Rob Reiner’s Early Career At Bucks County Playhouse Remembered

Long before he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on “All in the Family” or the director behind cinematic classics like “The Princess Bride,” Rob Reiner was a teenager in New Hope Borough learning the ropes of professional theater.

“Rob Reiner was a notable member of the Bucks County Playhouse apprentice program in 1964,” Alexander Fraser, the Playhouse’s producing director, said to The Keystone.

Fraser noted that 17-year-old Reiner’s time in New Hope Borough was spent working alongside other future stars, including Alan Alda and Merv Griffin.

Reiner arrived in New Hope Borough just after graduating from Beverly Hills High School. Encouraged by his parents—comedy legend Carl Reiner and actress Estelle Reiner—he sought hands-on experience in “summer” theater.

During 1964, Reiner worked at the popular playhouse with Liza Minnelli, Alan Alda, and Shelley Berman.

“Reiner mentioned often his gratitude for the training he received on our stage, and his fondness for his time in New Hope,” Fraser told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He joins Grace Kelly, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Richard Kind and many others in using their experience as an apprentice in launching remarkable careers.”

Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found murdered Sunday inside their Los Angeles home.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Tuesday morning that Nick Reiner, the son of the Hollywood couple, is being formally charged with killing his parents. A motive was not announced.