Carl Reiner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carl Reiner
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Reiner in 1960
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| Born | March 20, 1922 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | June 29, 2020 (aged 98) |
| Education | School of Foreign Service |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
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| Years active | 1945–2020 |
| Political party | Democratic |
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| Military service | |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | Armed Forces Radio Service |
| Wars |
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| Awards | Good Conduct Medal |
| Comedy career | |
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Carl Reiner (born March 20, 1922 – died June 29, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, director, writer, and author. His amazing career lasted for seven decades. He won many important awards, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. He also received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 1999, he was added to the Television Hall of Fame.
In the early days of television comedy (from 1950 to 1957), Carl Reiner acted and wrote for popular shows like Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He worked with other famous writers such as Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen. Reiner and Brooks became a comedy team, creating funny albums like 2000 Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (1960). Carl Reiner also created and produced The Dick Van Dyke Show, a very successful TV series that ran from 1961 to 1966. He also acted in this show.
Reiner directed many funny movies, including The Jerk (1979), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), and All of Me (1984), all starring Steve Martin. He also acted in films like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and the Ocean's movie series (2001–2007). Carl Reiner wrote over two dozen books, especially later in his life. He was the father of actor and director Rob Reiner, author Annie Reiner, and artist Lucas Reiner.
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Carl Reiner's Early Life and Military Service
Carl Reiner was born in The Bronx, New York, on March 20, 1922. His parents were Irving and Bessie Reiner. His family was Jewish. His father was a watchmaker from Austria, and his mother was from Romania. Carl had an older brother named Charles.
When Carl was 16, he worked fixing sewing machines. His brother Charles told him about a free drama workshop. Carl later said this workshop changed his life and made him want to become an entertainer.
Serving in the Army
Carl Reiner joined the United States Army Air Forces on October 27, 1942, during World War II. He became a Staff Sergeant. He first trained to be a radio operator. After getting well from pneumonia, he studied French at Georgetown University. There, he directed a play in French for the first time.
In 1944, he was sent to Hawaii to work as a teleprinter operator. One night, he saw a play by the Special Services entertainment unit. He auditioned and was moved to this unit. For two years, Reiner performed for troops in places like Hawaii, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He was honorably discharged from the army in 1946.
Carl Reiner's Amazing Career
Starting in the 1950s
After the war, Reiner performed in several Broadway musicals. In 1950, he joined Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows as a comic actor. He also helped write sketches for the show, working with future stars like Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. He won Emmy Awards in 1955 and 1956 for his acting.
Reiner also wrote for Caesar's Hour with Brooks, Simon, and Woody Allen. In 1959, he became the head writer for The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. In 1958, he hosted a game show called Keep Talking on CBS.
Comedy and Directing in the 1960s
In 1960, Reiner teamed up with Mel Brooks to form a famous comedy duo. They performed as "The 2000 Year Old Man" on The Steve Allen Show. Reiner played the straight man, asking questions to Brooks's very old character. Their routine became a series of five comedy albums and a TV special. One album even won a Grammy Award.
In 1958, Reiner wrote a TV series called Head of the Family, based on his own life. The network didn't want him to star in it. So, in 1961, the show was recast and renamed The Dick Van Dyke Show. It became a huge hit, making stars of Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. Reiner wrote many episodes and sometimes appeared on the show as Alan Brady. The series was very popular from 1961 to 1966.
In 1966, Reiner acted in the movie The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. From 1964 to 1965, he also hosted a game show called The Celebrity Game.
His first movie as a director was Enter Laughing (1967). This film was based on his own book. He balanced directing, producing, writing, and acting in many projects. Other early films he directed include Where's Poppa? (1970) and Oh, God! (1977).
Reiner once wrote about Where's Poppa?, saying it was a "cult classic." He explained that a cult classic is a movie that wasn't seen by many people but is loved by a small group who think it's amazing. He also joked that a true cult classic doesn't make back the money it cost to make.
Success in the 1970s and 1980s
In 1977, Reiner directed and appeared in Oh, God!, starring George Burns. This movie was a big success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1977. Critics also loved it.
His next film, The One and Only (1978), didn't do as well. Throughout the 1970s, Reiner also appeared on many TV shows, like Night Gallery and The Carol Burnett Show. He also created The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974).
Reiner played a big part in the early career of comedian Steve Martin. He directed Martin's first movie, The Jerk (1979). He also directed and co-wrote with Martin on films like Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983), and All of Me (1984). Reiner even acted in The Jerk and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.
Later Years: 1990s–2020
In 2000, Carl Reiner received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Many of his friends and fellow comedians, including Mel Brooks and Steve Martin, honored him. A year later, he played Saul Bloom in Ocean's Eleven (2001) and continued the role in Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007).
From 2004 to 2005, Reiner voiced Sarmoti in the animated show Father of the Pride. He said he knew how to play the role because he grew up near the Bronx Zoo and watched lions.
Reiner appeared in many TV specials and guest-starred in several TV series until his death in 2020. In 2009, he was on House and voiced Santa in Merry Madagascar. He also appeared in Two and a Half Men and Hot in Cleveland.
Reiner also lent his voice to many animated films and audiobooks. He narrated children's stories like Aesop's Fables and Jack and the Beanstalk.
In 2012, he appeared on Jerry Seinfeld's show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. They talked about his career. Reiner shared that he and Mel Brooks often watched Jeopardy! and movies together.
Reiner's very last role was in Home Movie: The Princess Bride, a project filmed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise money for charity. He appeared with his son Rob Reiner in the final scene, which was filmed just three days before he passed away. His last line in the film was, "As you wish," which means "I love you."
Author and Novelist
Carl Reiner wrote more than two dozen books. His first book, Enter Laughing (1958), was an autobiographical novel. He later wrote a sequel called Continue Laughing (1995). He also wrote a memoir, My Anecdotal Life: A Memoir (2003).
He wrote a funny series of memoirs called I Remember Me (2012), I Just Remembered (2014), and What I Forgot to Remember (2015). He also wrote books about film and art. Reiner even wrote children's books based on the stories he used to tell his grandson, who would ask for "a scary story, Grandpa, but not too scary."
Online Activity
In July 2012, Reiner joined Twitter to keep up with his grandson. He tried to post at least once a day. He posted over 6,500 tweets and gained many followers. His favorite topics included movies and politics. At 98, Reiner was the oldest celebrity to actively use Twitter.
His final interview was a video posted online, where he talked about his wife and family. He said, "We met, fell in love, and I was 20 at the time and she was 28, and people said this is not a match ... It only worked for 65 years, and if she didn't pass on we'd still be working on it."
Carl Reiner's Comedy Style
Carl Reiner believed that to write good comedy, you should imagine yourself as an ordinary person. He said, "If you imagine yourself as somebody really normal and if it makes you laugh, it's going to make everybody laugh." He felt that if you try too hard to be special or funny, you might become boring. He compared it to walking: if you think too much about how you walk, you might trip.
Carl Reiner's Personal Life
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On December 24, 1943, Carl Reiner married singer Estelle Lebost. They were married for almost 65 years until she passed away in October 2008. Estelle famously said the line "I'll have what she's having" in the deli scene of the 1989 movie When Harry Met Sally....
They had three children: Rob Reiner (born 1947), who became a famous actor and director; Annie Reiner (born 1949), a poet and author; and Lucas Reiner (born 1960), an artist.
Carl Reiner was a Democrat and lived in Beverly Hills, California. In 2018, at 96 years old, he publicly shared his hope to live long enough to see a change in the US presidency in 2020.
From 1974 to 2001, he sponsored the Carl Reiner Charity Celebrity Tennis Tournament in La Costa, California. This event brought together many players, including professionals, to raise money for charity.
Carl Reiner's Death
Carl Reiner passed away peacefully at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98. His nephew said that Reiner had been in good spirits all day and had spent the evening watching TV with his friend Mel Brooks.
After his death, many comedians and entertainers shared their sadness and memories of him. These included Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Dick Van Dyke, Carol Burnett, and George Clooney. They remembered him as an amazing comedic talent and a wonderful person.
Carl Reiner's Awards and Honors
Carl Reiner received many awards throughout his long career in television and film. For his comedy albums with Mel Brooks and his writing for shows like Your Show of Shows and The Dick Van Dyke Show, he won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award.
In 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1999, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2017, Carl and his son Rob Reiner became the first father-son duo to have their handprints and footprints added to a concrete slab at Grauman's Chinese Theater.
See also
In Spanish: Carl Reiner para niños
Images for kids
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Reiner in 1960
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Reiner in a 1962 publicity photo for The Dick Van Dyke Show
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Reiner with Goldie Hawn on the set of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In on January 16, 1970
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Reiner with Dick Van Dyke in 2000
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Reiner in April 2011
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Carl and Rob Reiner in 2008
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Reiner's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
