In 2017, the late All in the Family actor and the legendary comedian became the first father-son duo to be honored together during a Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre. And while cementing their legacies in Hollywood that April, Rob gushed about how much he\u2019s looked up to his father throughout his life and career.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was my idol,\u201d he explained alongside his father, who died in 2020 of natural causes. \u201cI looked up to him. He stood for everything I wanted to be in life, and when I was a little boy, 8 years old, and this is something they told me when I got older, I went to my mother and I said to her, \u2018I want to change my name.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went to my father and said, \u2018You know, Robbie said he wants to change his name,\u2019 \u201d he continued. \u201cAnd my dad was so upset because, \u2018Oh my God, this poor kid, he has to live up to the shadow of Carl Reiner\u2019s son.\u2019 So he came to me and he said, \u2018Robbie, what do you want to change your name to?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Carl.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Even just a few months before his and his wife Michele Singer Reiner<\/a>\u2019s tragic<\/a> deaths, Rob emphasized that he would often look to his dad for \u201cvalidation\u201d<\/a> \u2014 especially when Carl was set to direct the 1967 comedy drama Enter Laughing.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n Director Rob Reiner (L) and Master of Ceremonies Carl Reiner attend the 63rd Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards<\/p>\n “I auditioned for him and he said, ‘No,’ and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness,’ \u201d Rob recalled while speaking with Ted Danson<\/a> during a September episode of his Where Everybody Knows Your Name<\/a> podcast. \u201cThere’s no bigger rejection from your father to say, ‘You can’t do it.’ “<\/p>\n The Princess Bride director went on to recount directing a production of No Exit, which starred Richard Dreyfuss<\/a> at the time, when he was 19 years old in a Los Angeles theater.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father came to it, and he came backstage afterwards and he looked me in the eye and he said, ‘That was good. No bulls—,’ just like that,\u201d Rob explained. “It’s the first time I ever heard validation like that.”<\/p>\n “And then I went and visited him the next day at his house, and we’re sitting in the backyard, and he says, ‘I’m not worried about you. You’re going to be okay. Whatever you decide to do, you’re going to do it good,’ ” he added. “That was a big deal.”<\/p>\n![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1dd66bd828d598b51d5832364f3b897a.jpeg\"\/)
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