Mandy Patinkin Breaks Down in Tears Honoring His ‘Princess Bride’ Director Rob Reiner

Mandy Patinkin broke down in tears while remembering Rob Reiner during CBS News’ tribute to the late director Sunday.

Patinkin shared his memories of his The Princess Bride director during CBS News: Rob Reiner — Scenes From a Life, which aired following the deaths of Rob and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on Dec. 14.

“If I had to convince somebody to watch The Princess Bride, I would say exactly what Rob said to me when I questioned him,” Patinkin said of the beloved 1987 film, recalling Rob telling him, “‘It’s very simple: Grandpa comes over to his sick grandson to read him a story that says the most important thing in life is true love.’”

The actor then broke down in tears as he remembered the first time he and the rest of the cast got to see a rough cut of the movie. “We’re sitting there in this screening room, and the film was over, and I said, ‘I never dreamed I would get to be in something like this,’” Patinkin shared. “I didn’t even have time to dream, and he made that dream for me.”

Patinkin continued that the impact of Rob’s work on The Princess Bride can be seen in how often he’s approached by fans asking him to repeat his character Inigo Montoya’s iconic lines.

When Patinkin first heard that Rob and Michele had been killed, the actor said he “didn’t know how to process” the news.

“I heard this news at about 11-something on Sunday night. I was in bed. I was in shock. I didn’t sleep at all. I just kept wailing and crying. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to process it,” he recalled. “I still don’t know how to process it, and I’m not looking for how to process it.”

“Rob worked hard to try to get me to be the best human being I could be,” he continued through tears. “One time, he said to me, ‘I just wish you could get out of your own way,’ and I haven’t been able to achieve that to this day, but I won’t quit trying. He cared about my nature. He showed it to me over and over again.”

Even though Rob and Michele are gone, Patinkin said he thinks we can “connect” with them still, “and every time we’re thinking about this or talking about it, or anyone tells a story, he’s here. He will not be forgotten.”

Rob and Michele were found dead in their Brentwood, Calif., home on Dec. 14. They were 78 and 70, respectively. Their son, Nick Reiner, was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.