It’s been nearly 30 years since The Santa Clause first came out, but when we of a certain age see Judge Reinhold, we all think of the same character.
He played Dr. Neil Miller across each of the franchise’s three entries, and in the process cemented himself as a staple of our childhoods. He’s worked on plenty of other projects over the years, of course, and anyone older than a millennial likely remembers him best for his other roles, but by the time people of my generation were growing up, Reinhold was best known for his contributions to kids’ movies. He was in a slew of releases aimed at young audiences through the 2000s, and those favorites will ensure his immortality in the minds of all the children he impacted during those years.
These days, audiences see far less of Reinhold. That’s not due to anything serious — don’t panic, he’s still alive — but more due to a decrease in workload as he got older. He’s not gracing nearly so many releases these days, but Reinhold is still at least partially active in Hollywood. He’s seen scattered releases over the last few years, with at least one planned for the future, but he’s also seen a major shift in priorities.
Where is Judge Reinhold now?
Back in the day, Judge Reinhold was on our screens on a near-monthly basis, between his presence in a range of childhood staples and fan-favorite franchises. On top of the Santa Clause and Beverly Hills Cop franchises, both of which heavily feature him, Reinhold’s been lending his talent to a diverse selection of releases for decades. He came to prominence in the Gen X coming-of-age career-launcher Fast Times at Ridgemont High alongside such notables as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Nic Cage, and Forest Whitaker, as well as Gremlins, the Beethoven franchise (focusing in on the dog, not the composer), and Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts, to name a few, on top of a slew of television shows and direct-to-TV releases.
Reinhold was so popular, in his early years, that he found little time for anything else. He was briefly married in the mid-80s, but following his first divorce Reinhold largely avoided dating to focus in on his career. That saw him maintain popularity for decades, but also prevented him from getting remarried until 2000. He’s been with his current wife, Amy Miller, since, and they share a daughter, Haley Rose, who was born in 2013. Following her birth, Reinhold took a step back from the spotlight, and clearly focused in on his family. She’s around 10 years old now, and Reinhold maintains a bare schedule with plenty of time to spend with his little one.
That’s not to say that he’s left acting behind, however. Reinhold still appears in the occasional project — the most recent of which being 2017’s Bad Grandmas — and he’s slated to reprise his role as William “Billy” Rosewood in the upcoming return to his longstanding franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley.
