Actor & comedian legend Jerry Stiller passes away at 92

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Sad news to report today as Hollywood has lost one of its funniest personalties. Actor/comedian Jerry Stiller has passed away at the age of 92. 

His son Ben Stiller, a respected actor and comedian in his own right, confirmed the sad news on Twitter this morning saying "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." You can see the beautiful Twitter tribute below:

While Jerry Siller was short in stature at 5-foot-4, he was larger than life which led to a truly remarkable career. Stiller and his wife, Anne Meara, were frequent comedic partners, taking a signature routine of theirs to The Ed Sullivan Show which showcased their dissimilarities as he was short and Jewish and Meara was lanky, two inches taller & an Irish-American who was raised Catholic. Together they created the characters, Hershey Horowitz and Mary Elizabeth Doyle and they would go on to make 36 appearances on the Sullivan Show alone. By the end of the decade, they became the number one couple of comedy which put them in great company as they inherited the title from Elaine May and Mike Nichols. This feat also allowed them to follow in the footsteps of another famous husband-and-wife team, George Burns and Gracie Allen. Stiller and Meara were married for 61 years until she sadly passed in May of 2015.

Jerry Siller is probably best known for playing the always cranky former salesman Frank Costanza on NBC's Seinfeld. The character was the father of George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, and he went on to appear on more than two dozen episodes of the hit comedy series. In a bit of surprising news, Stiller received the one and only Emmy nomination of his career in 1997 for playing the role. 

Despite the popularity of playing Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, he arguably was more visible on the long-running comedy series The King of Queens, which ran from 1998-2007 on CBS. Stiller played Arthur, the father of Carrie (Leah Remini) and he lived with her and his son-in-law, Doug (Kevin James), after burning down his home in the pilot episode. His wife also appeared on the sitcom as Veronica and during the series' final season, their characters got married.

Stiller also made appearances in films, having shown up in such movies as 1974's THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, AIRPORT 1975, NASTY HABITS & HAIRSPRAY (both the 1988 and 2007 versions). Stiller even showed up in some of his son's films such as ZOOLANDER, ZOOLANDER 2 & THE HEARTBREAK KID. The comedian also made his presence known on Broadway playing mobster Carmine Vespucci in Terrance McNally's 1975 hit, The Ritz. He would go on to reprise the role a year later for the Richard Lester film adaptation.

Hard to really summarize Stiler's legendary career in just one story. He was a true legend that was able to captivate multiple generations due to his signature comedic stylings and it's a trait that he passed on to his son, who clearly learned a lot from his father. Thankfully Stiller's work thrives and lives on, especially his stints on Seinfeld and The King of Queens which continue to remain insanely popular in syndication. Stiller is also survived by his daughter, Amy Stiller, who is also an actress that appeared in smaller roles alongside her famous father. 

You'll truly be missed. R.I.P.

Jerry Stiller (1927-2020)