What to know
- Rob Reiner, the acclaimed actor, director, and producer behind The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me and Misery, has died at age 78.
- Reiner had a longstanding relationship with the Toronto International Film Festival, where The Princess Bride won the People’s Choice Award in 1987 and was later named one of the festival’s most influential films.
- Tributes have poured in from across the film industry, including Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland, who credited Reiner with a life-changing early role in Stand By Me.
- In addition to his film and television legacy, Reiner was a prominent political activist and advocate for marriage equality through his work with the American Foundation for Equal Rights.
Canadian film lovers are mourning the loss of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife producer Michele Reiner after they were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14
Son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, blazed his own trail in the entertainment industry. Known to most as the director of Stand By Me, Misery and one of the greatest romantic comedies ever, When Harry Met Sally, Reiner’s first iconic role was Michael ‘Meathead’ Stivic in the hit 70s comedy series All in the Family.
More recently, New Girl fans may know him as Jess Day’s father, Bob Day and viewers of The Bear saw him as business expert Albert Schurr in the latest season of the FX series.
Rest in Peace Rob Reiner and his wife Michele 💔 pic.twitter.com/Fi34KlQdAT
— chefkids (@girlflopping) December 15, 2025
Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland, who acted alongside Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in A Few Good Men and the late River Phoenix in Stand By Me, says he is “forever grateful” for the “life changing opportunity” Reiner gave him.
The Toronto International Film Festival remembers Reiner with an excerpt from a recent interview at the festival. Reiner screened a handful of his films at TIFF, most notably The Princess Bride which not only won the coveted People’s Choice Award in 1987, but was named as one of the festival’s most influential films.
He returned to the festival in 2015 with Being Charlie. Written by son Nick Reiner, the film follows a young addict battling the struggles of addiction and tumultuous relationship with his parents. The following year, Reiner returned again for the American political drama, LBJ.
A decade later, Reiner returned to the festival with Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to his iconic rock mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap. Spinal Tap’s “final” concert film, Stonehenge: The Final Finale will play in theatres in 2026.
In addition to his invaluable pop culture contributions, Reiner was a liberal political activist known for his alignment with the democratic party and deemed Trump “mentally unfit” to serve as president. He cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights which initiated the court challenge against Proposition 8, which banned marriage equality in California.
