Jeffrey Reiner is a well-known American film and television director, producer, editor, and screenwriter. He has worked on several popular shows, such as Friday Night Lights, The Affair, Fargo, and Caprica. But who is Jeffrey Reiner related to? Does he have any famous family members or connections in the entertainment industry? Let’s find out.
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Early Life and Education
Jeffrey Reiner was born in New York City and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied film and television production. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He then enrolled in the AFI Conservatory, a prestigious film school in Hollywood, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1987.
Career as an Editor
Reiner started his career as an editor, working on several low-budget films and TV shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some of his editing credits include Cheerleader Camp, Think Big, 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and BASEketball. He also edited some episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a popular children’s action series.
Career as a Director
Reiner made his directorial debut with Blood and Concrete, a crime comedy film starring Billy Zane and Jennifer Beals, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. The film was released in 1991 but received mostly negative reviews from critics. Reiner then focused on directing for television, working on various genres and formats. He directed episodes of The Sentinel, Trouble Bound, Haunted, Columbo, The Division, Surface, Trauma, and many others.
Reiner gained recognition and acclaim for his work on Friday Night Lights, a drama series based on the book and film of the same name. The show followed the lives of a high school football team and their coach in a small Texas town. Reiner was an executive producer and house director for the show, which ran for five seasons from 2006 to 2011. The show won several awards, including a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award.
Reiner also worked on Caprica, a science fiction series that served as a prequel to Battlestar Galactica. He directed the pilot episode and several other episodes of the show, which aired for one season in 2010. Reiner then moved on to The Event, a thriller series about a global conspiracy involving aliens and the US government. He was an executive producer and house director for the show, which aired for one season in 2010-2011.
In 2011, Reiner was chosen to direct the pilot episode of Wonder Woman, a superhero series based on the DC Comics character. The show was produced by David E. Kelley and starred Adrianne Palicki as the titular heroine. However, the pilot was not picked up by NBC for a series order.
Reiner then joined The Affair, a drama series that explored the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital affair on two married couples. Reiner directed sixteen episodes of the show between 2014 and 2017. The show won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Series – Drama in 2015.
Reiner also directed some episodes of Fargo, a crime anthology series inspired by the Coen brothers’ film of the same name. The show featured different stories and characters in each season, set in various locations and time periods in the Midwest.
Personal Life and Relationships
Reiner is married to Lisa Zane, an actress and singer who is best known for her roles in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, ER, Roar, and Boston Legal. She is also the sister of actor Billy Zane, who starred in Reiner’s first film Blood and Concrete.
Reiner has two children from his previous marriage to actress Deborah Van Valkenburgh. His daughter Olivia Reiner is also an actress who has appeared in some of his projects, such as Friday Night Lights and The Affair.
Reiner is not related to any other famous Reiners in Hollywood, such as Carl Reiner (a legendary comedian, actor, writer, director, and producer), Rob Reiner (a successful actor and director who is Carl’s son), or Tracy Reiner (an actress who is Rob’s daughter).
Conclusion
Jeffrey Reiner is a talented and versatile TV director who has worked on many acclaimed shows over the years. He is related to his wife Lisa Zane and her brother Billy Zane, both of whom are actors. He is not related to any other Reiners in Hollywood. He has two children from his previous marriage who are also actors.
