'Princess Bride' star Cary Elwes shares tribute to Rob Reiner

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‘Sure, death cannot stop true love but life is pain without you,’ the actor penned in social media message

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Published Dec 31, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 5 minute read

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Honoree Rob Reiner and actor Cary Elwes attend the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles. Photo by Charley Gallay /Getty Images North AmericaArticle content

The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes is opening up in a tribute to Rob Reiner after the actor and director was found murdered alongside his wife, Michele, in their Los Angeles-area home.

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In an Instagram Reel, Elwes shared behind-the-scenes footage from the 1987 fantasy that co-starred Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin, telling his followers that “enough time has passed that I can finally put my grief into words.”

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“I was 24 when I first met Rob Reiner on The Princess Bride. And from that very first meeting I fell in love with him,” Elwes wrote. “I was already a fan of his work so meeting him in person was a dream come true. As we began spending more time together I knew this was someone I wanted in my life.

“I also knew that by casting me as Westley he was giving me the keys to the castle.”

Elwes said that one of the first things he noticed about Reiner “was that he wore his heart on his sleeve” and he “was a man who felt deeply.”

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The actor went on to say that Reiner’s “heart was filled with love and compassion” and he wasn’t swayed by material wealth.

“He wasn’t impressed by how much money you had or if you had a privileged upbringing,” Elwes continued. “He just wanted to know if you were a ‘good guy.’ He always tried to find the best in people.”

Alluding to his son Nick, who is accused of killing his parents in the early-morning hours of Dec. 14, Elwes said Reiner was someone who “felt bad” for people who had problems. The celebrated filmmaker — who shared Nick, 32, Romy, 28, and Jake, 34, with Michele, and was also stepfather to 61-year-old Tracy Reiner — also “loved his family and friends immensely.”

Elwes, who also worked with Reiner on 2015’s Being Charlie, which was co-written by Nick, praised the director as a “brilliant filmmaker” who relished the experience of making movies.

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“He used to say to me, ‘Once the movie is released it belongs to other people. But while you are making it, that’s your time on the planet, so you wanna make it good.’ And boy was my time with him on The Princess Bride beyond great,” Elwes said.

“I can’t remember a single day without laughter,” he recalled. “The movie is about love, loyalty and sacrifice. Things that Rob held dear. Which is among the many reasons he was the perfect person to direct it.”

Recalls couple has a ‘great team’

The Stranger Things star also paid tribute to Reiner’s wife, Michele, who met working on 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, calling the couple “a great team.”

After Reiner found love with Michele following his divorce from Tracy’s mom, Penny Marshall, he was convinced to change the ending to the classic rom-com that starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

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“It was going to be the two of them seeing each other after years, talking and then walking away from each other,” Reiner told CNN‘s Chris Wallace in 2024. “I met my wife Michele, who I’ve been married to now 35 years, I met her while we were making the film, and I changed the ending.”

Elwes said the pair’s bond was strengthened over the years by their advocacy for “those who were marginalized.”

“In a town where many talk the talk, they truly walked it,” he wrote, adding that the Reiners used their fame “to shine a light on causes they believed in.”

Director Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner arrive for the Human Rights Campaign 2019 Los Angeles dinner at the JW Marriott LA Live on March 30, 2019 in Los Angeles. Photo by JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX /AFP via Getty Images

The SAG nominee ended his eulogy by saying that being able to make Reiner laugh made him feel like he’d “won the lottery.”

“His laugh was one of the greatest sounds I’ve ever known — so heartfelt it still rings in my ears,” he said as he thanked the Reiners for sharing their life and art with moviegoers over the decades.

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“Because my heart still aches every time I think of you, I know the grief of losing you too soon will likely never go away,” he concluded. “Sure, death cannot stop true love but life is pain without you.”

Speaking to Postmedia a decade ago when they reunited for Being Charlie, Elwes said that after his experience making The Princess Bride he had been wanting to work with Reiner again for his entire career.

“It’s almost like that high that you want to get again. I would bother him every time I heard he had a new project coming,” Elwes said. “What I love about his career is that he’s so diverse. He never says, ‘I’m just going to do these kinds of movies.’ He’s like David Bowie; every album is different.”

Death records sealed until further notice

Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found dead in their Brentwood mansion on Dec. 14. The couple’s daughter, Romy, discovered her father’s body, but did not realize her mother was also deceased.

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Their son, Nick, who struggled with drug abuse for over a decade, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder later that evening. He is expected to plead not guilty when he is arraigned next week.

The Reiners’ cause of death occurred due to “multiple sharp force injuries” and the two died “within minutes” of suffering their injuries, according to medical reports.

But the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said In a statement this week that records relating to the case have been sealed under a court order until further notice.

“While the cause and manner of death were previously released on these cases, due to the court order, the information is no longer available,” the statement read. “No other case information or records, including the Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com