American comedy legend Carl Reiner has passed away from natural causes at the age of 98. Reiner was a man of many talents – a director, a writer, an actor, a producer, and more, who shaped the face of US comedy across multiple decades.
His filmography is perhaps best remembered for his run of iconic comedy movies made with Steve Martin – 1979’s The Jerk, followed by Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid in 1982, The Man With Two Brains in 1983, and All Of Me in 1984 – widely considered to be some of the funniest movies ever made, filled with iconic lines and performances. Reiner also had a legendary partnership with Mel Brooks, the pair creating the 2000 Years Old Man sketch and releasing a series of comedy albums together.
Prior to his big screen work, Reiner first made his mark on TV. He wrote and starred in Caesar’s Hour and Your Show Of Shows with Sid Caesar, and went on to become the creator of sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show between 1961 and 1966, where he served as a writer and producer, as well as played the supporting role of Alan Brady.
As an actor, Reiner became known to a different generation by joining the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 Ocean’s Eleven remake, as well as its two sequels. Across those films he played Saul Bloom – the veteran con artist who acts as a mentor to George Clooney’s Danny Ocean and Brad Pitt’s Rusty Ryan. His final screen role came in last year’s Toy Story 4, in a brief voice cameo as Bonnie’s forgotten dinosaur toy ‘Carl Reineroceros’, joined by ‘Chairol Burnett’, ‘Melephant Brooks’, and ‘Bitey White’ (Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and Betty White respectively). “It was fun to partner with Mel Brooks and be a small part of such an iconic franchise,” he told EW of the role.
Even in his final years, Reiner was an active participant on Twitter – often voicing his opposition to the presidency of Donald Trump. Here’s a video he released in late 2018, speaking about his considerable life experience and his concerns about the course of America.
In one of his final social media posts, from just two days ago, Reiner wrote: “Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met & marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost---who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world.”
Our thoughts are with his loved ones, friends, and family.