Rob Reiner, the award-winning Hollywood actor and director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death in their home in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to the police and others briefed on the case.
Their son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on Sunday night and booked into jail in Los Angeles County, county jail records show. He is being held on $4 million bail, according to the records. The Los Angeles police chief, Jim McDonnell, said on Monday that he was “booked for murder.”
Here’s what we know about Rob Reiner’s death and his career:
The police responded after deaths were reported at Mr. Reiner’s house.
Capt. 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, in West Los Angeles, and said that officers discovered two bodies inside.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said the department 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…”
One day, Michele, a photographer, visited the New York set of “When Harry Met Sally…” and was watching a scene when Mr. Reiner spotted her. A few months later, they married.
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 raise 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 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.”
Christine Hauser contributed reporting.
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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