Rob Reiner was one of the greatest directors never nominated for an Oscar in that category

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Rob Reiner directed some of the most consequential films in pop culture that won him plenty of accolades.

Except for one of the biggest.

Though his movies, from “Stand By Me” to “When Harry Met Sally…,” were critically and commercially beloved, Reiner was never nominated for a best director Academy Award.

Tributes to the celebrated actor, director and producer have poured in after Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead on Sunday. He was 78 and and she was 67.

Reiner’s filmography included some of the most popular films of the last 50 years and while some of those movies and performers scored nominations and wins, he was never recognized for what is one of the most prestigious awards in Hollywood.

Kathy Bates, who won a best actress Oscar in 1991 for “Misery” which Reiner directed, shared in April during the TCM Classic Film Festival that he told her before the awards show that he didn’t think she would win.

“You said, ‘You can campaign, but you’re not gonna get it,’” Bates said to Reiner. “You said because it’s a horror movie and not likely.”

The film is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and Bates plays an unhinged fan of a writer whom she holds captive.

Bates noted that Reiner was thrilled when she did win and mimicked him doing a series of fist pumps when it happened.

“Because you deserved it,” Reiner said at the time. “It’s an amazing performance.”

Here are a few of his other films that earned the director acclaim.

“This Is Spinal Tap”

The 1984 mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band was Reiner’s feature directorial debut and is considered a cult classic.

In September 2025, the sequel he directed, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” dropped and became his final film prior to his death.

“Stand By Me”

Reiner also found success with this project adapted from a novel by Stephen King.

The 1986 drama centers around a friend group of four boys who set out on an adventure in search of a dead body.

It snagged a best adapted screenplay Academy Award nomination while Reiner was nominated by the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Directors Guild of America for his work, but there were no wins.

“The Princess Bride”

For some fans it’s inconceivable that this 1987 fairy tale comedy only earned a best original song Academy Award nomination for “Storybook Love.”

The song was written and performed by Willy DeVille.

Both the film, which was adapted from the William Goldman novel of the same name, and the tune remain beloved to this day.

“When Harry Met Sally”

By 1989 plenty of directors wouldn’t have minded having what Reiner was having at the time.

That’s because he was credited with helping to relaunch the success of rom-coms at the box office when that year he released “When Harry Met Sally…,” about a man and a woman determined to be friends as they searched for love.

Nora Ephron was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the script, but did not win.

“A Few Good Men”

It was the dialogue heard round the world.

When Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessep bellowed to Tom Cruise as Judge Advocate General officer Daniel Kaffee “You can’t handle the truth!” it not only gave Reiner another hit, but it also made that line one of the most famous in movie history.

The 1992 legal drama also brought several Academy Award nominations including best picture and best supporting actor for Nicholson, but no wins.

CNN has reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for comment.

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