Jerry Stiller
Birth nameGerald Isaac Stiller
Birth dateJune 8, 1927
Birth placeNew York City, U.S.
Death dateMay 11, 2020 (aged 92)
Death placeNew York City, U.S.
Burial placeNantucket Jewish Cemetery
Alma materSyracuse University (BA)
OccupationComedian · actor
SpouseAnne Meara (m. 1954; died 2015)
RelativesChristine Taylor (daughter-in-law)
Years active1953–2016

Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American comedian and actor. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015. Stiller saw a late-career resurgence starting in 1993, playing Frank Costanza on the sitcom Seinfeld, a part which earned him an Emmy nomination. In 1998, Stiller began his role as Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens, another role that garnered widespread acclaim.[1]

Stiller appeared together with his son Ben Stiller in films such as Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid, and Zoolander 2. He also performed voice-over work for films and television, including The Lion King 1½ and Planes: Fire and Rescue. In his later career, Stiller became known for portraying grumpy and eccentric characters who were nevertheless beloved.[2][3]

Early life

The eldest of four children, Gerald Isaac Stiller was born on June 8, 1927, at Unity Hospital in New York City, to Bella (née Citron; 1902–1954) and William Stiller (1896–1999), a taxi and bus driver.[4] His family is Jewish. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Galicia (southeast Poland and western Ukraine), and his mother was born in Frampol, in modern-day eastern Poland.[5] He lived in the Williamsburg and East New York neighborhoods of Brooklyn before his family moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan,[6] where he attended Seward Park High School[7] and played Adolf Hitler in a school production.[8]

Upon his return from service in the U.S. Army during World War II,[9][10] Stiller attended Syracuse University, earning a bachelor's degree in Speech and Drama in 1950.[11][12] He also studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village.[13] In the 1953 Phoenix Theater production of Coriolanus (produced by John Houseman), Stiller, along with Gene Saks and Jack Klugman, formed (as told by Houseman in the 1980 memoir Front and Center) "the best trio of Shakespearian clowns that I have ever seen on any stage".[14]

Also in 1953, Stiller met actress-comedian Anne Meara, and they married in 1954. Until Stiller suggested it, Meara had never thought of doing comedy. "Jerry started us being a comedy team," she said. "He always thought I would be a great comedy partner."[15] They joined the St. Louis improv company The Compass Players in 1959, directed by David Shepherd. After leaving, they began performing together. In 1961, they were performing in nightclubs in New York City and by the following year were considered a "national phenomenon", said the New York Times.[15]

Stiller and Meara

The comedy team Stiller and Meara, composed of Stiller and his wife, Anne Meara, was successful throughout the 1960s, with numerous appearances on television variety programs, primarily on The Ed Sullivan Show.[16] In 1970, they broke up the live act before it broke up their marriage. They subsequently forged a career in radio commercials, notably the campaign for Blue Nun wine. They also starred in their own syndicated five-minute sketch comedy show on radio, Take Five with Stiller and Meara, from 1977 to 1978.[17]

From 1979 to 1982, Stiller and Meara hosted HBO Sneak Previews, a half-hour show produced monthly on which they described the movies and programs to be featured in the coming month. They also did some comedy sketches between show discussions. The duo had their 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.

Career resurgence

Seinfeld

Late in his career, Stiller earned the part of the short-tempered Frank Costanza, father of George Costanza, on the sitcom Seinfeld. He played the role from 1993 until 1998.[18] Stiller's character as initially envisioned was a "meek" and "Thurberesque" character that required him to wear a bald cap. After a couple of days of rehearsal, Stiller realized the character was not working and asked Seinfeld co-creator Larry David if he could perform the character in a different way, which was more in line with his final characterization on the show.[19][20] For his portrayal of Frank, Stiller gained widespread critical and popular acclaim, including being nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997 and winning an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series in 1998.[18][21]

The King of Queens

After Seinfeld ended, Stiller had planned on retiring. However, Kevin James asked him to join the cast of The King of Queens. James, who played the leading role of Doug Heffernan, had told Stiller that he needed him to have a successful show. Stiller agreed and played the role of Arthur Spooner, the father of Carrie Heffernan, from 1998 until 2007. Stiller said that this role tested his acting ability more than any other had, and that, before being a part of The King of Queens, he only saw himself as a "decent actor".[22]

Other appearances

Stiller played himself in filmed skits opening and closing Canadian rock band Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour concerts in 2004. These appearances are seen on the band's DVD R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour, released in 2005. Stiller later appeared in cameos for in-concert films for the band's 2007–08 Snakes & Arrows Tour. Stiller appeared on Dick Clark's $20,000 Pyramid show in the 1970s, and footage of the appearance was edited into an episode of The King of Queens to assist the storyline about his character being a contestant on the show, and, after losing, being bitter about the experience, as he never received his parting gift, a years supply of Rice-A-Roni.[23] He also made several appearances on the game show Tattletales with his wife, Anne Meara.

In the late 1990s, Stiller appeared in a series of Nike television commercials as the ghost of deceased Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi. He also appeared in various motion pictures, most notably Hairspray (1988), Secret of the Andes (1999), Zoolander (2001) and Hairspray (2007). He appeared together with his son Ben Stiller in Zoolander, as well as films including Hot Pursuit (1987), Highway to Hell (1992), Heavyweights (1995), The Heartbreak Kid (2007), and Zoolander 2 (2016). He also performed voice work for films such as The Lion King 1½ and Planes: Fire and Rescue.

On February 9, 2007, Stiller and Meara were honored with a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On October 28, 2010, the couple appeared on an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Stiller voiced the announcer on the children's educational show Crashbox. Starting in October 2010, Stiller and Meara began starring in Stiller & Meara, a Yahoo web series from Red Hour Digital in which they discussed current topics. Each episode was about two minutes long.[24][25] Stiller also worked as a spokesman for Xfinity.

Author

Stiller wrote the foreword to the 2005 book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us (ISBN 0-446-69674-9) by Allen Salkin. The book discussed Festivus, the fictional holiday promulgated by Stiller's Seinfeld character Frank Costanza.[26]

Stiller also authored a memoir titled Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara, which was published by Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0-684-86903-9).[27]

Personal life

Stiller was married to Anne Meara for over 60 years, from 1954 until her death on May 23, 2015.[28] The two met in an agent's office. Meara was upset about an interaction with the casting agent, so Stiller took her out for coffee — all he could afford — and they remained together thereafter. Meara was Irish Catholic and converted to Judaism before the couple's children were born.[8] They had two children: actress Amy Stiller (born 1961) and actor-comedian Ben Stiller (born 1965).[29] He had two grandchildren through Ben.[30][31]

Death

On May 11, 2020, Stiller died from natural causes at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the age of 92.[32][33] Many actors Stiller worked with paid tributes to him, including Seinfeld castmates Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards[34] and King of Queens castmates Kevin James and Leah Remini.[35] He is buried in Nantucket, Massachusetts at the Nantucket Jewish Cemetery.[36]

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotesRef(s)
1970Lovers and Other StrangersJimUncredited[37]
1974The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeLt. Rico Patrone[38]
Airport 1975Sam[38]
1976The RitzCarmine Vespucci[38]
1977Nasty HabitsP.R. Priest[38]
1980Those Lips, Those EyesMr. Shoemaker[38]
1986Seize the DayDr. Tamkin[38]
1987Hot PursuitVictor Honeywell[38]
NadineRaymond Escobar[38]
1988HairsprayWilbur Turnblad[38]
1989That's AdequateSid Lane[38]
1990Little VegasSam[38]
1992Highway to HellThe Desk Cop[38]
FreefallEmily's FatherShort
1993The PicklePhil Hirsch[38]
1995HeavyweightsHarvey Bushkin[38]
1997A Rat's TaleProf. Plumpingham[39]
Camp StoriesSchlomo[38]
StagTed[38]
The DeliPetey Cheesecake[38]
1999A Fish in the BathtubSam Kaplan[38]
Secret of the AndesDr. Golfisch[38]
The SuburbansSpeedo Silverburg[38]
2000The IndependentMonty Fineman[38]
My 5 WivesDon Giovani[38]
Chump ChangeThe Colonel[38]
2001ZoolanderMaury Ballstein[38]
On the LineNathan[38]
2002Serving SaraMilton the Cop[38]
2004Teacher's PetPretty BoyVoice[40]
The Lion King 1½Uncle MaxVoice; Direct-to-DVD[38]
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyMan in BarUncredited[41]
2005R30: 30th Anniversary World TourHimself[42]
2007HairsprayMr. Pinky[38]
The Heartbreak KidDoc[38]
2008Snakes & Arrows LiveHeidi[43]
2011Swinging with the FinkelsMr. Winters[38]
2012Foodfight!General XVoice[38]
Excuse Me for LivingMorty[38]
2014Planes: Fire & RescueHarveyVoice[39]
Simpler TimesHarryShort
2016Zoolander 2Maury BallsteinCameo[44]

Television

YearShowRoleNotesRef(s)
1956–1957Studio One in HollywoodSergeant Joe Capriotti / Hugh2 episodes[13]
1957The Big StoryTylerEpisode: "The Hoax"
1959Armstrong Circle TheatrePfc. Elwood JohnsonEpisode: "Thunder Over Berlin"
1962The DefendersSergeant WysenskiEpisode: "The Empty Chute"
General Electric TheaterHaroldEpisode: "Acres and Pains"
1964BrennerChris ZelcoEpisode: "The Plain Truth"
1964–1965Linus the Lionhearted3 episodes[45]
1966–1978The Mike Douglas ShowHimself40 episodes
1967–1973The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson14 episodes
1969That's LifeEpisode: "Our First Fight"
1971–1972The Courtship of Eddie's FatherMr. Landon / Paul Sterling2 episodes[39]
1971–1973Love, American StyleLeonard Ferguson / Harry2 episodes[39]
1972The Carol Burnett ShowHimselfEpisode: "#6.8"
1972–1973The Paul Lynde ShowBarney Dickerson4 episodes[39]
1975–1976Joe and SonsGus Duzik14 episodes[39]
1976PhyllisBurt HillmanEpisode: "Phyllis and the Jumper"[13]
RhodaLloyd ZimmerEpisode: "A Touch of Classy"[13]
1979Time ExpressEdward ChernoffEpisode: "Garbage Man/Doctor's Wife"
1979–1983The Love BoatHarlan Weatherly / Tony Vitelli / Bud Hanrahan3 episodes[39]
1980–1982Archie Bunker's PlaceCarmine2 episodes[39]
1981Madame XBurt OrlandTelevision film
Hart to HartMyron FinkleEpisode: "Murder Takes a Bow"[13]
Private BenjaminSgt. MuldoonEpisode: "So Long, Sergeant Ross"
1982Simon & SimonHarold TraxlerEpisode: "The Uncivil Servant"[39]
AliceGordyEpisode: "Do You Take This Waitress"[39]
1983Reading RainbowDinosaur ComicEpisode: "Digging Up Dinosaurs"[46]
Amanda'sSalEpisode: "You Were Meant for Me"
The Other WomanMel BinnsTelevision film
1984Trapper John, M.D.Artie MerrowEpisode: "Where There's a Will"[38]
1985The EqualizerBrahmsEpisode: "The Equalizer" (Pilot)
Tales from the DarksideLuther MandrakeEpisode: "The Devil's Advocate"
1986Screen TwoMarty de ReskeEpisode: "The McGuffin"[39]
1987Saturday Night LiveStuEpisode: "Charlton Heston/Wynton Marsalis"
1988–1989TattingersSid Wilbur14 episodes[13]
1989Murder, She WroteSFPD Lt. BirnbaumEpisode: "When the Fat Lady Sings"[38]
1990MonstersVictorEpisode: "One Wolf's Family"[39]
Sweet 15WatermanTelevision film[47]
1991American PlayhouseSam / Seymour Shapir2 episodes[38]
Women & Men 2IrvingTelevision film
1992–1996Law & OrderMichael Tobis / Sam Pokras2 episodes[38]
1993–1998SeinfeldFrank Costanza26 episodes[38]
1993L.A. LawNat PincusEpisode: "Rhyme and Punishment"[13]
1994In the Heat of the NightRabbi FeldmanEpisode: "The Rabbi"[39]
1995Homicide: Life on the StreetMcGonnigalEpisode: "In Search of Crimes Past"[38]
1996Deadly GamesPhil CullenEpisode: "Dr. Kramer"
1997Subway StoriesOld ManTelevision film[48]
1998Touched by an AngelMaury SaltEpisode: "Cry and You Cry Alone"[38]
The Larry Sanders ShowHimselfEpisode: "I Buried Sid"[38]
HerculesEagleVoice; Episode: "Hercules and the Promethus Affair"
1998–2007The King of QueensArthur Spooner195 episodes[38]
2000–2002Teacher's PetPretty BoyVoice; 11 episodes[38]
2003Odd Job JackJim McDonaldEpisode: "A Candidacy of Dunces"[39]
Sex and the CityMr. BradyEpisode: "One"[49]
2009Wonder Pets!BernieVoice; Episode: Save the Old White Mouse[39]
MercyJoe ThalbergEpisode: "The Last Thing I Said Was"[38]
2010Ice DreamsSkipperTelevision film[39]
2010–2011Fish HooksPrincipal SticklerVoice; 21 episodes[50]
2011The Good WifeJudge Felix AftermanEpisode: "Silver Bullet"[38]
2014How Murray Saved ChristmasMurray WeinerVoice; Television film[39]
2016Zoolander: Super ModelMaury BallsteinVoice; Television film (final film role)

Stage

YearTitleRoleTheatreRef(s)
1954The Golden AppleMayor JuniperAlvin Theatre[51]
1955The Carefree TreeThe PropertymanPhoenix Theatre, Broadway[51]
1956Diary of a ScoundrelStyopka[51]
The Good Woman of SetzuanPoliceman[51]
1957Measure for MeasureBarnadine[51]
The Taming of the ShrewBiondello[51]
1958The Power and the GloryMestizo[51]
1975The RitzCarmen VespucciLongacre Theatre, Broadway[51]
1977The Unexpected GuestHarry MullinLittle Theatre, Broadway[51]
1980PassioneBertoMorosco Theatre, Broadway[51]
1984HurlyburlyArtieEthel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway[51]
1993Three Men on a HorseCharlieLyceum Theatre, Broadway[51]
1994What's Wrong with This Picture?SidBrooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway[51]
1997The Three SistersChebutykinCriterion Center Stage Right, Broadway[51]

Books

  • Stiller, Jerry (2000). Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-6848-6903-2.
  • Salkin, Allen (2005). Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0-4466-9674-6. (forward)

Accolades

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNomineesResult
1997Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy SeriesSeinfeld
2001Grammy AwardsBest Spoken Word AlbumMarried to Laughter: A Love Story
2007Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Cast in a Motion PictureHairspray

Other

References

  1. ^ Dennis Bjorklund (September 2017). Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia with Biographies, Character Profiles & Episode Summaries. Praetorian Publishing. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-0-9679852-4-4. Best remembered for his five-year stint on "Seinfeld" in a recurring regular role, Jerry Stiller ... is a veteran actor with a long history of stage performances. His notoriety first came when he revamped the role of George's father, but he was best known for...
  2. ^ "Comedian Jerry Stiller, Who Played Hot-Headed Dad On 'Seinfeld,' Dies At 92". NPR.org. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Berman, Marc. "Comedian Jerry Stiller Dies at 92". Forbes. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "Jerry Stiller profile at". Accuracyproject.org. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  5. ^ Jerry Stiller (August 8, 2000). Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara. Simon & Schuster. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-0-7432-1146-8.
  6. ^ Jerry Stiller's Own Private East Side
  7. ^ "Famous Alumni". Sewardparkhs.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  8. ^ "Actor Jerry Stiller's Favorite Role? Proud Jewish Dad.". Kveller. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  9. ^ "Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Brought Us So Much More than Laughs". Country Living. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Comedian Jerry Stiller schleps to the Statler to give his shtick on Ithaca". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  11. ^ Schmuckler, Carol (April 1, 1995). "The Bond of a Lifetime". Syracuse University Magazine. Vol. 11, no. 3. p. 40. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Alessandrini, Sarah (May 12, 2020). "Jerry Stiller received awards for comedic talent during time as SU student". The Daily Orange. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Dagan, Carmel (May 11, 2020). "Jerry Stiller, 'Seinfeld' and 'Hairspray' Actor and Comedian, Dies at 92". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Houseman, John (1979). Front & Center. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 439. ISBN 0-671-24328-4.
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  16. ^ Jeffrey Ross (September 15, 2009). I Only Roast the Ones I Love: Busting Balls Without Burning Bridges. Gallery Books. pp. 163–. ISBN 978-1-4391-6420-4.
  17. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials, Volume 2. VNR AG. p. 404. ISBN 0918432618. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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  28. ^ Dagan, Carmel (May 24, 2015). "Actress and Comedian Anne Meara, Mother of Ben Stiller, Dies at 85". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  29. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (October 19, 2018). "Ladies and Gentlemen, Give It Up for, er ... Ben Stiller's Sister!". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
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