He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. The legendary Jewish comedian Jerry Stiller, who died Monday at 92, was never quite sure whether Frank Costanza - the tightly wound character he was internationally famous for playing on television - was Jewish or not. . 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. Jerry Stiller, the American comedian and actor who was one-half of the great 1960s husband-wife comedy team Stiller & Meara, a fan-favorite cornerstone of the sitcom Seinfeld and the father of 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 lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni. Until Stiller suggested it, Meara had never thought of doing comedy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus posted a video from a "Seinfeld" blooper reel in which Stiller kept making her break character and laugh. In 2016, he reprised the role of the agent Maury Ballstein in Zoolander 2, the sequel to the hit 2001 comedy about a male model, starring and directed by his son. Stiller saw a late-career resurgence starting in 1993, playing George Costanza's father Frank on the sitcom Seinfeld, a part which earned him . IE 11 is not supported. Jerry Stiller was married to his wife, Anne Meara, for over six decades, all the way until her death in 2015. [1], Stiller appeared together with his son Ben Stiller in films such as Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid, and Zoolander 2. For the first time in our 169 years of publishing, the word shecession a reference to the fact that a majority of the jobs lost in April were held by women appeared in The Times, as noted by the Twitter bot @NYT_first_said. Just a few months after the final episode of Seinfeld (in which Frank had one last moment in the spotlight, spending most of it yelling), broadcast on May 14, 1998, Mr. Stiller was back on television playing another off-kilter father a marginally more restrained version of Frank Costanza on another sitcom, The King of Queens, which made its debut that fall on CBS. One rapper gained more than three million followers on the platform, while another Diddy raised about $4 million for charity. Heres todays Mini Crossword, and a clue: Deborah of the White House coronavirus briefings (four letters). Jerry Stiller was a multi-talented performer who appeared in an assortment of movies, playing Walter Matthau's police sidekick in the thriller "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" and Divine's husband, Wilbur Turnblad in John Waters' twisted comedy "Hairspray. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. They worked together in 1959 with the Compass Players, an improvisational theater group that later evolved into the Second City. Veteran comic, Jerry Stiller, dies at 92. "Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Brought Us So Much More than Laughs". When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. His father, Jerry Stiller, died in May 2020 at age ninety-two. 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Comedy veteran Jerry Stiller, who launched his career opposite wife Anne Meara in the 1950s and reemerged four decades later as the hysterically high-strung Frank Costanza on the smash television show "Seinfeld," has died. 6 of 13 View All. Thank you for so many incredible memories. We loved him. He was 92. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "Jerry started us being a comedy team," she said. Growing up in Brooklyn and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Jerry was inspired to perform by seeing Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante in person. His father, a son of immigrants from Galicia, drove a taxi and later a bus. Jerry Stiller, 'Seinfeld' actor and father of comedian Ben Stiller, who rose to prominence with his wife, Anne Meara, has died of natural causes at age 92. That same year, he played a group-therapy patient in the independent film Excuse Me for Living. In 2014, he provided the voice for the title character in an unorthodox animated television special, How Murray Saved Christmas.. A great actor, a great man, a lovely friend. I may never get an obit!, Jerry Stiller, Comedian With Enduring Appeal, Is Dead at 92, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/arts/television/jerry-stiller-seinfeld-dead.html. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was 92. All Boroughs. "He always thought I would be a great comedy partner. I'm so grateful for all he gave.". Ben Stiller (L) and his father Jerry Stiller(R) arrive at the Help Haiti benefit honoring Sean Penn hosted by the Stiller Foundation and The J/P Haitian Relief Organization, in New York. The Life and Death of Jerry Givens, Virginia's Executioner-Turned-Abolitionist. While Hollywood production has ground to a halt, some documentarians are still forging ahead. "He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated . For almost two months, the killing of Ahmaud Arbery received very little attention. The son of a bus driver and a housewife, Stiller grew up in Depression-era Brooklyn. She died at the age of 85. "It was never really clear if the Costanzas were Jewish or Italian or what they were," Stiller told the New York Post . One of them was After-Play,a 1995 off-Broadway show written by Meara. Comedy Legend Jerry Stiller has died at 92, his son actor Ben Stiller confirmed early Monday. Given the vast resources at the White Houses disposal, including access to rapid-testing kits, the news suggests that other workplaces may struggle to prevent transmission if the economy begins to reopen soon. Jerry Stiller with son Ben in February 2011. My manager had retired, he said. Meara was Irish Catholic and converted to Judaism before the couple's two children were born. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. There was a brief involvement in Shakespearean theater, including a $55-a-week job with Jack Klugman in Coriolanus., Stiller was considerably quieter and reflective in person than in character, although just as funny. Heavyweights. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It jump-started the septuagenarians career, landing him a spot playing Vince Lombardi in a Nike commercial and the role of another over-the-top dad on the long-running sitcom King of Queens.. ", He also wrote an autobiography, "Married to Laughter," about his 50-plus year marriage to soul mate and comedic cohort Meara, who died in 2015. I am only comforted knowing that Anne & Jerry, the great comedy duo of Stiller & Meara are back together. The son of a bus driver and a housewife, Stiller grew up in Depression-era Brooklyn. He was perhaps the kindest man I ever had the honor to work beside. Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 - May 11, 2020) was an American actor, comedian and author. Heres the sign-up. May 11, 2020 at 7:02 am. [25][26] Stiller also worked as a spokesman for Xfinity. I was close to 70 years old, and had nowhere to go., JERRY SEINFELD WINS 'COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE' DISPUTE. His inspiration to enter show business came at age 8, when his father took him to see the Marx Brothers in the comedy classic A Night at the Opera., The Associated Press contributed to this report. ", Margaret Norton / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images file. ", Stiller, although a supporting player on "Seinfeld," created some of the Emmy-winning show's most enduring moments: co-creator and model for the "bro," a brassiere for men; a Korean War cook who inflicted food poisoning on his entire unit; and an ever-simmering salesman controlling his explosive temper with the shouted mantra, "Serenity now!". And Ms. Meara reveals that years ago Mr. Stiller had persuaded The Times to publish her fathers obituary by falsely claiming that he had written material for their comedy act. But his life and career took off after he met Meara in spring 1953. Jerry Seinfeld also shared a tribute, posting a photo of himself holding The Last Two People in the World, a 1967 comedy album from Stiller and Meara. If you want to watch a good documentary, weve got lists whether youre in the mood for uplifting, true-crime or stranger-than-fiction films. In a Times Op-Ed, Mary McCord, a former Justice Department official, writes that Attorney General William Barr twisted her words in order to justify dropping criminal charges against Michael Flynn last week. Ben Stiller recalled trips with his sister to California when his parents would head west to do television appearances. Jerry Stiller, Anna Meara at Kraft Music Hall -- "Love" circa 1971. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. Stiller and Meara are together again and heaven is funnier for it. And his myriad television spots included everything from Murder She Wrote to Law & Order along with 36 appearances alongside Meara on The Ed Sullivan Show., Stiller, although a supporting player on Seinfeld, created some of the Emmy-winning shows most enduring moments: co-creator and model for the bro, a brassiere for men; a Korean War cook who inflicted food poisoning on his entire unit; an ever-simmering salesman controlling his explosive temper with the shouted mantra, Serenity now!, Jason Alexander, his former TV son on Seinfeld, said Stiller was perhaps the kindest man I ever had the honor to work beside. Jerry Stiller has died at 92. Klein, who also once co-owned the iconic Carnegie . He was a great dad and grandfather and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. I love you and miss you. And a comedic legend has died. He died of natural causes, his son a comedy star himself said in a tweet. The truth is that this happened all the time with Jerry Stiller. Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. A regular this time, he played Arthur Spooner, the excitable father of the wife (Leah Remini) of the working-slob central character (Kevin James), for the shows entire nine-season run. Toggle navigation. In response, airlines are cutting costs sharply and trying to imagine what the future will look like. ", "I had the honor of working with your Dad on 'TKOQ,'" Shen wrote in response to Ben Stiller's tweet. or redistributed. Those scenarios, he argues, are more worrisome than a quick trip to the grocery store or almost any outdoor activity. Some of his well known moments include his famous Festivus celebration, as well as the phrase "Serenity now!" [14] 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". Long praised by vegans for its savory flavor, nutritional yeast is going mainstream. That's where he met Meara, then a struggling actress looking for work and apparently a new set of cutlery for her apartment. They subsequently forged a career in radio commercials, notably the campaign for Blue Nun wine. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sign up here. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The men are white, and Arbery was black. Actors Ben Stiller and Jerry Stiller arrive at the HELP HAITI - Urban Zen HHRH in New York on February 11, 2011. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Galicia (southeast Poland and western Ukraine), and his mother was born in Frampol, Poland. Published 12:40 PM EDT, Mon May 11, 2020. ", While he was known as a nut-job father on the small screen, Stiller and wife Meara raised two children in their longtime home on Manhattan's Upper West Side: daughter Amy, who became an actress, and son Ben, who became a writer, director and actor in such films as "Dodgeball," "There's Something About Mary" and "Meet the Parents.". But the character wasn't working - until Stiller suggested his reincarnation as an over-the-top crank who matched his wife scream for scream. Expand. Jerry Stiller, a classically trained actor who became a comedy star twice in the 1960s in partnership with his wife, Anne Meara, and in the 1990s with a memorable recurring role on Seinfeld died early Monday morning at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. When I thanked him, he said, 'Hey, its not Shakespeare!' Use it when salt or cheese doesnt feel quite right with sesame noodles, in salads, on roasted vegetables, you name it. Stiller agreed and played the role of Arthur Spooner, the father of Carrie Heffernan, from 1998 until 2007. He will be greatly missed. They began performing as a duo in New York nightclubs in 1961 and soon made the first of about three dozen appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.. And his myriad television spots included everything from Murder She Wroteto Law and Order along with 36 appearances alongside Meara on The Ed Sullivan Show. He died of natural causes, his son - a comedy star himself - said in a tweet. He began acting at the Henry Street Playhouse while attending Seward Park High School. He will be greatly missed. In the 1960s, he and his wife, Anne Meara, found success as a comedy team. The classically trained actor became a comedy star twice: in the 1960s with his wife and in the 90s on Seinfeld..