Cary Elwes and Fred Savage, who also starred in the 1987 swashbuckling comedy, paid tribute to Reiner on social media.

*Princess Bride *star Mandy Patinkin calls Rob Reiner’s killing an ‘unthinkable tragedy’: ‘What is happening to our world?’

Cary Elwes and Fred Savage, who also starred in the 1987 swashbuckling comedy, paid tribute to Reiner on social media.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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December 15, 2025 4:51 p.m. ET

Rob Reiner and Mandy Patinkin circa 1980. Credit:

Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty

Mandy Patinkin is calling upon his memories of filming *The Princess Bride* as he processes the shocking news that director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were tragically killed on Dec. 14.

"How do we process this unthinkable tragedy? Loss after loss after loss," Patinkin lamented in a statement to **. "What is happening to our world? What is happening to our human race?"

He continued, "I can’t breathe, but I'm breathing. I’m howling at the gods every moment, then I talk to a friend or myself and quiet down and I realize the gods are not to blame, the tsunami of tragedy is the responsibility of human beings."

Patinkin, who portrayed the vengeful swordsman Inigo Montoya in Reiner's 1987 film, then looked back on a memorable moment from the making of the swashbuckling comedy.

"When we were filming the scene in the *Princess Bride*, where Inigo kills the six-fingered man and says: 'I want my father back you son of a bitch' take after take after take, Rob kept asking me to do less do less, do less," Patinkin recalled. "In my sleepless night, I realized he wanted less anger from me to allow my broken heart to be felt."

Mandy Patinkin in 'The Princess Bride'.

Everett Collection

Patinkin added, "Now I’m hearing his voice tell us all to do more, do more, do more to repair the human soul, to repair our hearts, to repair our country, to repair our world, to never give up, to keep fighting, to keep living for every soul taken from this earth, that no longer has the life and breath to raise their voices for a better world, we must raise our voices for them."

Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, were found dead at their Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon in an apparent double homicide. TMZ reported that their deaths are attributed to lacerations consistent with a knife. Hours later, their son Nick Reiner was arrested in connection with their deaths.

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The death of the Reiners is just the latest tragedy to make headlines this weekend, following a mass shooting in Sydney, Australia, and a shooting at Brown University that killed two people and left nine others wounded.

Patinkin concluded his statement by urging others to "follow Rob's example" by doing more to help others.

"Let Rob Reiner's actions guide you," Patinkin told EW. "I don’t believe we ever recover from such cumulative loss but I am certain it teaches us to live with a greater purpose to cherish every moment that we are alive to be of service to every aspect of our existence to never give up. When we’re feeling lost, say to ourselves, 'What would Rob do' and then do it, do it for Rob, do it for all of us?"

Rob Reiner and Cary Elwes attend the 25th Anniversary screening of 'The Princess Bride' in 2012.

Rob Kim/FilmMagic

News of his and Michele's killing has been met with an outpouring of love from friends, fans, and past collaborators alike. Among the tributes, Patinkin's *Princess Bride* costar Cary Elwes shared a photo of Reiner's director's chair on Instagram, writing, "No words…"

Fred Savage, who was 10 years old when he played the Grandson in the '80s classic, shared a photo of himself and Reiner on the set of the movie.

"He found me in a casting room in downtown Chicago and gave me the opportunity to be a part of something that has become so much bigger than anyone could have ever imagined," Savage wrote of Reiner. "Who knew those two weeks in a bedroom set on the Shepperton Studio lot would last forever?? His work was a gift to us all and I feel lucky to have been a part of it."

In addition to *The Princess Bride, *Reiner helmed such classic titles as *This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me,* *When Harry Met Sally, *and* A Few Good Men. *

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