Kathy Batesis adding her name to thelong list of celebritieseulogizingdirector Rob Reiner.
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner,werefound dead in their Los Angeles homeDec. 14. Theirson, Nick Reiner,is facing murder charges for their deaths.Prosecutors accuse the 32-year-old screenwriterof "fatally stabbing" his parents, then fleeing the scene.
Bates,who starred in Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's "Misery," said the late director "changed the course of my life."
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"If I hadn't done 'Misery,' it would be like George Bailey going back and seeing what his life would have been like if he had never been there," she said, making reference to Frank Capra's 1946 film "It's A Wonderful Life." Her comments will air in a one-hour specialset for Sunday on CBS, "CBS News: Rob Reiner - Scenes from a Life" (airing Dec. 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET).
Bates played the doting-turned-deranged Annie Wilkes in "Mistery," a nurse who rescues a famed novelist following a car crash, only to become obsessed and controlling over both him and his literary decisions.
"I wouldn't have had some of the friends that I have now. I wouldn't have had the richness in my life," said Bates, 77. "I quite frankly probably would have stayed in the theater and I doubt I would have had a movie career. I might have dropped out altogether.
"Rob changed the course of my life, and if he hadn't, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you now," she continued.
1989: "When Harry Met Sally..."Rob Reiner directed iconic Hollywood films throughout his career. Who can forget this classic deli scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (and Reiner's mother Estelle Reiner) in the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally..."?
Look back at the director's iconic films through his career." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
1984: "This is Spinal Tap"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1986: "Stand by Me"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1990: "Misery"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1992: "A Few Good Men"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1995: "The American President"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1996: "Ghosts of Mississippi"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1999: "The Story of Us"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2003: "Alex & Emma"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2005: "Rumor Has It..."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Director Bob Reiner on the set of the motion picture "Rumor Has It..."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2007: "The Bucket List"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2012: "The Magic of Belle Isle"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2014: "And So It Goes"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2025: "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> These Rob Reiner movies became Hollywood classics
1989: "When Harry Met Sally..."Rob Reiner directed iconic Hollywood films throughout his career. Who can forget this classic deli scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (and Reiner's mother Estelle Reiner) in the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally..."?Look back at the director's iconic films through his career.
Reiner's role as a launcher of careers – andan architect of great American cinema– was indisputable. With classic films like"Stand By Me," "When Harry Met Sally" and "A Few Good Men,"a role in a Reiner flick could easily propel and up-and-coming actor to superstardom.
The twin deaths of the Reiners have rocked Hollywoodas stars and fellow filmmakers alikemourn the loss of an industry titan and a dear friend.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Rob Reiner: Kathy Bates mourns director, says he launched her career
