Ben Stiller Ben Stiller is a man of many talents; he’s an actor, director, producer, and writer. Born into a show business family, Ben’s parents are Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, the celebrated actors and comics. Ben’s older sister, Amy, also acts. Ben was born in New York City, in 1965, and displayed his acting abilities at an early age, appearing in his mother’s TV series when he was ten years old. He became a film student at the University of California but dropped out, preferring to return to his hometown. It turned out to be a wise move for Stiller, as he got a part in the Broadway production of The House of Blue Leaves, written by John Guare and starring John Mahoney. After this, Ben Stiller flexed his writing muscles, writing a comedy short, which was a parody of Martin Scorsese’s hit film The Color of Money. Ben played the Tom Cruise role himself and John Mahoney took the Paul Newman character. The ever popular TV series Saturday Night Live broadcast the short and later on hired Ben as a writer and a performer. This was a huge breakthrough for Ben, and he was subsequently given his own show, The Ben Stiller Show.
Unfortunately, it only lasted twelve episodes though it did go on to earn an Emmy. The show also sparked stardom for his colleagues, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, and Andy Dick. After the cancellation of The Ben Stiller show, films beckoned the actor, and he’s never looked back. There’s Something About Mary, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, and co-starring Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon, gave Ben his big movie break. He directed and starred in Reality Bites, with Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke; and also Zoolander, with his great friend Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell. Stiller also directed Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick in The Cable Guy. Some of Stiller’s most popular movies include Meet The Parents and its sequel Meet The Fockers, both directed by Jay Roach and starring Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner. Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand added to the all-star cast in the popular comedy sequel. Ben was re-united with Owen Wilson when they filmed the movie version of the 1970’s TV series Starsky and Hutch, directed by Todd Phillips. Ben played Starsky, Owen played Hutch, and Snoop Dogg played Huggy Bear. Paul Michael Glaser, the original Starksy, and David Soul, the original Hutch, gave the movie their blessing by making cameo appearances in the film.
Ben Stiller dated actress Jeanne Tripplehorn, but he ultimately went on to date and marry actress Christine Taylor. Together, Stiller and Taylor have a son and daughter. YUDDY |
