Jerry Stiller

Jerry Stiller
Stiller in New York City in November 2005
Birth name	Gerald Stiller
Born	(1927-06-08) June 8, 1927 New York City, New York, USA
Medium	Television
Spouse	Anne Meara (1954 – Present)
Notable works and roles	Frank Costanza on Seinfeld Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens Jerry Bender on The Stiller and Meara Show
Father of Ben and Amy Stiller

Jerry Stiller (born June 8, 1927) is an American, Emmy Award-Nominated comedian and actor. He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara. Stiller and Meara are the parents of actor Ben Stiller (with whom he co-starred in the movies Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, and The Heartbreak Kid), and actress Amy Stiller. He is best known for his roles as Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens and Frank Costanza on Seinfeld

Biography

Personal life

One of four children, was born Gerald Stiller in New York City, the son of Bella (née Citrin) and William Stiller, a bus driver. His paternal grandparents were Austrian Jewish immigrants and his maternal grandparents were Russian Jews. A drama major at Syracuse University, he gained a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Drama. He is a brother of Tau Delta Phi fraternity, Tau Zeta chapter.

Stiller has two grandchildren (both of them are from his son, Ben, with actress Christine Taylor): Ella Olivia Stiller (b. April 10, 2002) and Quinlin Dempsey Stiller (b. July 10, 2005).

Stiller and Meara

The comedy team Stiller and Meara, comprised of Stiller and wife Anne Meara, was extremely successful in the 1960s and 1970s, with numerous appearances on television variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Their career declined, however, as variety series gradually disappeared. The duo's own 1986 TV sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in which Stiller played the deputy mayor of New York City and Meara portrayed his wife, a TV commercial actress, was unsuccessful. Offscreen, Stiller and Meara are the parents of comedy actor Ben Stiller.

Resurgence

Seinfeld

Beginning in the 1990s his career experienced a resurgence with a recurring role as George Costanza's father Frank in the situation comedy Seinfeld from 1993 to 1998.

King of Queens

After Seinfeld's run ended, Stiller had planned on retiring, but was convinced by Kevin James after endless begging to join King of Queens. Kevin James, who played the leading role of Doug Heffernan, had told Stiller that he needed him in order to have a successful show . Stiller obliged, and played the role of Arthur Spooner, the semi-psychotic, always scheming father of Carrie Heffernan in the situation comedy The King of Queens from 1998 until 2007. Stiller has said this role tested his acting ability more than any others have, and that before being a part of King of Queens, he only saw himself as a "decent actor".

In the late 1990s Stiller appeared in a series of Nike television commercials as Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi. Which were removed after the Lombardi family members disapproved.

On February 9, 2007, he and his wife were honored with a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Miscellaneous

Stiller played himself in filmed skits, opening and closing Canadian rock band Rush's 30^th Anniversary Tour concerts in 2004. These appearances are seen on the band's DVD R30 Live In Frankfurt, released in 2005. Stiller later appeared in cameos in later in-concert films for the Canadian band's 2008 Snakes & Arrows Live tour.

As author

Stiller wrote the foreword to the book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us (ISBN 0-446-69674-9) by Allen Salkin, released on October 26, 2005.

His memoir Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara was published in 2000.

Filmography

• Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) as Jim (Carol's Father) (uncredited)
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) as Lt. Rico Patrone
• Airport 1975 (1974) as Sam
• Nasty Habits (1977) as P.R. Priest
• Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980) as Mr. Shoemaker
• Madame X (1981) (made for TV)
• The McGuffin (1985) as Marty
• Seize the Day (1986) as Dr. Tamkin
• Hot Pursuit (1987) as Victor Honeywell
• Nadine (1987) as Raymond Escobar
• Hairspray (1988) as Wilbur Turnblad
• That's Adequate (1989) as Sid Lane
• Little Vegas (1990) as Sam
• Sweet 15 (1990) as Waterman
• Freefall (1992) as Emily's Father
• Highway to Hell (1992) as The Desk Cop
• Seinfeld (1993-1998) as Frank Costanza
• The Pickle (1993) as Phil Hirsch
• Heavyweights (1995) as Harvey Bushkin
• Camp Stories (1997) as Schlomo
• Stag (1997) as Ted
• The Deli (1997) as Petey Cheesecake
• The King of Queens (1998-2007) as Arthur Spooner
• The Suburbans (1999) as Speedo Silverburg
• A Fish in the Bathtub (1999) as Sam
• Secret of the Andes (1999) as Dr. Golfisch
• The Independent (2000) as Monty Fineman
• My 5 Wives (2000) as Don Giovanni
• Chump Change (2001) as The Colonel
• Zoolander (2001) as Maury Ballstein
• On the Line (2001) as Nathan
• Serving Sara (2002) as Milton the Cop
• Teacher's Pet (2004) (voice) as Pretty Boy
• The Lion King 1½ (2004) (voice) (direct-to-DVD) as Uncle Max
• Hairspray (2007) as Mr. Pinky
• The Heartbreak Kid (2007) as Doc

Short Subjects

• Shoeshine (1987)
• So You Want to Be an Actor (1993)
• Amy Stiller's Breast (2000)

See also

• Stiller and Meara
• The Stiller and Meara Show
• Anne Meara
• Ben Stiller
• Amy Stiller
• Seinfeld
• The King of Queens

External links

• Jerry Stiller at IMDb
• The Stiller and Meara Show at Internet Movie Database
• Festivus: The website for the rest of us - Website for Festivus Book to which Stiller wrote foreword, includes Festivus movies, songs, forum and grievances
• Jerry Stiller - Internet Accuracy Project
• Exclusive Jerry Stiller Interview at TrulyHollywood.com (March 21, 2007)
• Stiller and Meara article at talkingcomedy.com