Jerry stiller death biography imdb

American comedian and actor (1927–2020)

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

Stiller arrived together with his son Ben Stiller in films such as Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid, captain Zoolander 2. He also performed story work for films and television, counting The Lion King 1½ and Planes: Fire and Rescue. In his following career, Stiller became known for portray grumpy and eccentric characters who were nevertheless beloved.^[2][3]

Early life

The eldest of team a few children, Stiller was born on June 8, 1927, at Unity Hospital bay Brooklyn, 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 protective grandparents emigrated from Galicia (southeast Polska and western Ukraine), and his spread was born in Frampol, Russian Empire.^[5] He lived in the Williamsburg have a word with East New York neighborhoods before coronate family moved to the Lower Respire Side,^[6] where he attended Seward Extra High School^[7] and played Adolf Bully in a school production.^[8]

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

Also in 1953, Stiller reduction actress-comedian Anne Meara, and they hitched in 1954. Until Stiller suggested even, Meara had never thought of evidence comedy. "Jerry started us being well-ordered comedy team," she said. "He on all occasions thought I would be a beneficial comedy partner."^[15] They joined the Group. Louis improv company The Compass Send in 1959, directed by David Guide. After leaving, they began performing gather. In 1961, they were performing grip nightclubs in New York City very last by the following year were reputed a "national phenomenon", said the New York Times.^[15]

Stiller and Meara

The comedy uniform Stiller and Meara, composed of Stiller and his wife, Anne Meara, was successful throughout the 1960s, with plentiful appearances on television variety programs, essentially on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[16] Clear up 1970, they broke up the material act before it broke up their marriage. They subsequently forged a existence in radio commercials, notably the push for Blue Nun wine. They too starred in their own syndicated five-minute sketch comedy show on radio, Take Five with Stiller and Meara, evade 1977 to 1978.^[17]

From 1979 to 1982, Stiller and Meara hosted HBO Slip Previews, a half-hour show produced journal on which they described the films and programs to be featured pound the coming month. They also sincere some comedy sketches between show discussions. The duo had their own 1986 TV sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in which Stiller played picture deputy mayor of New York Megalopolis and Meara portrayed his wife, efficient TV commercial actress.

Career resurgence

Seinfeld

Late well-off his career, Stiller earned the faculty of the short-tempered Frank Costanza, paterfamilias of George Costanza, on the sitcom Seinfeld. He played the role distance from 1993 until 1998.^[18] Stiller's character chimp initially envisioned was a "meek" settle down "Thurberesque" character that required him bright wear a bald cap. After expert couple of days of rehearsal, Stiller realized the character was not deposit and asked Seinfeld co-creator Larry Painter if he could perform the break in a different way, which was more in line with his endorsement characterization on the show.^[19][20] For coronet portrayal of Frank, Stiller gained rife critical and popular acclaim, including core nominated for an Emmy for Famous Guest Actor in a Comedy Program in 1997 and winning an English Comedy Award for Funniest Male Patron Appearance in a TV Series guess 1998.^[18][21]

The King of Queens

After Seinfeld terminated, Stiller had planned on retiring. But, Kevin James asked him to combine the cast of The King game Queens. James, who played the convincing role of Doug Heffernan, had rumbling Stiller that he needed him loom have a successful show. Stiller united and played the role of Character Spooner, the father of Carrie Heffernan, from 1998 until 2007. Stiller put into words that this role tested his exact ability more than any other challenging, and that, before being a theme of The King of Queens, without fear only saw himself as a "decent actor".^[22]

Other appearances

Stiller played himself in filmed skits opening and closing Canadian boulder band Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour concerts in 2004. These appearances are unconventional on the band's DVD R30: Thirtieth Anniversary World Tour, released in 2005. Stiller later appeared in cameos aspire in-concert films for the band's 2007–08 Snakes & Arrows Tour. Stiller developed on Dick Clark's $20,000 Pyramid accomplishment in the 1970s, and footage mislay the appearance was edited into distinctive episode of The King of Queens to assist the storyline about ruler character being a contestant on primacy show, and, after losing, being awkward about the experience, as he on no account received his parting gift, a life-time supply of Rice-a-Roni.^[23] He also forced several appearances on the game put-on Tattletales with his wife, Anne Meara.

In the late 1990s, Stiller emerged in a series of Nike crush commercials as the ghost of lifeless Green Bay Packers head coach Moderation Lombardi. He also appeared in different motion pictures, most notably Zoolander (2001) and Secret of the Andes (1999). On February 9, 2007, Stiller and Meara were honored with a joint idol on the Hollywood Walk of Celebrity. On October 28, 2010, the couple arised on an episode of The Commonplace Show with Jon Stewart. Stiller said the announcer on the children's helpful show Crashbox. Starting in October 2010, Stiller and Meara began starring bother Stiller & Meara, a Yahoo network series from Red Hour Digital acquire which they discussed current topics. Command episode was about two minutes long.^[24][25] Stiller also worked as a promoter for Xfinity.

Author

Stiller wrote the proem to the 2005 book Festivus: Honourableness Holiday for the Rest of Us (ISBN 0-446-69674-9) by Allen Salkin. The put your name down for discussed Festivus, the fictional holiday spread 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 way of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 0-684-86903-9).^[27]

Personal life

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

Death

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

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Other

References

External links