Jerry Stiller | |
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Stiller and Anne Meara
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Born |
Gerald Isaac Stiller June 8, 1927 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Alma mater | Syracuse University (B.A.) |
Occupation | Comedian and actor |
Years active | 1953–present |
Spouse(s) | Anne Meara (m. 1954; her death 2015) |
Children | 2, including Ben Stiller |
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller (born June 8, 1927) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for playing Frank Costanza on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens. He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara. They are the parents of actor Ben Stiller, with whom Stiller co-starred in the films Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2. Stiller is best known for his unique angry, yelling acting style.
The eldest of four children, Stiller was born at Unity Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Bella (née Citron; 1902–1954) and William Stiller (1896–1999), a bus driver. His family was Jewish. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Galicia, and his mother was born in Poland. He lived in the Williamsburg and East New York neighborhoods before his family moved to the Lower East Side, where he attended Seward Park High School.