Robert Reiner (March 6, 1947 – December 14, 2025) was an acclaimed American filmmaker, actor, and progressive activist who first became a household name as Michael "Meathead" Stivic in the 1970s sitcom All in the Family, a role that earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards. He transitioned to directing, creating a remarkable string of iconic films including This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), and A Few Good Men (1992)—the latter earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, with three of his films later inducted into the National Film Registry. He also acted in movies like Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and co-founded the production company Castle Rock Entertainment in 1987. As a political advocate, he championed LGBTQ rights, early childhood education, and environmental protection, co-founding the American Foundation for Equal Rights in 2008 to challenge California's same-sex marriage ban. Tragically, Reiner and his wife were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025; their son Nick has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, and the case remains ongoing.