Ben Stiller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Stiller
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![]() Stiller filming Tower Heist, 2010
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Born |
Benjamin Edward Stiller
November 30, 1965 New York City, United States
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Occupation | Actor, comedian, director producer, screenwriter |
Years active | 1987–present |
Spouse(s) |
Christine Taylor
(m. 2000; separated 2017) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Jerry Stiller (deceased) Anne Meara (deceased) |
Family | Amy Stiller (sister) |
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, screenwriter, movie director, and producer. He is best known for his roles in There's Something About Mary, Zoolander (2001), Meet the Parents (2001) (and its 2004 sequel Meet the Fockers). Stiller has also starred in Flirting with Disaster (1996), Duplex (2003) and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) among others. One of the first movies he starred in was Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987) Tropic Thunder (2008).
He directed Reality Bites (1994) and The Cable Guy (1996).
Contents
Early life
Stiller was born in New York City in 1965. His father, Jerry Stiller, was from a Jewish family that immigrated from Poland and Galicia, in Eastern Europe. His mother, Anne Meara, who was of Irish Catholic background, converted to Reform Judaism after marrying his father. She died in 2015. The family celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas, and Stiller had a Bar Mitzvah. He has said that he is "half Jewish and half Irish Catholic." Stiller's parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, including The Mike Douglas Show when he was six. He stated in an interview that he considered his childhood unusual: "In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights—not what you'd call traditional."
Health
In October 2016, Stiller revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in June 2014. Following surgery, he received a cancer-free status in September 2014.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1987 | Hot Pursuit | Chris Honeywell | |
1987 | Empire of the Sun | Dainty | |
1987 | Shoeshine | ||
1988 | Fresh Horses | Tipton | |
1989 | That's Adequate | Chip Lane | |
1989 | Next of Kin | Lawrence Isabella | |
1989 | Elvis Stories | Bruce | |
1990 | Stella | Jim Uptegrove | |
1990 | Working Tra$h | Freddy Novak | |
1991 | Highway to Hell | Pluto's Cook/Attila The Hun | |
1992 | The Nutt House | Pie Thrower | Cameo |
1994 | Reality Bites | Michael Grates | |
1995 | Heavyweights | Tony Perkis/Tony Perkis Sr. | |
1996 | Happy Gilmore | Hal L. (The Evil Nursing Home Orderly Worker) | Uncredited |
1996 | If Lucy Fell | Bwick Elias | |
1996 | Flirting with Disaster | Mel | |
1996 | The Cable Guy | Sam Sweet/Stan Sweet | |
1998 | Zero Effect | Steve Arlo | |
1998 | There's Something About Mary | Ted Stroehmann | |
1998 | Your Friends & Neighbors | Jerry | |
1998 | Permanent Midnight | Jerry Stahl | |
1999 | The Suburbans | Jay Rose | |
1999 | Mystery Men | Mr. Furious | |
1999 | Black and White | Mark Clear | |
2000 | The Independent | Cop | |
2000 | Keeping the Faith | Rabbi Jake Schram | |
2000 | Meet the Parents | Gaylord "Greg" Focker | |
2001 | Zoolander | Derek Zoolander | |
2001 | The Royal Tenenbaums | Chas Tenenbaum | |
2002 | Orange County | The Firefighter | Cameo |
2002 | Run Ronnie Run | Himself | |
2003 | Duplex | Alex Rose | |
2003 | Nobody Knows Anything! | Peach Expert | Cameo |
2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Himself | Cameo |
2004 | Along Came Polly | Reuben Feffer | |
2004 | Starsky & Hutch | David Starsky | |
2004 | Envy | Tim Dingman | |
2004 | DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | White Goodman | |
2004 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Arturo Mendes | Cameo |
2004 | Meet the Fockers | Gaylord "Greg" Focker | |
2005 | Sledge: The Untold Story | Commander | |
2005 | Madagascar | Alex the Lion | Voice role |
2005 | A Christmas Caper | Voice role; uncredited | |
2006 | Danny Roane: First Time Director | Himself | |
2006 | School for Scoundrels | Lonnie | |
2006 | Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny | The Guitar Center Store SalesGuy | Cameo; also producer |
2006 | Night at the Museum | Lawrence "Larry" Daley | |
2006 | In Search of Ted Demme | Himself | |
2006 | Awesome; I Shot That! | Himself | |
2007 | The Heartbreak Kid | Edward "Eddie" Cantrow | |
2007 | Elmo's Christmas Countdown | Stiller the Elf (voice) | |
2008 | Tropic Thunder | Tugg Speedman | |
2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Alex | Voice role |
2009 | Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | Lawrence "Larry" Daley | |
2009 | The Marc Pease Experience | Jon Gribble | |
2010 | Greenberg | Roger Greenberg | |
2010 | Submarine | Soap Opera Star | Cameo |
2010 | The Trip | Himself | Cameo; uncredited |
2010 | Megamind | Bernard | Cameo voice role |
2010 | Little Fockers | Gaylord "Greg" Focker | |
2011 | Tower Heist | Josh Kovaks | |
2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Alex | Voice role |
2012 | The Watch | Evan Trautwig | |
2013 | He's Way More Famous Than You | Himself | |
2013 | Turbo | Chet's boss | Voice role; uncredited |
2013 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Walter Mitty | |
2014 | While We're Young | Josh | |
2014 | Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb | Lawrence "Larry" Daley/Laaa | |
2016 | Zoolander 2 | Derek Zoolander | |
2016 | Zoolander: Super Model | ||
2016 | Don't Think Twice | Himself | |
2017 | The Meyerowitz Stories | Matthew Meyerowitz | |
2017 | Brad's Status | Brad Sloan |
Ben Stillerat the Jonathan Ross Show.
Images for kids
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Stiller signing autographs before a screening for Tropic Thunder at Camp Pendleton in August 2008
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Stiller with Dustin Hoffman, 2017
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Stiller at the Madagascar 3 premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
