Rob Reiner, who rose from an early career as a sitcom star to direct a run of film classics that included “When Harry Met Sally…” and “The Princess Bride,” died at age 78 along with his wife, Michele Singer. 70, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Los Angeles authorities say the two were found dead in their home on Dec. 13 in what they are investigating as a homicide.

Describing his Jewish childhood to The Forward, Rob Reiner recalled his Yiddish-speaking grandmother and his own Yiddish instruction. He described the experience as “home shuling.”

Beginning in the 2000s, Reiner’s work and public life were largely concerned with activism and civics. He cofounded the marriage equality group American Foundation for Equal Rights, and made several documentaries, one about Christian nationalism. The Reiners formed a partnership at home, on movie and television sets, and in their activism.

“As a Jew, you see what nationalism can do. You see the results of it,” he said, referring to a trip he and his wife had made to Auschwitz, where her mother was an inmate and the rest of the family was murdered. “And so for us who are Jewish by birth, we know what the dangers are, and hopefully this film can at least be a little bit of a teaching tool to everybody.”