Longtime actor and director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer, 68, were found dead Sunday in their Brentwood, California, home, with police saying they were the victims of homicide.
On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a medical aid call from an undisclosed individual, and the couple later were found stabbed to death in their home. The Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide division is pursuing the investigation, according to USA TODAY.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time,” the Reiner family said in a statement.
Political figures, including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris; and one-tome co-stars and castmates, including “Stand By Me” actor Corey Feldman and actor Jamie Lee Curtis, have voiced their shock through statements or social media posts.
Rob Reiner was the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner (who starred in the “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and the “Ocean’s” films among many others). Rob Reiner carried on a similarly successful career in Hollywood, directing several iconic movies, including 1986’s “Stand By Me;” 1987’s “The Princess Bride;” 1984’s “This is Spinal Tap;” 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally; and 1992’s “A Few Good Men.”
Among Reiner’s numerous movies, he once filmed extensively in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the movie “Flipped.”
Who was Rob Reiner?
Born on March, 6, 1947, Rob Reiner was raised in the Bronx, New York. He was introduced to the film industry early alongside his father, Carl Reiner, and mother, Estelle Reiner, who were both involved in the industry.
Reiner became famous for his role in the 1971-79 sitcom “All in the Family,” as the character Michael Stivic or “Meathead.” He went on to direct Oscar-nominating movies, and founded the production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, according to IMDb.
In 1989, Reiner married Michele Singer, a photographer and they share three children together, Nick, Jake and Romy.
Most recently, Reiner appeared in the 2022 award-winning series, “The Bear,” as the character “Albert Schnurr.”
Did Rob Reiner ever film in Michigan?
Yes. Rob Reiner filmed the 2010 book adaptation “Flipped,” which included Michigan settings from Ann Arbor, Manchester and Saline, according to IMDb, in mid-2009.
Reiner told American Libraries he chose the book to adapt because his son read it in school.
“(W)e read it together and I literally flipped over it. It was so insightful in capturing the feelings of when you first fall in love, and it portrayed it in a way that I remember from when I was 12 years old. In the ending credits of the film, Nick is listed as having inspired the film,” Reiner said.
Reiner said the film used an actual library as a setting.
“The scene was filmed in an actual school library outside Ann Arbor, Michigan. We had to get rid of some of the newer books and fill some shelves with 1960s-era materials. If you could turn the cameras around, you would see a whole bank of computers and modern furniture. We created a period library,” he said in 2010.
Giggster, a movie locations guide, noted that the film used numerous locations throughout the Ann Arbor area.
“(S)ignificant scenes shot at Thurston Pond, the Clague Middle School, and the Thurston Elementary School,” Giggster noted. “Another prime location, Virginia Park, lends its natural beauty to the film, with the significant sycamore tree being one of the highlights. In some scenes, the viewer is given glimpses of the interiors of Bryce’s house, which were filmed in an actual apartment and a set constructed inside a General Motors warehouse. Locations in Saline, like the Saline Middle School, are also featured in the film, as are the downtown area of Manchester and the countryside west of Ann Arbor.”
What is ‘Flipped’ about?
The book is a romance told in two voices, according to GoodReads: “The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran.”
“That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance,” the website says.
The movie is set in the 1950s and 1960s, while the book takes place in the 2000s. The movie is rated PG.
What movies did Rob Reiner direct?
Here’s a list of movies Rob Reiner directed in his career, according to IMDb:
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Director Rob Reiner, wife killed: What to know about his Michigan ties
Reporting by Sarah Moore, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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