Watch Rob Reiner Reflect on His First Acting Gig in ‘Batman’: ‘This is Insane’ (VIDEO)
What To Know
- Rob Reiner, who passed away at 78, was a celebrated director known for classics like Stand by Me, Misery, and A Few Good Men.
- Before his fame, Reiner’s first acting gig was a small, uncredited role as a delivery boy in a 1967 episode of the cult TV series Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
- Reiner reflected with amusement on this early appearance during a 2018 interview, noting it occurred years before his breakout role on All in the Family.
Hollywood lost a legend on Sunday, December 14, when the beloved director, producer, and activist Rob Reiner passed away at the age of 78. The filmmaker was known for helming movies that shaped childhoods and generations alike, blending heartfelt storytelling with sharp social insight in works that became cultural touchstones and enduring classics. Films such as Stand by Me, Misery, This is Spinal Tap, and A Few Good Men became instant classics and forever altered the celluloid landscape.
But he was also an actor, and like any actor, he had to get his start somewhere. And for Reiner, that humble beginning was as a delivery boy on the 1960s cult hit, Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
In the 1967 episode, “The Penguin Declines,” Reiner plays an errand boy who brings champagne to the Penguin, played by Burgess Meredith.
Back in 2018, Reiner took a seat next to PeopleTV’s Lola Ogunnaike, who surprised him with the clip on their YouTube show “Coach Surfing.”
“Did you think we would find anything earlier than All in the Family?,” asked Ogunnaike.
“No! Oh, this is insane! This is the series Batman,” said Reiner as he watched the clip in awe. “There’s Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. And I think I brought room service later on, or something like that. It was one of the first roles I ever had!”
“Here I go! I’m bringing in champagne or something,” narrated the filmmaker as he watched the clip. “I’m basically an extra here. I don’t have a line, but I knew how to pour champagne.”
The gig was a full four years before Reiner found fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family in 1971. Though it was a blink-and-you-miss-it part, with minimal screen time and little narrative weight, it stands as one of his earliest television appearances—long before he became a familiar face to millions of viewers.
Remind