Who Was Carl Reiner's Wife? Everything To Know About Estelle Reiner, Who Died In 2008
She had been married to the performing legend since 1943.
DFree / Shutterstock Marriage is a difficult, if treasured, thing — and it's always beautiful when a couple can stay together for a long, long time. But Carl Reiner and his wife had the unique blessing of taking the "til death do us part" portion of the vows very, very seriously.
As the world continues to learn about the news of Carl Reiner's passing, we can't help but take a look back at his family life. The legendary director, actor, writer, and comedian passed away on June 29, 2020 at the age of 98, and in death, he joins his longtime wife.
Who was Carl Reiner's wife, Estelle Reiner?
She was a native New Yorker.
Estelle Reiner was born Estelle Lebost in the Bronx in 1914. Raised Jewish, she got her start in the Catskills, which was a thriving entertainment hub for many Jewish performers. Estelle Lebost was working as a set designer in the Catskills when she met Carl Reiner during one of his performances. They got married in 1943.
She had a bit of a film career of her own.
Estelle Reiner was a sometime-actress who had a bit of a thriving film career of her own. She was best known for her roles in Fatso with Dom DeLuise, Hot to Trot with Bobcat Goldthwaite, and When Harry Met Sally, which is what many believe is her "breakthrough" role as the older woman customer in the infamous orgasm scene. You can see the clip above.
She had three children with Reiner — one of whom is the legendary director and actor Rob Reiner.
Estelle and Carl Reiner had three children: Lucas, Annie, and Rob Reiner. Rob Reiner, of course, is a legendary actor and director whose career kicked off with All In The Family, where he played Michael "Meathead" Stivic opposite Sally Struthers' Gloria Stivic. Rob Reiner went on to become a director of such classic films as A Few Good Men, The Princess Bride, and Misery. Reiner penned a tribute to his father on Twitter:
Her life with Carl Reiner was dramatized on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Carl Reiner got his start as a writer for The Dick Van Dyke Show. When he assumed the fictional role of Alan Brady, he based it on his own life with Estelle Reiner and his children. Brady, himself, was modeled after the legendary Sid Ceasar, and Brady got the Reiners so "down pat" that they actually lived on Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, NY — which was the same street that the real-life Reiners lived on. As Rob Reiner put it, Carl Reiner "wrote his own life" on the show.
In her later years, she was known as a lounge singer.
Even though she was known as an actress for some time, she got a second career wind as a lounge singer beginning in her 60s. From the age of 65 until the age of 93 — just one year before her death — she played in nightclubs throughout New York City and Los Angeles. She sang ballads and American songbook standards, but also incorporated lesser-known songs such as "Handy Man” and “You Can Have My Husband (But Please Don’t Take My Man)" into her repertoire. She even released seven albums, including a children's album.
She died of natural causes in 2008.
On October 25, 2008, Estelle Reiner died of natural causes at her home in Beverly Hills, CA. She was 94 years old. She was married to Carl Reiner from 1943 until the day of her death in 2008. They were, therefore, married for 64 years. She was survived by Reiner, her three children, and her five grandchildren. And now, Carl Reiner joins his longtime bride in death.
Our thoughts are with Carl Reiner's family and friends during this difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.