Dave Karger Says Rob Reiner Never ‘Really Got His Due’ As a Director: EXCLUSIVE

Rob Reiner’s death has cast a pall over Hollywood and the millions of fans he entertained with the films he directed.

Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, the victims of what appears to have been a stabbing, according to a source close to the Reiner family.

Reiner’s roster of films is prolific. “Stand by Me,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally …,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men” and “The American President” are among his most notable and beloved movies.

“I would put him up there with Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg as far as filmmakers from our era, right — the ‘80s and ‘90s — who made a string of films that have endured as people’s favorites,” Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger told TODAY on Dec. 15. “You ask random people, what are some of your favorite movies of all-time, chances are you’re going to hear a Rob Reiner film or two in that bunch.”

Karger said his body of work speaks for itself, despite its lack of awards recognition.

“These are movies that have really lasted through the decades, and I don’t think Rob Reiner really got his due,” he said. “His one Oscar nomination was for producing ‘A Few Good Men.’ He never got a best director Oscar nomination, so I don’t he really got his due as a filmmaker. And I think now people are going to really start appreciating all the fantastic movies he made, like never before.”

Reiner was born into show business — his father was Carl Reiner, a comedy icon who created the pioneering “Dick Van Dyke Show.” The younger Reiner’s own star rose beginning in 1971 thanks to his role in “All in the Family” as Mike Stivic — nicknamed “Meathead” by Carroll O’Connor’s bigoted Archie — which netted him an Emmy Award.

“I think this whole situation is so sad and shocking to everybody because he was truly a giant in the entertainment industry, for Rob Reiner to go from son of a comedic legend, Carl Reiner, to Emmy-winning sitcom star for ‘All in the Family,’” Karger said.

Reiner played Archie’s son-in-law, who often sparred with the family patriarch. Karger said he brought the perfect touch to the part.

“‘All in the Family,’ in the 1970s, was appointment viewing every week. It was such a terrific show, a funny show, but also a show that tackled serious topics,” he said.

“And I think in many ways the Rob Reiner Meathead character was the way in for the audience. He was the new member of family, if you will. And I think Rob Reiner even understood what an important role, iconic role that was,” Karger added. “At one point, he said, ‘If I ever won the Nobel Prize, the headline would say, “Meathead Wins Nobel.”’ That was really a role and a character that is going to last for decades to come.”

Reiner made a successful transition from actor to director after “All in the Family” and would go on to help bring to life other movies and shows that fans may not realize he had a hand in developing.

“He was one of the founders of Castle Rock Entertainment, which has been a real big player in the entertainment business, not only producing his own movies, but other directors’ movies like ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’” Karger said.

“He even had a hand in producing ‘Seinfeld,’” he added. “So, Rob Reiner, whether people knew it or not, was behind so many of all of our favorite TV shows and movies, for years and years.”