Rob Reiner’s portrayal of Michael “Meathead” Stivic on “All in the Family” was a performance that demanded nuance and depth. As the progressive son-in-law to Archie and Edith Bunker, Stivic served as the liberal foil to Archie’s bigoted character. A member of the Baby Boomer counterculture, Mike clashed with the conservative beliefs of the Greatest Generation, personified by Archie. Despite his progressive stance, Mike was also a well-educated liberal white man struggling with his own ingrained prejudices, particularly towards the women in his life. He often appeared more concerned with feeling morally superior than actively working towards the social change he professed to want.
Reiner eventually mastered this complex role, but it took him a few tries—much like “All in the Family” itself. In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Reiner recalled how he was initially hired to write for “Headmaster” after a failed audition for Norman Lear’s soon-to-be-legendary sitcom. “Headmaster,” a short-lived ’70s dramedy starring Andy Griffith, featured Reiner as a young teacher involved in a scandalous affair with a student. Although the show is now virtually impossible to watch, Reiner’s portrayal of a male authority figure engaging in gross misconduct earned him another chance at the role of Meathead.
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try Meathead Again
While Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton were irreplaceable as Archie and Edith, the roles of their daughter Gloria and her husband Mike were recast multiple times. After CBS acquired the show, a third pilot was produced, leading to Reiner’s successful casting as Meathead alongside Sally Struthers as Gloria. Reflecting on the process, Reiner shared:
“That episode [of ‘Headmaster’] was one of the reasons I got ‘All in the Family.’ I believe I had [originally] auditioned when it was a pilot at ABC. ‘All in the Family’ had done two pilots at ABC and then, when it eventually got on, it got on at CBS. And Sally Struthers and I were the third set of Mike and Gloria. I remember auditioning for an earlier version, they said I didn’t get it. But I think Norman Lear saw my work in [‘Headmaster’] and I auditioned again. He felt I had matured as an actor, I think, and gave me the part on the CBS [version of ‘All in the Family’].”
Although Reiner was more interested in writing and directing than acting, his role as Mike Stivic became the definitive performance of his on-screen career. Reiner’s portrayal perfectly captured both the strengths and flaws of white, cishet hippie men of his generation. It’s hard to imagine another role that could surpass it. As for what became of characters like Mike as they aged? Perhaps it’s telling that Reiner later played Jordan Belfort’s father in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Norman Lear’s “All in the Family” remains a groundbreaking show, and Rob Reiner’s portrayal of Mike Stivic continues to resonate as a complex, multi-dimensional character who embodied the contradictions of his time.
