl and mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner became not only a great comic actor but also a master storyteller. There is no other director with his range. From comedy to drama, from ‘mockumentary’ to documentary, he was always at the top of his game. It fascinated the audience. They trusted him. They lined up to watch his movies.
His comedic touch was incomparable, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right and sharpening the edge of a drama was simply exquisite. According to the players, he loved them. It made them better for writers. His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened and included you in the process. They always felt like they worked as a team. It was a privilege to be in his hands as a filmmaker, but that’s only part of his legacy.
Rob was also a passionate and courageous citizen; Not only did he care about the country he loved, he did what he could to make it better, and he had the perfect partner in his loving wife, Michele. Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted much of their lives to the betterment of our citizens… Together they were a special force; dynamic, devoted and inspiring. We were their friends and we will miss them forever.
There’s a line from It’s a Wonderful Life, one of Rob’s favorite movies: “Every person’s life touches so many lives and leaves a terrible void when he’s not around, right?” You have no idea.
Local media reported that Crystal and David were seen at the scene when news of Reiners’ death first emerged on Sunday.
Nick Reiner was located Sunday evening and arrested that evening after authorities determined he was “responsible for their deaths.” Rob and Nick Reiner collaborated on Being Charlie, a 2015 film about Nick’s struggles with addiction and homelessness.
