Rob Reiner, the award-winning Hollywood actor and director, and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their home on Sunday in Los Angeles. Officials said they were investigating the deaths as homicides. Mr. Reiner was 78.
It was unclear immediately how they died. But the Los Angeles Police Department said it was investigating an “apparent homicide” at the couple’s home in West Los Angeles after two bodies were found.
As news of the deaths spread, public officials and members of the Hollywood community posted tributes.
Here’s what we know about Mr. Reiner’s death and his career:
The police responded after deaths were reported at Mr. Reiner’s house.
Captain Mike Bland of the Los Angeles Police Department said that officers responded to reports of deaths at a home around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday. The police identified it as Mr. Reiner’s residence and said that officers discovered two bodies inside.
Alan Hamilton, deputy police chief, said the L.A.P.D. was conducting a “death investigation.” He said that investigators were trying to obtain a search warrant for the home. The police blocked off the street where the couple lived with yellow tape.
Many of Rob Reiner’s movies became classics.
Mr. Reiner was born in the Bronx to a successful show business family. His father, Carl Reiner, created “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the 1960s and his mother, Estelle Reiner, was an actress and a singer.
The younger Mr. Reiner enrolled in drama class in high school and landed roles in small theaters. He later created his own improv group.
He first rose to fame in the 1970s when he played Meathead, Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, on the sitcom “All in the Family.” He won two Emmy Awards for his work on the show.
Mr. Reiner made his directorial debut with the 1984 film “This is Spinal Tap,” a mockumentary about a British band past its prime that became a cult classic. He would later go on to direct “The Princess Bride” (1987) and the 1989 hit “When Harry Met Sally…”
He was a Democrat and a longtime political activist.
In addition to being a Hollywood hitmaker, Mr. Reiner, a Democrat, was an outspoken supporter of political causes. In 1998, he spearheaded a ballot initiative in California to increase taxes on tobacco to pay for early childhood programs.
In 2005, he joined forces with labor unions to challenge some of the policies of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. In 2006, voters rejected an initiative he led that, if successful, would have raised income taxes on top earners to pay for half-day preschool for all 4 year olds in California. Later, he backed a legal campaign to persuade the Supreme Court to establish same-sex marriage as a constitutional right.
The stature of Mr. Reiner and his wife among the biggest names in the Democratic Party was evident in the tributes released after their death.
“Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” former President Barack Obama said on social media. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.
Jin Yu Young is a reporter and researcher for The Times, based in Seoul, covering South Korea and international breaking news.
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