- published: 12 Feb 2016
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Carl Reiner (born March 20, 1922) is an American actor, director, producer, and writer of comedy whose career spans nearly seven decades.
During the early years of television comedy, from 1950 to 1957, he co-wrote and acted on Caesar's Hour and Your Show of Shows, starring comedian Sid Caesar. In the 1960s Reiner was best known as the creator, producer, writer, and actor on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also had great success as a film director and writer, and partnered with Steve Martin in the 1970s when Reiner co-wrote and/or directed some of Martin's most successful films, including 1979's The Jerk.
He did a comedy duo in the "2000 Year Old Man" with Mel Brooks, and acted in films such as the The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) and the Ocean's Trilogy. Reiner has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during his career. He is the father of actor and director Rob Reiner and author Annie Reiner.
Reiner was born on March 20, 1922, in The Bronx in New York City, the son of Bessie (née Mathias; 1880-1965) and Irving Reiner, a watchmaker. His parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Romania and his mother from Austria. At age 16, his older brother Charlie read in the New York Daily News about a free dramatic workshop being put on by the Works Progress Administration and told him about it. His uncle Harry Mathias was the first entertainer in his family. Carl had been working as a machinist repairing sewing machines. He has credited Charlie with changing his career plans. His older brother Charlie served in the 9th Division's 39th Infantry at 11 major World War II battles and had his ashes buried at Arlington National Cemetery. During World War II, Reiner served in the United States Army from 1943 until 1946 where he trained as a radio operator but was transferred to serve under Major Maurice Evans in the Army Entertainment Section.