CBS via Getty
Rob ReinerandAnthony Geary— two figures who will continue to loom large in pop culture history — have much more than a date of death in common.
The men — both 78 — were part of the 1971All in the Familyepisode titled "Judging Books by Covers." It was just the fifth ever episode of the iconic sitcom.
In it, Reiner played his regular role of Michael Stivic, who was known as "Meathead," on the groundbreaking Norman Lear series that addressed topics such as race, gender, and politics that were controversial and ignored by other shows.
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.
But while Reiner was part of the show long-term — he stayed through eight of the sitcom's nine seasons — Geary would only appear in that one half-hour of television with him. He would become best known for his work in daytime TV.
Beginning in 1978, he played Luke Spencer onGeneral Hospital, one half of that show's beloved couple, Luke and Laura. Their wedding was a must-watch event and was seen by an estimated30 million viewers.
Seven years earlier, Geary portrayed Meathead's friend Roger, who baffled star Carroll O'Connor's character, infamous bigot Archie Bunker. Archie suspected that Roger was gay because of the way he acts, but he ends upfinding outthat one of his own friends is.
In 2010, Reiner, who won two Emmys for his work,toldCBS Sunday Morningthat people still called him Meathead on "almost a daily basis."
"I love that, because I had such a great experience with the show," Reiner said. "I'm so proud of it. And I've often said, no matter what I do in life, I could win the Nobel Prize, the headline would read, Meathead wins Nobel.'"
Reiner and wife Michele werefound deadSunday in their Los Angeles home. Their son Nick wasarrested in connectionwith their deaths, and he is being held without bail.
Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty
Geary, who won eight Daytime Emmys for his portrayal of Luke,died Sundayin the Netherlands. He had undergone an operation three days before, his husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed toTV Insider.
In addition to his extensive work onGeneral Hospital, which he left in 2015, Geary appeared on shows includingThe Young and the Restless,Hotel, andMurder, She Wrote.
All in the Familyis available to stream on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
