Ben Stiller is one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in Hollywood. He has had a long career as an actor, director, producer, and writer that spans more than three decades.
Stiller was born Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller on November 30th 1965 in New York City to parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara who were both comedians. His father is Jewish while his mother was Catholic, making him half-Jewish by religion.
Stiller started his acting career at a young age with appearances on television shows such as The Mike Douglas Show when he was just 10 years old. It wasn’t until 1994 that he made his feature film debut in Reality Bites which earned him critical acclaim for his performance as Michael Gratesby opposite Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke. Since then he has gone on to star in major box office hits such as There’s Something About Mary (1998), Meet the Parents (2000) Night at the Museum trilogy (2006 – 2014), and Zoolander franchise (2001 – 2016). He also wrote, directed or produced many of these films including Tropic Thunder (2008) and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004).
Aside from acting Ben Stiller is known for being an advocate for causes close to him such as cancer research after losing family members to it over the years; raising awareness about climate change through documentaries like The Truth About Climate Change; speaking out against gun violence after surviving two shootings himself; founding organizations like Red Hour Films which focuses on creating unique content without relying solely on big studios; supporting charities like Stand Up To Cancer, Global Poverty Project and UNICEF USA among others; producing Broadway plays such as Now You See Me Live! starring Jesse Eisenberg; hosting Saturday Night Live several times over the years; writing children’s books featuring animal characters called “Meet Me At My House” series.
Overall Ben Stiller is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who has used his fame for good causes beyond just entertainment. He is a multi-talented actor, director, producer and philanthropist who has left an indelible mark on the film industry.
Stiller began acting as a child appearing on TV shows such as Kate & Allie before making his feature debut with Empire of the Sun (1987). His career really took off when he co-wrote, directed and starred in Reality Bites (1994) which became a cult classic amongst Generation Xers.
He continued to write, direct or star in several successful comedy films including There’s Something About Mary (1998), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and Tropic Thunder (2008).
He also had considerable success on TV landing recurring roles on Seinfeld from 1993-1998 where he played George Costanza’s nemesis “Kruger”; Fox’s Arrested Development where he played Tony Wonder; Showtime’s Nurse Jackie; IFC’s Portlandia; HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm; Netflix’ Wet Hot American Summer series revival among others. In addition to acting Stiller produced several hit movies such as The Cable Guy starring Jim Carrey and Heavyweights featuring Shaun Weiss.
Throughout his career Ben Stiller has been nominated for numerous awards including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series – one for hosting Saturday Night Live in 2008 and another for playing President Obama during SNL’s 40th Anniversary Special – plus three Golden Globe nominations all of them Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture Musical Or Comedy category. He won the MTV Movie Award For Best On Screen Team twice firstly with Jennifer Aniston for Along Came Polly (2004) then again with Robert De Niro & Owen Wilson for Meet The Parents (2000).
In 2017 Ben founded Red Hour Films which produces feature films like Brad Pitt starrer War Machine plus documentaries such as If You’re Not In The Obit Eat Breakfast narrated by Carl Reiner. More recently he appeared opposite Adam Sandler & Chris Rock in Uncut Gems released late 2019 while 2020 sees him reprise Alexei Vayner/Larry Zoolander character alongside Owen Wilson once more this time under Justin Theroux direction.
