Penny Marshall: Rob Reiner's first wife whose daughter was adopted by 'When Harry Met Sally …' director

Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Reiner was 78-year-old. Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall. He later married actor Michele Singer, with whom he has three children. Authorities were investigating an “apparent homicide,” said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. (local time).

Who is Penny Marshall?

Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in "Laverne & Shirley" and was also a producer and director. Reiner was married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner.


Reiner was married to Penny Marshall, the actor and filmmaker, for 10 years beginning in 1971. Like Reiner, Marshall experienced sitcom fame, with “Laverne & Shirley,” but found a more lasting legacy behind the camera.

After their divorce, Reiner, at a lunch with Nora Ephron, suggested a comedy about dating. In writing what became “When Harry Met Sally …” Ephron and Reiner charted a relationship between a man and a woman (played in the film by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan) over the course of 12 years.

Along the way, the movie's ending changed, as did some of the film’s indelible moments. The famous line, “I’ll have what she’s having,” said after witnessing Ryan’s fake orgasm at Katz’s Delicatessen, was a suggestion by Crystal — delivered by none other than Reiner’s mother, Estelle.

The movie’s happy ending also had some real-life basis. Reiner met Singer, a photographer, on the set of “When Harry Met Sally …” In 1989, they were wed. They had three children together: Nick, Jake and Romy.

Reiner’s subsequent films included another King adaptation, “Misery” (1990) and a pair of Aaron Sorkin-penned dramas: the military courtroom tale “A Few Good Men” (1992) and 1995’s “The American President.”

By the late ’90s, Reiner’s films (1996’s “Ghosts of Mississippi,” 2007’s “The Bucket List”) no longer had the same success rate. But he remained a frequent actor, often memorably enlivening films like “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993) and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). In 2023, he directed the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.”

FAQs

Q1. Who is Penny Marshall?

A1. Penny Marshall is an actor and director.

Q2. Who is Rob Reiner's father?

A2. Rob Reiner's father is Carl Reiner.