While the Academy Awards are typically a time for celebration, last night’s festivities also took a moment to celebrate a tremendous director and his impact on cinema.

During the ceremony, Rob Reiner was memorialized by actors who had previously worked with the director. Reiner’s friend and former co-star, Billy Crystal, led the tribute honoring Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

“I first met Rob Reiner in 1975 when I was cast as his best friend in an episode of All in the Family,” said Crystal, citing the popular 1970s sitcom. “And it went so well that Rob said, ‘You know, it was so fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going?’”

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Years later, Reiner would move behind the camera, becoming an iconic director. “It was a thrill to see him evolve from a great comic actor to a master storyteller,” said Crystal, who took audiences through a retrospective of Reiner’s filmography.

“My friend Rob’s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry and what we aspire to be, far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier, and far more human,” said the actor.

Crystal called the loss of his two friends “immeasurable.”

“To the millions who have enjoyed his films all these years, I want you to know here and around the world how many times Rob told me that it meant everything to him that his work meant something to you,” said Crystal. “And for us who had the privilege of working with and knowing him and loving him, all we can say is 'Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.’”

Crystal was joined by actors who had previously starred in some of Reiner’s films, taking one last moment to honor the couple.