Posted 4 minutes agoRemembering Rob Reiner Through Lesser-Known Facts About His Life And WorkThis is a quiet tribute in facts.by Arsheen Kaur SahniBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink It's a sad day in Hollywood today, and it has left me unsettled and scrolling, trying to make sense of why and how. Rob Reiner was one of those rare filmmakers whose career felt bigger than individual films. He was widely admired not just for what he made, but for how consistently human his stories were; funny without being cruel and emotional without being heavy-handed. Archive Photos / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in I don't say this lightly, but among American studio filmmakers, Rob Reiner was one of the greats who never needed a directing Oscar to prove his worth. His run of films spoke for itself. CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Via gettyimages.in, Joan Adlen Photography / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in, Jesse Grant / Getty Images for TCM / Via gettyimages.in So instead of letting noise or headlines define the moment, the only way I knew how to sit with this was to look back, to trace the facts, the decisions, and the moments that shaped Rob Reiner: the director, the actor, and the storyteller. Here they are. 1. He originally wanted to stay behind the camera. Andy Schwartz / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in Rob Reiner didn't set out to be known as "Meathead"; his real passion was directing. Even while he was acting on All in the Family, he had already been directing theatre and was focused on learning how stories worked and how to use cameras and staging, with the intention of eventually moving behind the camera rather than staying in front of it. 2. He directed This Is Spinal Tap with barely a script. Spinal Tap Productions / Via imdb.com I was honestly surprised to learn that This Is Spinal Tap didn't even have a proper script. Rob Reiner gave the actors detailed backstories and loose scene outlines, then let them improvise their way through the film. That's probably why the movie feels less like a comedy and more like a documentary about a band making terrible decisions in real time. 3. He ALMOST joined the band in This Is Spinal Tap. Spinal Tap Productions / Via imdb.com Originally, Rob Reiner planned to appear as a member of the fictional band in This Is Spinal Tap, but he changed his mind after a comment about how he "didn't look good in spandex," a line attributed to Harry Shearer. That's why Reiner ended up purely behind the camera (and behind the documentary-maker character) instead of in the band itself. 4. Rob Reiner has won 24 awards and received 60 nominations across major ceremonies, including the Academy Awards. Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in Over his career, Rob Reiner has earned recognition from the Academy Awards (Oscars), Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and various critics' associations. Altogether, his work has resulted in 24 wins and around 60 nominations, which just goes to show how frequently his films and performances were recognized across both television and film. 5. Reiner's The Princess Bride confused studio executives at first because it didn't fit one genre. Act III Communications / Via imdb.com It's hard to believe now, but The Princess Bride actually confused studio executives. They struggled to market a movie that was funny, romantic, and adventurous all at once. Was it meant for children or adults? Was it a spoof or a sincere love story? Marketing teams struggled to answer those questions, and as a result, the film never received a clear or confident push on its initial release. It wasn't until repeated TV airings and VHS releases that it slowly became the classic everyone knows today. 6. He was deeply hands-on with scripts. Bobby Bank / WireImage / Via gettyimages.in He was known for being deeply involved in the writing process. Some projects originated under his Castle Rock banner, while others were shaped through long, rigorous brainstorming sessions with writers. Aaron Sorkin has often credited Rob Reiner's hands-on approach for turning A Few Good Men into the tightly structured film it became. 7. The most famous scene in When Harry Met Sally almost didn't exist AND it ends with Rob Reiner's mom. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Giphy / Via giphy.com The now-iconic deli scene was inspired by a real conversation between Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron and very nearly didn't make it into the film at all. The moment was capped off late in the process with the line "I'll have what she's having," which went on to become one of the most quoted lines in rom-com history. And in a detail most people miss: the woman delivering that final punchline is played by Estelle Reiner, Rob Reiner's real-life mother. 8. He was outspoken politically and deeply involved in activism. Rachel Luna / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.in Beyond filmmaking, Rob Reiner was k