Whenever people talk about the current movie landscape, there is a very good chance that someone will say that films just aren’t as good as they used to be. However, in reality, when you look at any cinematic era, some amazing movies were made but the vast majority of the films that were released came and went without much fanfare.
Even though it is pretty obvious that people often look at the movies from the past with rose-colored glasses, there is a pretty strong argument that ‘80s comedy films are a cut above. After all, the top comedy stars from the ‘80s were incredibly talented. For example, people like John Candy, Bill Murray, Leslie Nielsen, and Steve Martin were all so hilarious that it is hard to not smile when you think of them.
Of course, everyone knows that one of the top comedy stars from the ‘80s was Eddie Murphy. Sure, Murphy has since starred in some stinkers but his career was on fire during the ‘80s in part because of the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Even though Murphy was the main reason why the Beverly Hills Cop films were smash hits, Judge Reinhold was a delightful addition to the franchise’s cast. With that in mind, it begs an obvious question, what has Judge Reinhold been up to since Beverly Hills Cop?
An Unlikely Star
Given the name Edward at birth, Judge Reinhold was given his famous moniker as a nickname when he was a kid because he often looked so serious. Once you learn that, it is hilarious to realize that Reinhold would go on to rise to prominence due to his starring role in several comedy films. However, that isn’t the only reason why it is surprising that Reinhold would go on to be a comedy star. After all, when you looked at Reinhold when he first became a star, he looked about as unremarkable as any actor could.
Despite Judge Reinhold seeming like an unlikely star, he made his television debut in 1970 and he would go on to land several small roles during the early-‘80s. For example, Reinhold was part of an episode of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, he made a one-time Magnum P.I. appearance, and he had a small role in the comedy classic Stripes.
Fortunately for Judge Reinhold, everything turned around for him when he landed one of the lead roles in the ‘80s film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Even though Fast Times at Ridgemont High was an ensemble movie, there is no doubt that the film’s most memorable sequence involved Reinhold and Phoebe Cates. That is especially cool when you consider that Fast Times at Ridgemont High has remained popular enough that in 2020 an all-star cast of actors read its script for charity.
Franchise Films
After the success of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Judge Reinhold would go on to appear in movies like Gremlins. However, it wasn’t until the release of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop that Reinhold would again be closely associated with a megahit in moviegoers' minds. Of course, it was very clear that Eddie Murphy deserved the lion’s share of the credit for Beverly Hills Cop’s success. However, Reinhold still was a valuable part of the movie’s cast since he was so lovable as Detective Billy Rosewood.
After the massive success that Beverly Hills Cop enjoyed, it didn’t take long for it to spawn a franchise as its first sequel was released in 1987. Unfortunately, Beverly Hills Cop II wasn’t as popular as the original but it still did big business and helped to further cement Judge Reinhold’s reputation as a star at that time. Even though people weren’t sure they loved Beverly Hills Cop II, that film was much more popular than the third film in the series. Released in 1994, Beverly Hills Cop III was highly anticipated but landed with a thud once audiences got to see it.
A New Chapter
The same year that Beverly Hills Cop III was released, Judge Reinhold landed a small role in a film that was a surprise hit, The Santa Clause. After playing the film’s most unlikeable character throughout most of that movie, Reinhold would yet again prove how lovable he is onscreen by turning on a dime once he began to believe in Santa. From there, Reinhold would go on to play a small role in both The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
Unfortunately for Judge Reinhold, The Santa Clause movies are the only hit films that he has starred in since the last Beverly Hills Cop film was released. However, Reinhold has had memorable cameos in shows like Clerks: The Animated Series and Arrested Development. More notably, Reinhold was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series Emmy after he played a close talker during an episode of Seinfeld. On top of all that, there is an outside chance that Reinhold will enjoy the spotlight again as work has begun on a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie and Judge has been clear that he wants to be part of it.
When it comes to Judge Reinhold’s personal life over the last few decades, he has kept most of it close to his chest. That said, it is known that Reinhold has been married to a woman named Amy Miller since the year 2000. Unfortunately for Reinhold, he wasn’t able to avoid headlines when he was arrested at Dallas Love Field airport after he had a confrontation with security during his patdown.