Rob Reiner used to take off his toupee to avoid being recognized by ''All in the Family'' fans

Reiner had a pretty effective way to disguise himself from the public.

Fame can be a fickle thing. For many, celebrity status can feel elusive, no matter how much they yearn for it. For others, viewers only have to see you once for it to change your life.

Rob Reiner was no stranger to stardom. Even before he became an actor and director, as the son of famed writer and director Carl Reiner, Rob had brushed elbows with famous people on the set of his father's series, The Dick Van Dyke Show. However, it wasn't until he'd won a role as Mike Stivic in All in the Family that the younger Reiner finally began to make a name for himself.

But despite his television star status, Reiner had a special trick up his sleeve so that he could still live everyday moments as a normal person without fans mobbing him for autographs.

While Betty Garrett's character of the Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo was well-loved by audiences, she didn't have the same issues as the main cast of All in the Family when they were recognized in public. In her memoir, Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen, she wrote about a farmers market near the All in the Family stage that she frequented. However, many of her costars wouldn't go out to eat with her. She wrote, "Carroll, Jean, and Sally could not go because they would be mobbed. People would just gather around and literally prevent them from eating."

However, Reiner didn't face a similar issue. Like Superman putting on his glasses to become Clark Kent, Reiner would actually remove the toupee he wore as Mike Stivic before he went out in public, rendering him unrecognizable to passersby. 

Garrett wrote, "All Rob had to do was leave his toupee back in the studio and nobody knew who he was." She continued, "I was always glad I never had that kind of celebrity, although one day a lady behind a coffee counter did recognize me."

Watch All in the Family on MeTV!

Two full hours!

Sundays at 8 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

19 Comments

cheryl1725 6 months ago
I never knew he wore a toupee. Back then, all the guys wore hair like him.
TheSentinel cheryl1725 6 months ago
Back in my younger days, I knew at least one guy who was a lot like Meathead personality-wise - and such guys as him were (and still are) jerks.
DZee 6 months ago
He must have removed his brain with it. The guy's a creep.
Koz1 6 months ago
Seriously never was a fan of the meat head.
McGillahooala 6 months ago
Does anyone believe this guy had to hide out from fans?
TheSentinel McGillahooala 6 months ago
He has fans? ​😆
TheSentinel 6 months ago
A basic summary of what the public sees Rob Reiner as:



(Yes, that is an uncooked steak on top of Reiner's head - the visualization of his [and his AITF character Mike Stivic's] nickname "Meathead")
Mark112763 6 months ago
Rob Reiner was my least favorite character on AITF and because of his recent political views, is one of my least favorite people in the world...
TheSentinel Mark112763 6 months ago
Ditto. I don't think Meathead even engages his brain before he runs his mouth.
McGillahooala Mark112763 6 months ago
He’s an attention seeker. But no one has ever took the bait. Class A loser. But for nepotism, we wouldn’t even know his name.
Everything I try to say about him MeTV tells me it is inappropriate. Censorship anyone....
ncadams27 6 months ago
Maybe they did recognize him, but weren’t interested.
McGillahooala 6 months ago
Not impressed by this guy’s work. I’m not so sure we would have ever seen him but for nepotism.
TheSentinel McGillahooala 6 months ago
I never did like him or his character on the show all that much, even when I watched some of the later episodes during its original run (as well as the earlier episodes when it first entered off-network syndication).
justjeff 6 months ago
...and after they had lunch, did she ask Reiner "toupee"... LOL!😋
LoveMETV22 6 months ago
Just the average working folk. Although Rob Reiner doesn't look like wore his toupee when showing up to work. Wonder if kept it at the studio?
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?