Carl Reiner, a legendary figure in American comedy, achieved remarkable success as a comic actor, director, producer, and recording artist. Throughout his illustrious career, he won an impressive nine Emmy Awards, including three for acting, four for writing, and two for producing. Additionally, he received a Grammy Award for his album "The 2,000 Year Old Man," a comedy routine with his long-time collaborator Mel Brooks.
Born in The Bronx to a watchmaker father of Austrian Jewish descent and a Romanian Jewish mother, Carl Reiner's early life was marked by his attendance at a dramatic workshop sponsored by the Works Progress Administration at the age of sixteen. This experience set the direction for his future in the entertainment industry.
Reiner's early career in the 1940s and 1950s included appearances on television shows such as "The Fashion Story" and "The Fifty-Fourth Street Revue." He made his Broadway debut in 1949 in the musical "Inside U.S.A.," which ran for 399 performances. His next Broadway show, "Alive and Kicking," was a flop, lasting only 43 performances. However, this experience led to an important contact with producer-director Max Liebman, who hired Reiner to appear on the television series "Your Show of Shows" in 1950.
Reiner's work on "Your Show of Shows" and its subsequent spin-off, "Caesar's Hour," earned him six Emmy Award nominations for acting. He also began writing for the show, learning his craft from the other writers, including Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. Reiner's writing skills were further honed during his time on "Caesar's Hour," and he went on to write his semi-autobiographical novel, "Enter Laughing," which was published in 1958 and later adapted into a play and film.
In the late 1950s, Reiner created the pilot for a television series, "Man of the House," which was eventually picked up by CBS with Dick Van Dyke in the lead role. Reiner played the role of Alan Brady, the egotistical comedic genius, in the last few seasons of the series. The show, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," ran for five seasons and earned Reiner five more Emmy Awards, three for writing and two for producing.
Reiner's work as a director began with the film adaptation of "Enter Laughing" in 1967. He went on to direct several other films, including "The Comic" (1969),"Where's Poppa?" (1970),"Oh, God!" (1977),and "The Jerk" (1979). His last film directing credit was the romantic comedy "That Old Feeling" in 1997.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Carl Reiner continued to work in television, appearing in shows such as "Mad About You," "The Cleveland Show," and "Hot in Cleveland." He also acted in several films, including the remake of "Ocean's Eleven" and its sequels, as well as the animated film "Good Boy" and the animated series "The Cleveland Show."
Carl Reiner passed away on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most talented and influential comedians of his generation.
