Ben Stiller took to Twitter in the early hours of May 11 to reveal that his father, actor and comedian, Jerry Stiller, has passed away. “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Ben wrote. “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.” Jerry is best known for his role as Frank Costanza in Seinfeld, which he starred on from 1993-1998. He also played Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens from 1998 until 2007.
In addition to his comedic acting roles, Jerry was also known as a comedian. He married his wife, Anne Meara, in 1954, and they formed the comedy duo, Stiller and Meara. They often made appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as other variety shows, throughout the 1960s and 70s. Jerry and Anne actually met in a casting agent’s office. He took her out for coffee on the first day that they met, and the rest was history. Sadly, Anne died in 2015.
Jerry and Anne had two kids: Ben and Amy Stiller. He also leaves behind two grandchildren (Ben’s kids with wife, Christine Taylor). Jerry made appearances in several of Ben’s most well-known movies, including Zoolander, Heavyweights, Zoolander 2 and The Heartbreak Kid.
I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020
Throughout his career, Jerry also made guest appearances on shows like Law & Order, Sex & The City, The Good Wife and more. His most recent television role was in the 2016 television movie, Zoolander: Super Model, and his last film was 2016’s Zoolander 2. Our thoughts are with Jerry’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.
