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Rob Reiner and wife Michele’s deaths being investigated as apparent homicide, police say
[ad_2]Rob Reiner and wife Michele’s deaths being investigated as apparent homicide, police say – CBS News
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Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in their Los Angeles home – National | Globalnews.ca
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Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds and a family member is being questioned by investigators, the official said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.
Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.
Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride.
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His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic All in the Family, alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.
Relatives of Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, said they were bereft by the news.
“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” said a Lear family statement. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”
Messages to Reiner’s representatives were not immediately returned Sunday night.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss for the city.
“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”
The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and have three children together.
Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.
Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighbourhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where O.J. Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner Found Dead in Apparent Homicide
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Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner have died in an apparent homicide. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family said in a statement. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that two people had been found dead at the home of Rob Reiner. TMZ first reported that it was Reiner and Singer Reiner. TMZ also said the bodies had injuries consistent with a knife. People claim that Singer and Reiner were killed by their son, Nick. However LAPD chief of detectives Alan Hamilton said “we have not identified a suspect at this time,” and that there “was no person of interest,” per the Hollywood Reporter.
Reiner, the son of comedian Carl Reiner, first came to national attention as Archie Bunker’s “Meathead” son-in-law on All in the Family. He became a prolific director, making such films as This Is Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally. He founded production company Castle Rock, which produced Seinfeld among many other projects for film and television. Singer Reiner, a photographer, ironically shot Donald Trump’s cover phot for The Art of the Deal. She and Reiner would become vocal opponents of Trump as a political figure. The couple were also instrumental in overturning Proposition 8 in California.
Tracy Reiner, whom Rob Reiner adopted when married to Penny Marshall, told NBC News that she was at a loss for words. “I came from the greatest family ever,” she said. “I don’t know what to say, I’m in shock.”
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Bethy Squires
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Rob Reiner used his fame to advocate for progressive causes. ‘Just a really special man. A terrible day’
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Rob Reiner was known to millions as a TV actor and film director.
But the Brentwood resident, known for the classic films “Stand by Me” and “When Harry Met Sally,” was also a political force, an outspoken supporter of progressive causes and a Democratic Party activist who went beyond the typical role of celebrities who host glitzy fundraisers.
Reiner was deeply involved in issues that he cared about, such as early childhood education and the legalization of gay marriage.
Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, were found dead inside his home Sunday, sparking an outpouring of grief from those who worked with him on a variety of causes.
Ace Smith — a veteran Democratic strategist to former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Gov. Jerry Brown and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — had known Reiner for decades. Reiner, he said, approached politics differently than most celebrities.
“Here’s this unique human being who really did make the leap between entertainment and politics,” Smith said. “And he really spent the time to understand policy, really, in its true depth, and to make a huge impact in California.”
Reiner was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that successfully led the fight to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage. He was active in children’s issues through the years, having led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created an ambitious program of early childhood development services.
Proposition 10 was considered landmark policy. Reiner enlisted help in that effort from Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
“He wanted to make a difference. And he did, and he did profoundly,” Smith said.
After Proposition 10 passed, Reiner was named the chair of the California Children and Families Commission, also known as First 5 California. He resigned from the post in early 2006 after the commission ran $23 million in ads touting the importance of preschool as Reiner was gathering support for Proposition 82.
The measure, which was unsuccessful, would have taxed the wealthy to create universal preschool in California.
The filmmaker and his wife spent more than $6 million on the failed proposition. They also donated significant sums to support national Democratic Party groups and candidates including Jerry Brown, Gray Davis, Ed Rendell and Andrew Cuomo.
Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley professor of education and public policy, called Reiner “a caring and vigilant advocate for children. He added cachet and cash to California’s movement to open preschools for tens of thousands of young families over the past quarter-century.”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who had known Reiner since he was a state lawmaker in the 1990s, worked with him on Proposition 10 and was impressed with how Reiner embraced the cause.
“He was a man with a good answer. It wasn’t politics as much as he was always focused on the humanity among us,” Villaraigosa said. ‘When he got behind an issue, he knew everything about it.”
“Just a really special man. A terrible day,” the former mayor said.
Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that she was “heartbroken” by the day’s events, saying Reiner “always used his gifts in service of others.”
“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” the mayor said.
“I’m holding all who loved Rob and Michele in my heart,” Bass said.
Newsom added, “Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education. He made California a better place through his good works.”
“Rob will be remembered for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity,” the governor said.
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Seema Mehta, David Zahniser
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Director Rob Reiner and wife, Michele, found dead in their Los Angeles home in what police call apparent homicide
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Director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead Sunday in their Los Angeles home, sources told CBS News, in what police called an apparent homicide.
Rob Reiner was 78 and Michele Singer Reiner was 68.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time,” his family said in a statement obtained by Variety.
Firefighters were called to a Brentwood home Sunday afternoon, where they found two bodies. Authorities did not immediately explain the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that the Robbery Homicide Division responded to the home, but did not provide further details on the investigation other than to say it was an “apparent homicide.”
In a news conference Sunday night, police would not confirm the identities of the deceased.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Allen Hamilton said the LAPD was “not seeking anyone as a suspect, or as a person of interest or in any other manner, and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and move forward.” Hamilton also noted LAPD has not identified a suspect “at this time.”
“No one has been detained … No one is being interviewed,” he said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Sunday night, “This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice. An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that he and his partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.”
“Rob was the big-hearted genius behind so many of the classic stories we love, with projects as wide-ranging as ‘The Princess Bride’ to ‘A Few Good Men.’ His boundless empathy made his stories timeless, teaching generations how to see goodness and righteousness in others — and encouraging us to dream bigger,” he said.
The famed director is known for movies such as “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men,” “Stand By Me” and “This is Spinal Tap.” A sequel, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” was released this fall. His wife was a photographer who took the photo of President Trump used on the cover of his book “The Art of the Deal,” according to Variety.
The couple married in 1989 and has three children. Reiner was previously married to the late director Penny Marshall, and is the adoptive father of her daughter.
The son of legendary comedian and actor Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner rose to fame playing Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, Michael Stivic, better known as “Meathead” on CBS’ “All in the Family.” Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role.
“When Harry Met Sally…” famously featured a brief appearance from Rob Reiner’s mother, Estelle,” who delivered the iconic line “I’ll have what she’s having.” It was also during the filming of “When Harry Met Sally…” that Rob Reiner met his wife, Michele. In a 2016 interview with AV Club, he said meeting her was what made him change the ending of the movie to have Harry and Sally end up together.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Rob Reiner, Director of ‘Misery,’ ‘Princess Bride,’ Dead at 78
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One of the great directors of a generation, Rob Reiner, is dead at the age of 78. He was found in his Los Angeles, CA, home on Sunday along with his wife, Michele. The deaths are being treated as a homicide, according to TMZ. People reports the couple was allegedly killed by their son, though this has not yet been confirmed by officials.
There will be much more to say as law enforcement finds out the circumstances of the deaths in the coming days. So, for now, let’s just put that aside and talk about Reiner; he provided the world so much joy through his art, it’s almost unprecedented.
Reiner, born in 1947, was the son of the prolific comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker Carl Reiner. He followed in his father’s footsteps, first rising to stardom with a lead role as an actor on the classic comedy, All in the Family. He parlayed that into many behind-the-scenes credits before making his feature directorial debut with This Is Spinal Tap in 1984.
Eventually, the film became a massive cult hit. But, for Reiner, it would be a few more years until he experienced commercial success as he had on TV. That first came in 1986 when he directed the Stephen King adaptation, Stand By Me, which started one of the most incredibly successful runs in Hollywood history.
Next, there was The Princess Bride, regularly cited as one of the greatest fantasy adventure films of all time. Then there was When Harry Met Sally, arguably the best romantic comedy ever. Then Misery, another King adaptation that won its lead actress, Kathy Bates, an Oscar. Then came the star-studded, still-quoted courtroom smash, A Few Good Men.
Many, many films followed, such as The American President, The Bucket List, North, Flipped, and more. Each cemented Reiner’s legacy as an all-time great. Plus, he co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, which itself was responsible for another insane lineup of hits, before it was acquired by Turner in 1993.
I saw Reiner earlier this year at an event in Los Angeles. He was there to talk about two of his films, Stand By Me and Misery, and was as sharp and inspiring as ever. I got emotional being in the same room with the filmmaker, thinking about what his work has meant to me. Now, thinking about him being gone, it hits even harder, because he truly was a one-of-a-kind, generational talent.
Update, December 15, 1:23 a.m.: The original version of this post was updated to include additional clarity about the alleged crime.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Germain Lussier
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Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Killed In Brentwood Home, In Apparent Homicide
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Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead Sunday inside their Brentwood home, in what the Los Angeles Police Department says is “an apparent homicide.”
According to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department, a call requesting medical aid at the residence was placed at 3:30 p.m. local time. When crews reached the scene, they discovered a woman, aged 68, and a male, aged 78. Police, including detectives from LAPD’s robbery-homicide division, were subsequently called to the scene.
A spokesperson for the family confirmed to the LA Times that the deceased were Rob and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a statement sent by the representative reads. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
In a brief statement, an LAPD spokesperson told Vanity Fair “At this time, no further details are available as this is an ongoing RHD investigation, into an apparent homicide.”
Reiner, the son of late actor Carl Reiner, rose to fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on 1970s sitcom All in the Family. He was later nominated for an Academy Award as a producer of 1993 best picture contender A Few Good Men. He directed films including When Harry Met Sally…, The Princess Bride, and 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, the sequel to which, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, was released earlier this year.
This is a developing story.
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Eve Batey
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This is Rob Reiner | Sunday on 60 Minutes
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Rob Reiner directed some of the most iconic films: “When Harry Met Sally,” “A Few Good Men,” and “The Princess Bride.” This Sunday, he sits down with Lesley Stahl to discuss his latest project, “Spinal Tap II.”
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Rob Reiner | 60 Minutes Archive
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From “Stand By Me” to “A Few Good Men,” Rob Reiner told Steve Kroft in 1994 that the secret to his films was simple: “Tap into your own experience,” explaining that he tried to inhabit the insides of a character.
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‘When Harry Met Sally’ Director Rob Reiner Reflects on the Awkwardness of Directing the Fake-Orgasm Scene in Front of His Mother
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Rob Reiner famously cast his mother in a key scene in his 1989 classic When Harry Met Sally — but he now says he may not have realized how awkward directing it was going to be.
The director appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday night, where he opened up about his newly released sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, as well as his late-’80s hit starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
The latter starred Crystal and Ryan as the title characters, and the two had a key scene in the film where Sally and Harry are having lunch at a busy deli. Their conversation consists of Sally trying to convince a dubious Harry that at least one of his past sexual partners has more than likely faked an orgasm with him. Sally fakes the act — loudly, while banging on her table — and brings stares from fellow diners. The scene ends with one of the greatest lines in movie history, uttered by Estelle Reiner: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
But things got really awkward for Reinger when he had to step in and show Ryan how he wanted her to act out the moment.
“First couple of times, she didn’t do it full out,” he said. “And finally, I sat across from Billy. And I acted it for her.… And I’m pounding the table, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ And I’m realizing I’m having an orgasm in front of my mother, you know? There’s my mother over there.”
The movie ends with — spoiler alert! — longtime friends Harry and Sally getting married and talking about their wedding reception. Interestingly, that wasn’t the way things might have ended: As noted on 60 Minutes, Reiner actually changed the ending to a happy one after he met his now-wife Michele, who now serves as a producer on his films, including Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
Reiner — who also reprises his role in that sequel as the director of a documentary about a hapless rock band — says he realizes there was a “high bar” given the reviews on the cult classic original, which was released 41 years ago.
“Are we crazy to do another one?” he said. “It’s crazy. The bar is just way too high.”
Christopher Guest (left) and Rob Reiner in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan
After Harry Shearer (who plays Derek Small) successfully sued for control of the rights to the original, that paved the way to make a sequel.
“Now it’s 40 years later, we have these rights: Whaddaya do with ’em? And we started throwing out ideas,” Reiner explained.
Both films rely heavily on ad-libbing — or “schnadeling,” as Reiner calls it — from the cast but also from the famous faces who cameo, including Paul McCartney.
The original movie, which is credited with helping launch the mockumentary genre, poked fun at rock bands and took its inspiration from some real-life scenarios.
“Apparently, Van Halen had a rider in their contract: ‘No brown M&Ms,’” Reiner said. “So some roadie had to sit there picking out the brown M&Ms. It’s crazy. So we looked at that, and we said, ‘There’s a scene.’” That inspired a scene wherein Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) complains about the bread being too small.
Michael McKean also reprises his role as David St. Hubbins in the film, which was released in theaters last month and is also available on streaming platforms.
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Kimberly Nordyke
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Rob Reiner Launches Disturbing Attack On Conservative Christians – ‘Antithetical To The Teachings Of Jesus’
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Source: MSNBC YouTube The radically liberal Hollywood star Rob Reiner launched a vile attack on conservative Christians, saying that they are “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”
Reiner Attacks Christians
Reiner is currently promoting his new documentary God & Country, which “looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only the constitutional republic, but Christianity itself,” according to IMDB.
“This movement that they have here seems completely antithetical to the teachings of Jesus,” Reiner, 76, told Newsweek.
“Jesus was about peace and love and helping thy neighbor and those less fortunate than ourselves,” he continued. “And I thought that was something that we should all aspire to. So to me this movement is going totally opposite the teachings of Jesus.”
Reiner went on to blame “Christian nationalism” for the January 6 Capitol riot. .
“The Christian nationalist movement… it says that it’s my way or the highway and will resort to violence if we don’t get our way, which is what we saw happening on January 6,” he said.
Reiner unsurprisingly also used this interview to attack the former President Donald Trump.
“I can criticize [Donald] Trump because he’s the one who’s roping these people into this thinking,” he said. “Trump is a cult, and people who follow the cult are vulnerable. They’re looking for meaning, they’re looking for a direction, and you can get swept up in something [like that].”
Related: Rob Reiner Launches Vile Attack On Christian Trump Supporters
Reiner’s Previous Attack On Christians
Reiner launched a similar attack on Christians last month.
“Jesus told us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Reiner wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “How in God’s name can anyone who believes in the teachings of Jesus support Donald Trump?”
Unfortunately for Reiner, however, this immediately backfired on him big time when Christians hit back.
“If you believed in Jesus you would know,” the Oscar-nominated Hollywood star Randy Quaid wrote in response.
“You support Joe Biden You have no right to speak about Jesus or the Bible,” another X user commented, with a third writing, “President Trump brought prosperity to the US. He also brought peace. Biden has brought war, a crumbling economy, and an invaded border. It’s clear to anyone being honest that Trump is better for our country than Biden. That’s why Biden’s approval is so low. We need Trump now!”
Related: Rob Reiner Calls Trump ‘New Leader Of The Confederacy’ Who Must Be Convicted
Reiner Weighs In On Biden And Trump
This comes one day after Reiner, who is fiercely loyal to Joe Biden, weighed in on the presidential election.
“Okay. Here’s the truth. Biden is old,” he wrote on X. “But he is a decent moral person who is incredibly effective at governing. Trump is old. But he’s a pathologically lying criminal who is incapable of governing and will destroy American Democracy.”
Reiner frequently uses his X profile to rant against Trump, who lives rent-free in his head.
“Trump not only wants to destroy American Democracy, his alliance with Vladimir Putin will destroy Democracy around the world,” he wrote earlier this week.
Reiner has long been one of the most shameless liberals in Hollywood, and he’s only become more fanatical as he’s gotten older. It’s both disturbing and despicable that Hollywood is giving him a platform to launch such vile attacks on conservative Christians.
What do you think about Reiner’s latest comments? Let us know in the comments section.
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Trump Courtroom Drama in Pre-Production – Bill Tope, Humor Times
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Studios are said to be negotiating with the principals of the New York v. Donald Trump case for the rights to a courtroom drama.
Columbia Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment are in discussions regarding a potential courtroom drama with the principals of the State of New York v. Donald Trump fraud case. The ex-president is on trial there for alleged fraudulent business dealings.
“Queen Latifah would make a great A.G. Letitia James,” says Rob Reiner. Photo by Sister Circle TV, CC BY 3.0. Castle Rock and Columbia are the same entities who produced the much-acclaimed film, “A Few Good Men” in 1992. Observers have drawn parallels between the fictional and the real life courtroom dramas.
Rob Reiner, who directed the original film, is said to interested in the proposed second movie, which is reported to have a budget of $250 million and a working title of “A Few Big Schmucks.”
The cast has not yet been announced, but Columbia is reportedly in talks with Sean Penn to play the ex-president; Stormy Daniels to portray Ivanka Trump; and the role of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is prosecuting the case, is reportedly Queen Latifah’s, “if she wants it.”
Jack Nicholson is interested in playing Trump, citing his starring role in 1980’s “The Shining” as proof of his ability to play deranged characters, but he was dismissed by the former-president out-of-hand as “just too damn old.” Trump is said to prefer Brad Pitt.
Studio officials are also considering making “A Few Good Schmucks” into a multi-media or hybrid production and portraying Eric and Donald Trump Jr. by cartoon icons Heckle and Jeckle, the yellow-billed magpies. Deliberations are reportedly underway with Terrytoons and CBS.
Bill Tope is a retired (caseworker, cook, construction worker, nude model for art classes, and so on) who lives with his mean little cat Baby.
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Bill Tope
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Borscht Belt comedian Freddie Roman dies at age 85
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Comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died. He was 85.
Roman died Saturday afternoon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, his booking agent and friend Alison Chaplin said Sunday. His daughter told the entertainment trade Deadline that he suffered a heart attack that morning.
Roman made his name performing at hotels and resorts in the Catskill Mountains, also referred to as the Borscht Belt for the largely Jewish crowd that vacationed there and the comics such as Mel Brooks and Don Rickles who entertained them. He later performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Bally’s Grand in Atlantic City, and he roasted the likes of Rob Reiner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and Hugh Hefner. He also conceived of “Catskills on Broadway,” where he and his friends Dick Capri, Marilyn Michaels and Mal Z. Lawrence brought their nostalgia-tinged, Catskills-flavored standup to New York. He also appeared in various television shows and films over the years, including “Red Oaks” on Amazon.
“A great loss to the world of comedy,” Paul Reiser wrote on Twitter. “He was such a huge supporter & mentor when I was starting out. A GREAT comic, the ultimate pro with the biggest heart. I will miss our phone calls and his big, beauty laugh.”
Born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Roman got a taste for stand-up comedy early thanks to his family. His uncle and grandfather owned the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills, where Roman started emceeing at age 15.
In “Catskills on Broadway,” Roman commented about everything from his childhood in Queens to his “retirement life” in Florida.
“I took a cholesterol test,” Roman quipped. “My number came back 911.”
The New York Times, in its review of the show in 1991, wrote, “Catskill resorts may be fighting the recession, but Catskill comedy has not lost its flair.”
The show, he’d later say, changed his life. It went to Broadway and then toured around the country, and Roman would continue performing for years to come. He was also made Dean of the New York City Friars Club, where he mentored many aspiring comedians and infused the private club with young talent.
One of those young comedians was Jeffrey Ross, who said of Roman in 2003 that, “When I was becoming a member, there weren’t many of us who were younger. … But Freddie would always come over and spend time with me and my friends and be real lovable.”
Capri, in the same interview, said Roman was the perfect comedy ambassador.
“He’s the social director of the world,” Capri said. “And he loves every second of it.”
The stint lasted a bit longer than he expected. Roman joked of his tenure that, “Eleven years ago I became president for two years. I’m like the Fidel Castro of comedians. I’m president for life.” In 2014, he was succeeded by Larry King.
But, he told Atlantic City Weekly in 2011, the greatest job he ever had was opening for Frank Sinatra, when his regular opening comedian Tom Dreesen wasn’t available. Roman learned about the opportunity on a layover in Chicago, left the plane and boarded another for Philadelphia to make the show in Atlantic City with just a few hours to spare.
He left the stage to see Sinatra laughing. The singer even called him back for another bow.
“Frank hugged me, and I saw my wife and daughter and they were crying,” Roman said. “It was unbelievable. … Nothing ever topped working with Sinatra.”
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Borscht Belt comedian Freddie Roman dies at age 85
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Comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died. He was 85.
Roman died Saturday afternoon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, his booking agent and friend Alison Chaplin said Sunday. His daughter told the entertainment trade Deadline that he suffered a heart attack that morning.
Roman made his name performing at hotels and resorts in the Catskill Mountains, also referred to as the Borscht Belt for the largely Jewish crowd that vacationed there and the comics such as Mel Brooks and Don Rickles who entertained them. He later performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Bally’s Grand in Atlantic City, and he roasted the likes of Rob Reiner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and Hugh Hefner. He also conceived of “Catskills on Broadway,” where he and his friends Dick Capri, Marilyn Michaels and Mal Z. Lawrence brought their nostalgia-tinged, Catskills-flavored standup to New York. He also appeared in various television shows and films over the years, including “Red Oaks” on Amazon.
“A great loss to the world of comedy,” Paul Reiser wrote on Twitter. “He was such a huge supporter & mentor when I was starting out. A GREAT comic, the ultimate pro with the biggest heart. I will miss our phone calls and his big, beauty laugh.”
Born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Roman got a taste for stand-up comedy early thanks to his family. His uncle and grandfather owned the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills, where Roman started emceeing at age 15.
In “Catskills on Broadway,” Roman commented about everything from his childhood in Queens to his “retirement life” in Florida.
“I took a cholesterol test,” Roman quipped. “My number came back 911.”
The New York Times, in its review of the show in 1991, wrote, “Catskill resorts may be fighting the recession, but Catskill comedy has not lost its flair.”
The show, he’d later say, changed his life. It went to Broadway and then toured around the country, and Roman would continue performing for years to come. He was also made Dean of the New York City Friars Club, where he mentored many aspiring comedians and infused the private club with young talent.
One of those young comedians was Jeffrey Ross, who said of Roman in 2003 that, “When I was becoming a member, there weren’t many of us who were younger. … But Freddie would always come over and spend time with me and my friends and be real lovable.”
Capri, in the same interview, said Roman was the perfect comedy ambassador.
“He’s the social director of the world,” Capri said. “And he loves every second of it.”
The stint lasted a bit longer than he expected. Roman joked of his tenure that, “Eleven years ago I became president for two years. I’m like the Fidel Castro of comedians. I’m president for life.” In 2014, he was succeeded by Larry King.
But, he told Atlantic City Weekly in 2011, the greatest job he ever had was opening for Frank Sinatra, when his regular opening comedian Tom Dreesen wasn’t available. Roman learned about the opportunity on a layover in Chicago, left the plane and boarded another for Philadelphia to make the show in Atlantic City with just a few hours to spare.
He left the stage to see Sinatra laughing. The singer even called him back for another bow.
“Frank hugged me, and I saw my wife and daughter and they were crying,” Roman said. “It was unbelievable. … Nothing ever topped working with Sinatra.”
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