Rob Reiner wins posthumous Emmy for The Bear 48 years after previous win
The late filmmaker received the guest comedy actor award at the Creative Arts Emmys for his three-episode turn as restaurant consultant Albert Schnurr.
Posthumous recognition for The Bear
Rob Reiner won the Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series on Sunday for his work in FX's "The Bear." Reiner, who died at age 78, appeared in three episodes of the fourth season as Albert Schnurr, a restaurant consultant who mentors Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) on expanding The Original Beef walk-up window. In the season finale, the series paid tribute to Reiner when Ebraheim concluded a phone call to Albert with the line "As you wish," referencing Reiner's 1987 film "The Princess Bride." Reiner won the category over nominees Michael J. Fox, Brett Goldstein, Hamish Linklater, Christopher McDonald and Connor Storrie. Presenter Wendi McLendon-Covey announced the award during the ceremony in Los Angeles, accepting the trophy on his behalf before a standing ovation.
It's appropriate to stand for this one. I know we all wish Rob could be here tonight.
Record gap and television career
The win is the first posthumous Emmy for an on-camera performance since Raúl Julia won in 1995 for "The Burning Season." Reiner had previously won two Emmys for supporting actor in a comedy for portraying Mike Stivic in "All in the Family," receiving trophies in 1974 and 1978. The 48-year gap between his 1978 win and his 2026 award set a new record for the longest span between acting Emmy wins. That mark was previously held by his father, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" creator Carl Reiner, who waited 37 years between his 1958 win for "Caesar's Hour" and his 1995 guest comedy Emmy for "Mad About You." Rob Reiner went on to direct films including "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989) and "A Few Good Men," before making his final screen cameo as George Washington in Larry David's HBO series this summer.
- Wins first supporting actor in a comedy Emmy for All in the Family
- Wins second supporting actor in a comedy Emmy for All in the Family
- Wins posthumous guest actor in a comedy series Emmy for The Bear
- Carl Reiner
- 37 years
- Rob Reiner
- 48 years
Other Creative Arts winners
The two-day ceremony recognized achievements across guest acting, technical categories and variety programming. Betty Gilpin won guest actress in a comedy series for Apple's "Widow's Bay," presenting her acceptance speech in the form of a poem. Shailene Woodley took guest actress in a drama series for "Paradise," securing the first Emmy win for that production, while Ernest Harden Jr. won guest actor in a drama series for "The Pitt." In variety fields, Bad Bunny won outstanding variety special for his February Super Bowl halftime show performance. "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" received the award for outstanding writing for a variety series, shared by Colbert and his writing staff.
Upcoming telecast and criminal proceedings
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death at their Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025. Their youngest son, Nick Reiner, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, entered a not guilty plea, and faces a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15. The Television Academy will include Reiner in the In Memoriam tribute during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14. That telecast, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will air live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on NBC and stream on Peacock, while edited coverage of the weekend ceremonies airs on Sept. 12. "The Pitt" enters the primetime broadcast with 25 total nominations, followed by comedy series "Hacks" with 24.
