Birth name: Carl Reiner
Father: Irving Reiner, watchmaker
Mother: Bessie (Mathias) Reiner
Marriage: Estelle (Lebost) Reiner (December 24, 1943-October 25, 2008, her death)
Children: Lucas, Annie and Rob
Education: Attended Georgetown University, 1943
Military service: US Army, 1942-1946
Other Facts
Nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards with 11 wins, including seven awards for his work as writer and creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” He was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.Nominated for eight Grammy awards with one win.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Reiner developed an interest in writing and performing after taking a government-funded drama class sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). When Reiner received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2000, he said the WPA was instrumental in steering him towards a comedy career and he credited President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of the people who helped him break into showbiz.
Reiner’s literary output included novels, children’s books and memoirs.
Timeline
1942-1946 – Reiner serves in the Army during WWII. He transfers from the Army’s signal corps to the Special Services Entertainment Unit, touring the South Pacific with a theater company that stages productions for the troops.
April 30, 1948 – Reiner makes his Broadway acting debut in a patriotic musical, “Inside U.S.A.”
1950-1954 – Member of the writing team and cast of TV comedy, “Your Show of Shows.” There, he meets Mel Brooks, with whom he develops an absurdist routine in which a reporter (Reiner) interviews a 2,000-year-old man (Brooks).March 16, 1957 – Wins the Emmy for Best Supporting Performance by an Actor for “Caesar’s Hour.”
1958 – Reiner’s first novel, “Enter Laughing,” is published. The semi-autobiographical book is adapted into a 1963 Broadway play.
April 15, 1958 – Wins the Emmy for Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actor in Drama or Comedy for “Caesar’s Hour.”
1960 – Reiner and Brooks record an album featuring a mock interview with the 2,000-year-old man. The hit spawns four follow-up albums, an animated TV special and several books.October 3, 1961 – “The Dick Van Dyke Show” debuts on CBS. The series was originally going to be titled “Head of the Family,” with Reiner starring as Rob Petrie. After a pilot was shot, the show was reworked with a new cast, led by Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, and a new title. Reiner appears as Alan Brady; a bombastic variety show host.
May 22, 1962 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy for “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
May 26, 1963 – Wins two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy for “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
May 25, 1964 – Wins two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety for “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
September 12, 1965 – Wins Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment for “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
May 22, 1966…
Source: Carl Reiner Fast Facts
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