Nick Reiner killed his parents, police say

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of actor-director Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, killed his parents on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday after confirming his arrest.

What Do We Know About Nick Reiner ?

Rob and Michele Singer Reiner had three children: Jake, 34; Nick, 32; and Romy, 28. Reiner and his late ex-wife Penny Marshall were adoptive parents of actress Tracy Reiner. Nick has battled drug addiction and homelessness, and was the inspiration for his father’s 2015 film, “Being Charlie.” He is credited as a co-writer on the film, which follows an 18-year-old addict whose movie star-turned-politician father forces him to go to rehab, and Rob Reiner has said the tensions in the film matched what the Reiner family actually experienced. “When Nick would tell us that [rehab] wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son,” Rob Reiner told the Los Angeles Times following the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nick Reiner told People in 2016 if he didn’t participate in the drug recovery programs his parents suggested, “then I had to be homeless,” stating there were “a lot of dark years there.”

What Do We Know About The Days Leading Up To The Reiners’ Killing?

Nick and Rob Reiner got into an argument at a Christmas party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien in Los Angeles on Saturday night, one day before Reiner and his wife were killed, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing friends of the family. The Times reported many fellow partygoers noticed Nick Reiner acting strangely, citing family friends, who also said he had been living in a guest house on his parents’ property and that his mother had become increasingly worried about his mental health in recent weeks.

What Was The Scene At The Reiners’ Home?

As many celebrity tributes poured out for the Reiner family, actors Larry David and Billy Crystal were reportedly seen at the house after the killing, neighbors told ABC News. Crystal starred in some of Reiner’s best-known movies, including “When Harry Met Sally,” “This Is Spinal Tap” and “The Princess Bride.” Reiner also made an appearance in David’s HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The New York Times reported Monday just after noon local time police had left the Reiner residence, with private security remaining in the area. Security put up “no trespassing” signs around the property, as some onlookers have passed by the home.

What Was Rob Reiner Best Known For?

Reiner, son of actors Estelle and Carl Reiner, started acting in the 1960s with small roles on television and in some of his father’s movies, though he rocketed to fame with a leading role on the classic sitcom “All in the Family,” which ran for nine seasons throughout the 1970s.

Reiner won two Emmy Awards for playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic, a liberal foil to his father-in-law Archie Bunker. Over the next decade, Reiner launched an acclaimed directing career, making his debut with “This Is Spinal Tap” in 1984.

The movie was only a modest success in theaters, making about $6 million on a small budget, but it was widely acclaimed by critics and spawned a sequel more than four decades later, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” which is the final film Reiner directed before his death.

Also in the 1980s, Reiner directed the Oscar-nominated drama “Stand By Me” (1986), fantasy film “The Princess Bride” (1987) and the influential classic romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally” (1989). Reiner directed Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance in “Misery” (1990) and earned the sole Oscar nomination of his career for producing “A Few Good Men” (1992), which he also directed. As an actor, Reiner had roles in such films as “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994) and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013).

Reiner was also a political activist and a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates and liberal causes. Reiner championed a 1998 California ballot measure that taxed cigarettes to pay for early childhood programs, and he backed a legal challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. He campaigned for candidates including Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, and he has slammed President Donald Trump as an autocrat.

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