Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned more than seven decades and left an indelible mark on television, film and stand‑up comedy. Born in the Bronx, New York, to Austrian‑born watchmaker Irving Reiner and Romanian‑born Bessie Mathias, he grew up in a modest Jewish household and was inspired to pursue the arts after his older brother Charles introduced him to a WPA drama workshop. Reiner’s early adult years were interrupted by World II service in the United States Army Air Forces, where he rose to the rank of corporal, trained as a French interpreter, and performed for troops as part of the Special Services entertainment unit. After the war he returned to New York and quickly became a fixture on Sid Caesar’s 'Your Show of Shows', contributing sketches alongside Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Woody Allen, and earning Emmy Awards for his supporting‑actor work in the mid‑1950s. In the early 1960s he created, wrote and produced the seminal sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, also appearing as the irascible network executive Alan Brady, and cemented his reputation as a comedy innovator. His partnership with Mel Brooks produced the legendary ‘2000 Year Old Man’ recordings, winning a Grammy and influencing generations of comedians. As a film director he delivered classics such as Enter Laughing, Where’s Poppa?, Oh, God! and the Steve Martin collaborations The Jerk, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and All of Me. Reiner authored more than two dozen books, received eleven Primetime Emmys, a Grammy, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. He married singer Estelle Lebost in 1943; their three children—Rob, Annie and Lucas—continued his artistic legacy. Reiner remained active in voice work, television guest spots and charitable endeavors until his death at age 98 in Beverly Hills, California, leaving a legacy of wit, warmth and relentless creative energy.