Warning! Spoilers for The Bear season 4 ahead!
Legendary actor and director Rob Reiner has joined up with the cast ofThe Bearin season 4, and this breaks a TV streak that started back in 2020.The Bearis known for bringing in celebrated actors, comedians, directors, and other notable stars for its guest spots, and season 4 was no exception in this regard. Along with the return of big names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, John Mulaney, and Sarah Paulson, a handful of others have been added to the cameo list for this installment of the Hulu series. Among them is, of course, Reiner.
Reiner has been a fixture of the big and small screens for decades. He first rose to prominence playing Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the sitcomAll in the Familyfrom 1971 to 1979, and his career quickly expanded from there. In 1985, Reiner directed his first hit withThe Sure Thing,and classics likeThe Princess Bride(1987) andWhen Harry Met Sally…(1989) soon followed. In recent years,Reiner has appeared in projects likeNew Girl,The Good Fight, andHollywood.Now, it seems that the legend will be anotherrecurring fixture ofThe Bear.
Rob Reiner’s The Bear Season 4 Role Explained
The Legendary Actor-Director Plays Albert Schnur In The Bear Season 4
Reiner plays a character called Albert Schnur inThe Bearseason 4. This is a business consultantcalled in by Ebraheim to help expand the success of The Bear’s Italian Beef stand, which remains the most profitable aspect of Carmy’s restaurant. After reviewing the numbers, Reiner’sBearcharacter determines that it would be beneficial for Carmy to open a couple more stands in Chicago. Albert helps Ebraheim set up a plan for these further locations. The last we see of Reiner inThe Bearseason 4, he is chatting with The Computerabout the potential here.
The Bear Is Rob Reiner’s First TV Role Not As Himself Since 2020
Rob Reiner’s The Bear Season 4 Role Ends A 5-Year Trend
The Bearhas a knack for bringing in memorable faces for some perfect guest roles, and Reiner’s appearance was undoubtedly a highlight of season 4. This is especially true sinceit has been about five years since we last saw this actor-director play a character in a TV series. In 2020, Reiner participated in a COVID-19, filmed-from-home recreation ofThe Princess Bride, in which he played both the grandfather and the grandson. That same year, he played Ace Amberg in the historical dramaHollywood. However, both Reiner’s TV appearances since then have been as himself.
Reiner appeared in the television specialsNorman Lear: 100 Years of Music & LaughterandDick Can Dyke 98 Years of Magicin 2022 and 2023, but this has been the extent of his TV appearances sinceHome Movie: The Princess BrideandHollywood. Even before these projects, Reiner had already been frequently appearing as himself on the small screen, both in documentary specials and through more typical cameo appearances.Portraying an actual character inThe Bearseason 4 is, then, something truly special.
Will Rob Reiner Return In The Bear Season 5?
This Story Isn’t Over Yet
Not only did Reiner appear as a character inThe Bearseason 4, but it seems as if he is going to be sticking around. The details around Albert Schnur and The Beef were left in a bit of a cliffhanger in season 4, sincewe didn’t see what came of his conversation with The Computer and Uncle Jimmy. Since it’s typically pretty hard to impress the Computer with anything business-related (especially when it comes to spending), it certainly seems that Albert’s ideas are legitimate.
The Bearseason 5 has yet to be officially confirmed.
Given this information, we are all but guaranteed to see more of Reiner asThe Bearcontinues into season 5. This is fantastic news, andit would be great to see Reiner become a more regular feature of the FX series. Of course, only time will tell, but with a legend such as Reiner, it’s only inThe Bear’s benefit to keep him around as long as possible.
