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Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers

Emmy-winning actor and director Rob Reiner, who starred as Michael "Mike" Stivic in All in the Family, has died. On December 14, Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders. Mr. Reiner was 78.

Reiner's first television credit was as Leroy Burkey in a 1961 episode of the syndicated crime drama Manhunt. He appeared as a Delivery Boy in a 1967 episode of Batman. Some of his early sitcom guest appearances included Hey, Landlord (3 episodes), The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl (3 episodes), The Mothers-in-Law (1967), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (3 episodes), The Beverly Hillbillies, and Room 222.

He starred as Michael "Mike" Stivic in the 1971-1979 CBS sitcom All in the Family. Based on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family was produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. The show revolves around the life of a working-class man and his family. Michael is the husband of Archie (Carroll O'Connor) and Edith Bunker's (Jean Stapleton) daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers). The character's nickname "Meathead" (given to him by his cantankerous father-in-law Archie) became closely associated with Reiner, even after he left the role and established himself as a director.

Reiner appeared in 174 of the 202 episodes of the series during the first eight seasons—from January 12, 1971, to March 19, 1978. For his performance, he won two Emmy Awards in 1974 and 1978, received three additional nominations, and earned five Golden Globe nominations. He also wrote four episodes of the series. In 1979, he reprised his role of Michael Stivic in the "Thanksgiving Reunion" episode of Archie Bunker's Place.

He starred as Joseph Bresner in the short-lived 1978 ABC sitcom Free Country. Joseph Bresner is the head of a Lithuanian family that emigrated to New York City in the early 1900s. Each episode featured the 89-year-old Bresner in the present day (i.e., in the 1970s) reminiscing about events in the early 1900s. Reiner also wrote two episodes. The series also starred Judy (Judith) Kahan, Fred McCarren, Renée Lippin, Larry Gelman, and Joe Pantoliano.

In 1991, Reiner and Phil Mishkin created the short-lived CBS sitcom Morton & Hayes. The series was centered on the "rediscovered" work of a fictitious comedy duo. Each episode presented what was purported as a newly-discovered Morton & Hayes comedy short from the late 1930s or early 1940s. The episodes were presented in the style of a documentary, in which host Rob Reiner introduced another long-lost comedy film short starring Chick Morton (Kevin Pollak) and Eddie Hayes (Bob Amaral).

He had a recurring role as Bob Day in 11 episodes of the Fox sitcom New Girl from 2012 to 2018. Bob Day is the father of Jessica "Jess" Day (Zooey Deschanel). Though he admits to having many similarities to Nick (Jake Johnson), he is very protective of Jess and disapproves of their relationship.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Partridge Family, The Odd Couple (1974), Good Heavens, It's Garry Shandling's Show (4 episodes), The Larry Sanders Show, Frasier (voice), Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Simpsons (voice), Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, 30 Rock, About a Boy, Happyish (2 episodes), and The Comedians. He appeared as Albert Schnur in four episodes of the FX on Hulu comedy-drama The Bear in 2025.

He began his career in television writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and 1969, working alongside Steve Martin as his writing partner. Reiner, Phil Mishkin and Gerry Isenberg created the short-lived 1972 ABC sitcom The Super. Starring Richard S. Castellano, the series depicted the life of a harried Italian American superintendent of a New York City apartment building. Reiner, Phil Mishkin and Garry Marshall wrote the first episode of Happy Days titled "All the Way", which aired on January 15, 1974.

Reiner made his directorial film debut with the heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984). Some of his other directing credits included The Sure Thing (1985), Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Misery (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), The American President (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), and The Bucket List (2007). His final film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025), was released on September 12. He earned nominations for four Golden Globe Awards for Best Director, and three Directors Guild of America Awards.

Some of his film acting credits included This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), The First Wives Club (1996), Primary Colors (1998), EDtv (1999), Everyone's Hero (2006), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on November 29, 2004.

Mr. Reiner was a talented actor and director. He was funny and memorable as Mike "Meathead" Stivic. He won two Emmy Awards in 1974 and 1978 for the role. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment that he brought us during his legendary career. It's a very shocking and tragic loss. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our All in the Family message board. View photos in our galleries.

Two sides. One truth. His & Hers premieres January 8, only on Netflix! Netflix debuted the official trailer and key art for His & Hers, a chilling new crime drama starring Tessa Thompson & Jon Bernthal. The limited series premieres Thursday, January 8, 2026 only on Netflix.

Set in the sweltering heat of Atlanta, Anna lives in haunting reclusivity, fading away from her friends and career as a news anchor. But when she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega - the sleepy town where she grew up - Anna is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers. Detective Jack Harper is strangely suspicious of her involvement, chasing her into the crosshairs of his own investigation. There are two sides to every story: HIS & HERS, which means someone is always lying.

Star/Executive Producer: Tessa Thompson (Hedda, Creed, Thor). Executive Producers: Kristen Campo for Campout Productions. Jessica Chastain and Kelly Carmichael for Freckle Films. Kishori Rajan for Viva Maude. Starring Thompson, Jon Bernthal, Pablo Schreiber, Crystal Fox, Sunita Mani, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Marin Ireland, Poppy Liu. The limited series will have 6 episodes.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:30 PM

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Labels: All in the Family, Netflix, Obits