His parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, includingThe Mike Douglas Show when he was 6.[26] He considered his childhood unusual, stating: "In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights—not what you'd call traditional."[27] His older sister, Amy,[28] has appeared in many of his productions, includingReality Bites,DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, andZoolander.[29][30][31] Stiller displayed an early interest in filmmaking and madeSuper 8 movies with his sister and friends.[15]
At age 9, Stiller made his acting debut as a guest on his mother's short-lived television series,Kate McShane. In the late 1970s, he performed with the New York City troupe NYC's First All Children's Theater, playing several roles, including the title role inClever Jack and the Magic Beanstalk.[32] After being inspired by the television showSecond City Television while in high school, Stiller realized that he wanted to get involved with sketch comedy.[32] During his high school years, he was also the drummer of thepost-punk band Capital Punishment, which released the studio albumRoadkill in 1982. The band's bassist, Peter Swann, went on to become a judge on theArizona Court of Appeals, serving from 2008 until 2022.[33][34] The band reunited in 2018 to release a new EP, titledThis is Capital Punishment, forRecord Store Day.[35] The current status of the band is unknown.
When he was approximately 15, Stiller obtained a small part with one line on the television soap operaGuiding Light, although in an interview he characterized his performance as poor.[38] He was later cast in a role in the 1986 Broadway revival ofJohn Guare'sThe House of Blue Leaves, alongsideJohn Mahoney; the production would garner fourTony Awards.[37]
During its run, Stiller produced a satiricalmockumentary whose principal was fellow actor Mahoney. Stiller's comedic work was well received by the cast and crew of the play, and he followed up with a 10-minute short titledThe Hustler of Money, a parody of theMartin Scorsese filmThe Color of Money. The film featured him in a send-up ofTom Cruise's character and Mahoney in thePaul Newman role, only this time as abowling hustler instead of apool shark. The short got the attention ofSaturday Night Live, which aired it in 1987 and two years later offered Stiller a spot as a writer.[37] In the meantime, he had a bit role inSteven Spielberg'sEmpire of the Sun.[39]
In 1989 Stiller wrote for and appeared onSaturday Night Live as a featured performer. However, since the show did not want him to make more short films, he left after four episodes.[37] He then put togetherElvis Stories, a short film about a fictitious tabloid focused on recent sightings ofElvis Presley.[40] The film starred friends and co-starsJohn Cusack,Jeremy Piven,Mike Myers,Andy Dick, and Jeff Kahn.[40] The film was considered a success, and led him to develop the short filmGoing Back to Brooklyn forMTV; it was a music video starring comedianColin Quinn that parodiedLL Cool J's recent hit "Going Back to Cali".[41]
Producers at MTV were so impressed withBack to Brooklyn that they offered Stiller a 13-episode show in the experimental "vid-com" format.[42] TitledThe Ben Stiller Show, this 1990 series mixed comedy sketches with music videos and parodied various television shows, music stars, and films. It starred Stiller, along with main writer Jeff Khan and Harry O'Reilly, with his parents and sister making occasional appearances.[42]
In the early 1990s, Stiller had minor roles in films such asStella andHighway to Hell as well as a cameo inThe Nutt House. In 1992, Stiller was approached to directReality Bites, based on a script by Helen Childress. Stiller devoted the next year and a half to rewriting the script with Childress, fundraising, and recruiting cast members for the film. It was eventually released in early 1994, directed by Stiller and featuring him as a co-star.[37] The film was produced byDanny DeVito, who would later direct Stiller's 2003 filmDuplex and produce his 2004 filmAlong Came Polly.[47]Reality Bites debuted as the fifth highest-grossing film over the President Day opening weekend and received mixed reviews.[48][49]
Stiller joined his parents in the family filmHeavyweights (1995), in which he played two roles. FollowingHeavyweights, he had a brief uncredited role inAdam Sandler'sHappy Gilmore (1996) where he played Hal L., the sadistic orderly running the nursing home.[50][51] Next, he had lead roles inIf Lucy Fell andFlirting with Disaster, before tackling his next directorial effort withThe Cable Guy, which starredJim Carrey. Stiller once again was featured in his own film, as twins. The film received mixed reviews, but was noted for paying the highest salary for an actor up to that point, as Carrey received $20 million for his work in the film.[52] The film also connected Stiller with futureFrat Pack membersJack Black andOwen Wilson.[53]
Also in 1996, MTV invited Stiller to host theVH1 Fashion Awards. Along withSNL writer Drake Sather, Stiller developed a short film for the awards about a male model known as Derek Zoolander. It was so well received that he developed another short film about the character for the 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards and eventually remade the skit into a film.[37]
In 1999, he starred in three films, includingMystery Men, where he played a superhero wannabe called Mr. Furious. He appeared in a segment on the July 26 episode ofWWF'sRAW is WAR to promote the then-upcoming movie and found himself on the wrong end of Intercontinental ChampionJeff Jarrett's Figure-4 Leg Lock.[citation needed]
He returned to directing with a new spoof television series for Fox titledHeat Vision and Jack, starring Jack Black. However, the show was not picked up by Fox after its pilot episode and the series was cancelled.[55]
In 2000, Stiller starred in three more films, including one of his most recognizable roles, a male nurse named Gaylord "Greg" Focker inMeet the Parents, oppositeRobert De Niro.[56] The film was well received by critics, grossed over $330 million worldwide, and spawned two sequels.[57][58] Also in 2000, MTV again invited Stiller to make another short film, and he developedMission: Improbable, a spoof ofTom Cruise's role inMission: Impossible II and other films.[59]
Over the next two years, Stiller continued with a starring role in the filmDuplex, and cameos inOrange County andNobody Knows Anything![63][64][65] He has guest-starred on several television shows, including an appearance in an episode of the television seriesThe King of Queens, in a flashback as the father of the character Arthur (played by Jerry Stiller).[66] He also made a guest appearance onWorld Wrestling Entertainment'sWWE Raw.[67]
After starring in and directingZoolander 2 (2016), a critical failure,[citation needed] Stiller's next directorial project was theShowtime miniseriesEscape at Dannemora, for which he received two Emmy Award nominations.[citation needed] In 2018 and 2019, Stiller playedMichael Cohen onSaturday Night Live for six episodes.[79] In 2021, Stiller signed on to co-write and directBag Man, aFocus Features adaptation ofthe 2018 podcast about the kickback scandal that led to the resignation of Vice PresidentSpiro Agnew.[80] As of October 2023, the movie remained in pre-production.[81] The filming was scheduled to start in Washington, DC and Budapest in November 2025>.[82] Stiller executive produces and directs many episodes of theApple TV+ seriesSeverance, which premiered in 2022.[83]
In 2024, Stiller made his acting comeback after seven years with the holiday filmsNutcrackers andDear Santa, the latter also featuring Jack Black and having Stiller in an uncredited role.[84][85] While promoting the films Stiller appeared on the popular interview showHot Ones.[86] In 2024, it was announced that Stiller and De Niro were in talks to star in a fourthMeet the Parents film.[87] In December 2024, Stiller was featured in a music video trailer for singerSZA's new albumLana, singing her song "Drive".[88][89]
Stiller reprised his role as Hal L. inHappy Gilmore 2, a sequel toHappy Gilmore that premiered on July 25, 2025.[90] He was confirmed to appear inThe Dink (2025), a comedy film about the sport of pickleball directed by Josh Greenbaum and co-produced with Stiller.[91]
Stiller has been described as the "acknowledged leader" of theFrat Pack, a core group of actors who have worked together in multiple films. The group includesJack Black,Will Ferrell,Vince Vaughn,Owen Wilson,Luke Wilson,Steve Carell andPaul Rudd.[92][93] Stiller has been acknowledged as the leader of the group because of his multiple cameos and for his consistent use of the other members in roles in films which he produces and directs. He has appeared the most with Owen Wilson (in 12 films).[92][94] Of the 35 primary films that are considered Frat Pack films, Stiller has been involved with 20 in some capacity.[92]
Stiller is also the only member of this group to have appeared in aBrat Pack film (Fresh Horses).[39] He rejects the "Frat Pack" label, saying in a 2008 interview that the concept was "completely fabricated".[95]
In 2001, Stiller appeared as a celebrity contestant on the game showWho Wants to Be a Millionaire. He won $32,000 for his charityProject ALS, after incorrectly answering his $250,000 question in an attempt to equalEdie Falco's $250,000 win.[108]
Stiller considersUkrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy to be his "hero", and he visited him inKyiv in June 2022; on the same trip Stiller visitedLviv,Irpin andMakariv to bring attention to the humanitarian need of refugees in Poland and Ukraine.[114] Russia sanctioned Stiller over his Ukraine support.[115]
There have been false reports about Stiller's mental health based on a joke he made during a 1999 GQ interview.[119] In 2011 and 2018, Stiller clarified in interviews withThe Hollywood Reporter andThe Times, stating that he does not havebipolar disorder.[119][8] He mentioned that his original comment was taken out of context and mistakenly presented as factual by the reporter.[119]
Stiller was diagnosed withprostate cancer in June 2014 and was declared cancer-free in September 2014 following the surgical removal of hisprostate.[120][121][122]
Stiller was awarded anEmmy Award for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program" for his work onThe Ben Stiller Show.[46] He has been nominated twelve times for theTeen Choice Awards, and won once, for "Choice Hissy Fit" for his work inZoolander. He has been nominated for theMTV Movie Awards thirteen times, and has won three times: for "Best Fight" inThere's Something About Mary, "Best Comedic Performance" inMeet the Parents, and "Best Villain" inDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.[124] He received the MTV Movie Awards'MTV Generation Award, the ceremony's top honor, in 2009.[125] On March 31, 2007, Stiller received the "Wannabe Award" (given to a celebrity whom children "want to be" like) at theKids' Choice Awards.[126]
Princeton University's Class of 2005 inducted Stiller as an honorary member of the class during its "Senior Week" in April 2005.[127] On February 23, 2007, Stiller received the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard'sHasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.[128] In 2011 he was awarded theBAFTA Britannia – Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy byBAFTA Los Angeles.[129] In 2014, Stiller was nominated forBest Actor at the40th Saturn Awards forThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty.[130] On February 2, 2019, Stiller won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for his miniseries,Escape at Dannemora.[131]
On February 6, 2016, Stiller set theGuinness World Record for longest selfie stick (8.56 meters) at the World Premiere ofZoolander 2.[132]
^abRead, Kimberly; Purse, Marsia (August 4, 2007)."Ben Stiller – Actor/Comedian". About.com.Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. RetrievedMarch 29, 2009.
^Lawrence, Will (September 28, 2007)."Ben Stiller behaving badly".The Guardian. London, UK.Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2010.
^Turan, Kenneth (October 6, 2000)."Meet the Parents".Los Angeles Times. Archived fromthe original on October 27, 2007. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2010.
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