As he watched a young supporter of Hillary Clinton\u2019s 2008 presidential campaign knock on a voter\u2019s door, Rob Reiner couldn\u2019t resist giving a few notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, that\u2019s not working,\u201d the famous director admonished<\/a>. \u201cTry a real knock. Give it a knock. Forceful! You know, be forceful!\u201d<\/p>\n The spoofy scene was part of a lighthearted Clinton campaign ad released in 2007<\/a>. But it doubled as a snapshot \u2014 however exaggerated \u2014 of Mr. Reiner\u2019s uncommonly hands-on approach to the many political campaigns and causes he supported during his years as an activist and major Democratic donor.<\/p>\n Mr. Reiner, who was found stabbed to death in his Los Angeles home<\/a> on Sunday along with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner<\/a>, was an acclaimed actor and director who shared the liberal views of many of his fellow Hollywood stars.<\/p>\n But his sophisticated understanding of American politics \u2014 shaped by his close access to some of the biggest names in the Democratic Party \u2014 and his desire to engage beyond writing checks set him apart from standard celebrity activists, according to politicians who worked closely with him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who was a more passionate speaker, him or me,\u201d former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont said in an emotional interview on Monday morning, recalling a California fund-raiser he held at the home of Mr. Reiner, who supported<\/a> Dr. Dean\u2019s 2004 presidential campaign. \u201cI\u2019ve known lots of Hollywood people who have been very helpful to me over the years when I was in politics, but there was nobody like Rob.\u201d<\/p>\n Describing the Reiners as his \u201centree to Hollywood,\u201d Mr. Dean said they \u201cwere both just very, very down-to-earth. But they knew everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting that stature, statements of shock and grief from some of the nation\u2019s most prominent Democrats rolled in rapidly in the hours after the Reiners were found.<\/p>\n \u201cBeneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people,\u201d former President Barack Obama said in a statement, praising Mr. Reiner\u2019s \u201clifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton added that the Reiners \u201cmade everyone who knew them better through their active citizenship in defense of inclusive democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n And former Speaker Nancy Pelosi mourned \u201cthe loss of our very dear friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Reiner\u2019s political activism spanned the local, state and national levels. He championed same-sex marriage, early childhood education and the careers of various presidential candidates, and led the opposition to the building of a supermarket complex <\/a>in Malibu, where he had one of his homes.<\/p>\n He helped overturn Proposition 8<\/a>, California\u2019s short-lived ban on gay marriage, and took on the tobacco industry<\/a> in the state, where he was mentioned at times<\/a> as a potential candidate for governor.<\/p>\n At the national level, he hosted<\/a> and appeared<\/a> at star-studded campaign fund-raisers, but also showed up at campaign events across the country<\/a>. He was a sharp critic of President Trump\u2019s, saying on CNN<\/a> in September that the president was threatening to wipe out \u201cour 250 years of American democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n In July 2024, appearing worried about the Democrats\u2019 ability to defeat Mr. Trump, he joined the actor George Clooney<\/a> in urging then-President Biden to exit the race after a disastrous debate performance.<\/p>\n He went on to support Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019s campaign for president but later suggested<\/a> she had mischaracterized his closed-door response to the debate in her book, \u201c107 Days.\u201d<\/p>\n After his death, she remembered him as someone who \u201cloved our country, cared deeply about the future of our nation, and fought for America\u2019s democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n In interviews about Mr. Reiner on Monday, some typically stoic politicians were on the verge of tears.<\/p>\n Former Senator Barbara Boxer of California recalled driving around in a van with the couple and her husband to campaign for Democrats some years ago, and they joked about whose spouse was funnier.<\/p>\n Mr. Reiner came across, she said, as \u201ca normal person, not like a superstar, which he was \u2014 a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n But as she shared her recollections of the Reiners as political activists, she was plainly processing their deaths at a far more personal level.<\/p>\n \u201cOh gosh, we\u2019re just \u2014 I don\u2019t cry much,\u201d she said, her voice seeming to break. \u201cI\u2019m not a crier. But I can\u2019t even imagine the terror of that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick Reiner, a son of the couple who has spoken over the years<\/a> about his struggles with drug abuse and bouts of homelessness, has been arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, according to the police, who said he was being held without bail. No information about criminal charges was immediately available.<\/p>\n Some Republicans issued condolences on Monday, including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has been known to quote the Reiner-directed movie \u201cThe Princess Bride\u201d on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n \u201cHis movies touched us, deeply, and spoke to our fundamental humanity,\u201d Mr. Cruz wrote on social media. \u201cRob Reiner was one of a kind, and he will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n Others, like Mr. Trump, used news of the reported killing to attack the Reiners, with the president turning their deaths into a moment to both vent his grievances and trumpet the actions of his administration.<\/p>\n