Steve Martin pays tribute to Carl Reiner: He and Martin Short have been the "only two perfect people in my life"

The New York Times

Martin writes in a New York Times tribute that "I got lessons right away" from Reiner, starting with 1979's The Jerk, the beginning of their four-film collaboration. "I’ve heard several people say Carl was like a father to them," Martin writes. "But, to me, Carl was not fatherly. He was exemplar. Five years and four films later, I was a different person because of a subtle osmosis of traits from Carl to me. Carl’s manner on the set taught me how to behave on the set. His interaction with people gave me a template of how to be better, nicer, how to lead with kindness. His directorial results were the same as the nastier directors I ran into later in my career. He taught me about modesty, too. I called him late one evening to discuss the next day’s shooting. I asked, 'Am I interrupting you?' He said, 'No, I’m just lying here going through a litany of my failures.'" ALSO: Reiner filmed his final performance three days before he died for Quibi's The Princess Bride quarantine special.