How Rob Reiner changed movies forever by challenging himself as an artist (CNN/MSN)

By Sandra Gonzalez, TuAnh Dam, Danya Gainor

Rob Reiner, the celebrated actor, director and producer, was found dead with his wife, Michele, at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Reiner family said. He was 78.

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Reiner said he found it a challenge to step out of his father's shadow. "I didn't feel the pressure from my father, I felt the pressure internally because my father had achieved at such a high level that I thought, 'Well, I don't know if I'll ever be able to break through,'" he told The Atlantic in 2017.

He did. Reiner earned two Emmy Awards for his role on "All in the Family" playing Mike Stivic, who would get into arguments with his conservative father-in-law on the groundbreaking show, which often explored political and social issues through comedy.

Though Reiner continued to act – he had a part on season 4 of FX's "The Bear" earlier this year – he moved behind the camera in the 1980s, making his directorial debut w ith "This Is Spinal Tap," the musical comedy that more or less invented the mockumentary. "It pioneered a new narrative format," Reiner wrote in a history of the movie published earlier this year.

(Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/how-rob-reiner-changed-movies-forever-by-challenging-himself-as-an-artist/ar-AA1SoD86)