Early life

Stiller was born in New York City. His father, Jerry Stiller, was born Jewish; his mother, Anne Meara, who is of Irish Catholic background, converted to Reform Judaism after marrying his father.The family celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas, and Stiller had a Bar Mitzvah.He has said that he is "half Jewish and half Irish Catholic."Stiller's parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, including The Mike Douglas Show when he was six. He stated in an interview that he considered his childhood unusual: "In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights—not what you'd call traditional."His sister, actress Amy Stiller, has made appearances in many of his productions, including Reality Bites, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Zoolander.

 

Stiller displayed an early interest in filmmaking, and made Super 8 movies with his sister and friends. At ten years old, he made his acting debut as a guest on his mother's 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 in Clever Jack and the Magic Beanstalk. After being inspired by the television show Second City Television while in high school, Stiller realized that he wanted to get involved with sketch comedy.

 

Stiller attended the Cathedral School and graduated from the Calhoun School in New York in 1983. He started performing on the cabaret circuit as opening act to the cabaret siren Jadin Wong. Stiller then enrolled as a film student at the University of California, Los Angeles. After nine months, Stiller left school to move back to New York City. He made his way through acting classes, auditioning and trying to find an agent.

 

Acting career

Early work

When he was approximately 15, Stiller obtained a small part with one line on the television soap opera Guiding Light, though he confessed in an interview that his performance was poor. He was was later cast in a role in the 1986 Broadway revival of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves, alongside John Mahoney; the production would garner four Tony Awards. During its run, Stiller produced a satirical mockumentary whose principal was fellow actor Mahoney. His comedic work was well received by the cast and crew of the play, and he followed up with a 10 minute short called The Hustler of Money, a parody of the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money. The film featured him in a send-up of Tom Cruise's character and Mahoney in the Paul Newman role, only this time as a bowling hustler instead of a pool shark. The short got the attention of Saturday Night Live, which aired it in 1987, and two years later offered him a spot as a writer. In the meantime, he also had a bit part in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun.

 

In 1989, Stiller wrote and appeared on a season of Saturday Night Live as a featured performer. However, since the show did not want him to make more short films, he left after four episodes.He then put together Elvis Stories, a short film about a fictitious tabloid focused on recent sightings of Elvis Presley.The film starred friends and co-stars John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Mike Myers, Andy Dick, and Jeff Kahn. The film was considered a success, and led him to develop another film titled Back to Brooklyn for MTV.

 

The Ben Stiller Show

MTV was so impressed with Back to Brooklyn that they offered Stiller a 13-episode show in the experimental "vid-com" format.Titled The Ben Stiller Show, this 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 occasional appearances by his parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and sister Amy Stiller.

 

Although the show was canceled after its first season, it led to another show titled The Ben Stiller Show, on the Fox Network in 1992. The Ben Stiller Show aired 12 episodes on Fox, with a 13th unaired episode broadcast by Comedy Central in a later revival.Among the principal writers on The Ben Stiller Show were Stiller and Judd Apatow, with the show featuring the ensemble cast of Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk.Both Denise Richards and Jeanne Tripplehorn appeared as extras in various episodes. Throughout its short run, The Ben Stiller Show frequently appeared at the bottom of the ratings, even as it garnered critical acclaim and eventually won the Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program" post-humously.

 

Directorial debut

After a few minor film roles in the early 1990s, such as Stella, Highway to Hell, and a cameo in The Nutt House, Stiller devoted his time to writing, fundraising, recruiting cast members, starring in, and directing Reality Bites.The film was produced by Danny DeVito (who later directed Stiller's 2003 film Duplex and produced the 2004 film Along Came Polly).Reality Bites debuted as the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend and received mixed reviews.

 

Stiller joined his parents in the family film Heavyweights (1995), in which he played two roles, and then had a brief uncredited role in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore (1996). Next, he had lead roles in If Lucy Fell and Flirting with Disaster, before tackling his next directorial effort with The Cable Guy, which starred Jim 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 Jim Carrey received $20 million for his work in the film.The film also connected Stiller with future Frat Pack members Jack Black and Owen Wilson.

 

Also in 1996, MTV invited Stiller to host the VH1 Fashion Awards. Along with SNL 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 Stiller developed another short film about the character for the 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards and finally remade the skit into a film.

 

Comedy career

In 1998, Stiller put aside his directing ambitions to star in the surprise hit with a long-lasting cult following, the Farrelly Brothers' There's Something About Mary, alongside Cameron Diaz, which accelerated Stiller's acting career. That year, he also starred in several dramas, including Zero Effect, Your Friends & Neighbors, and Permanent Midnight. Stiller was invited to take part in hosting the Music Video awards, for which he developed a parody of the Backstreet Boys and performed a sketch with his father, commenting on his current career.

 

In 1999, he starred in three films, including Mystery Men, where he played a superhero wannabe called Mr. Furious. He returned to directing with a new spoof television series for Fox titled Heat Vision and Jack, starring Jack Black, however, the show was not picked up by Fox after its pilot episode and the series was cancelled.

 

2000 would be a better year for Stiller, as he starred in three more films, including one of his most recognizable roles, a male nurse named Greg Focker in Meet the Parents, opposite Robert De Niro.The film was well-received by critics, grossed over $330 million worldwide, and spawned two sequels.Also in 2000, MTV again invited Stiller to make another short film, and he developed Mission: Improbable, a spoof of Tom Cruise's role in Mission: Impossible II and other films.

 

In 2001, Stiller would direct his third feature film, Zoolander, which focused on the character Derek Zoolander (played by Stiller) that he developed for the VH1 Fashion Awards. The film featured multiple cameos from a variety of celebrities including Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Heidi Klum, and David Bowie, among others. The film was banned in Malaysia (as the plot centered on an assassination attempt of a Malaysian prime minister) while shots of the World Trade Center were digitally removed and hidden for the film's release after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

 

After Stiller worked with Owen Wilson in Zoolander, they joined together again for The Royal Tenenbaums. Over the next two years, Stiller continued with the lackluster box office film Duplex and several cameos in Orange County and Nobody Knows Anything!.He also guest-starred on several television shows, including an appearance in an episode of the television series King Of Queens in a flashback as the father of the character Arthur (played by Jerry Stiller).He also made a guest appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment's WWE Raw.

 

In 2004, Stiller appeared in six different films, all of which were comedies, and include some of his highest grossing films. They include Starsky & Hutch, Envy, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, an uncredited cameo in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Along Came Polly, and Meet the Fockers. While the critically panned Envy only grossed $14.5 million worldwide,his most successful film of the year was Meet the Fockers, which grossed over $516.6 million worldwide. In 2005, Stiller would begin his first attempt at a computer-animated film with Madagascar, which performed so well at the box office that it resulted in a sequel released in 2008 and another in 2012.

 

In 2006, Stiller had cameo roles in School for Scoundrels, and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, for which he served as executive producer. In December, Stiller starred in the lead role of Night at the Museum. Although not a critical favorite, it earned over $115 million in ten days.In 2007, Stiller starred alongside Malin Åkerman in the romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid. The film earned over $100 million worldwide despite receiving mostly negative reviews. Tropic Thunder, a film he directed, co-wrote, and co-produced, and in which he starred with Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, was released on August 13, 2008. In May 2009, he starred with Amy Adams in the sequel Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. In 2010, Stiller made a brief cameo in Joaquin Phoenix's mockumentary I'm Still Here and played the lead role in the comedy-drama Greenberg. Stiller again portrayed 'Greg' Focker in the critically panned yet successful Little Fockers, the second sequel to Meet the Parents. Stiller had planned to voice a character in Megamind, but later dropped out while still remaining a producer.

 

In 2011, Stiller starred with Eddie Murphy and Alan Alda in Tower Heist, about a group of maintenance workers planning a heist in a residential skyscraper.Filming began in November 2010.

 

"Frat Pack"

Stiller is the "acknowledged leader" of the Frat Pack, a core group of actors that has worked together in multiple films. The group includes Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Steve Carell, and Paul Rudd.Stiller has been acknowledged as the leader of the group due to 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 eleven films including.Of the 35 primary films that are considered Frat Pack films, Stiller has been involved with 20, in some capacity.He is also the only member of this group to have appeared in a Brat Pack film (Fresh Horses).

 

Personal life

Stiller dated several actresses during his early television and film career, including Jeanne Tripplehorn, Calista Flockhart, and Amanda Peet.In May 2000, Stiller married Christine Taylor, whom he met while filming a never-broadcast television pilot for the Fox Broadcasting network called Heat Vision and Jack, which starred Jack Black. The couple appeared onscreen together in Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Tropic Thunder. Both he and his wife reside in New York City. The couple has 2 children, a daughter, Ella Olivia, born April 10, 2002, and a son, Quinlin Dempsey, born July 10, 2005. Quinn Dempsey shared the role of his father's character, Alex, as a cub, with another boy named Declan Swift, in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

 

Stiller is a supporter of the Democratic Party and donated money to John Kerry's 2004 U.S. Presidential campaign.In February 2007, Stiller attended a fundraiser for Barack Obama and later donated to the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaigns of Democrats Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton. Stiller is also a supporter of several charities including Declare Yourself, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.In 2010, Stiller joined Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Robin Williams, and other Hollywood stars in "The Cove PSA: My Friend is... ", an effort to stop the slaughter of dolphins and protect the Japanese population from the toxic levels of mercury found in dolphin meat.

 

Stiller frequently does impersonations of many of his favorite performers, including Bono, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, and David Blaine. In an interview with Parade, he commented that Robert Klein, George Carlin, and Jimmie Walker were inspirations for his comedy career. Stiller is also a self-professed Trekkie and appeared in the television special Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond to express his love of the show, as well as a comedy roast for William Shatner.He frequently references the show in his work, and named his production company Red Hour Productions after the original Star Trek episode "The Return of the Archons".

Filmography
Actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Empire of the Sun	Dainty
1987	Hot Pursuit	Chris Honeywell
1987	Shoeshine
1988	Fresh Horses	Tipton
1989	Next of Kin	Lawrence Isabella
1989	Elvis Stories	Bruce
1989	That's Adequate	Chip Lane
1990	Stella	Jim Uptegrove
1990	Working Tra$h	Freddy Novak
1992	The Nutt House	Pie Thrower	Cameo
1992	Highway to Hell	Pluto's Cook/Attila the Hun
1994	Reality Bites	Michael Grates	Also director
1995	Heavyweights	Tony Perkis/Tony Perkis Sr.
1996	Cable Guy, TheThe Cable Guy	Sam Sweet/Stan Sweet	Also director
1996	Flirting with Disaster	Mel
1996	If Lucy Fell	Bwick Elias
1996	Happy Gilmore	Hal L. (Nursing Home Orderly)	Uncredited
1998	Permanent Midnight	Jerry Stahl
1998	Your Friends & Neighbors	Jerry
1998	There's Something About Mary	Ted Stroehmann	MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (For the fight against Puffy the Dog.) Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actor - Comedy Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss(shared with Cameron Diaz) Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Cameron Diaz)
1998	Zero Effect	Steve Arlo
1999	Black and White	Mark Clear
1999	Mystery Men	Mr. Furious	Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Hissy Fit
1999	Suburbans, TheThe Suburbans	Jay Rose
2000	Meet the Parents	Gaylord "Greg" Focker	American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy/Romance Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (shared with Robert De Niro ) Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Actor
2000	Keeping the Faith	Rabbi Jake Schram
2000	Independent, TheThe Independent	Cop
2001	Royal Tenenbaums, TheThe Royal Tenenbaums	Chas Tenenbaum	Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2001	Zoolander	Derek Zoolander	Also writer and director Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Hissy Fit Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Dressed Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Line ("There's more to life than just being really, really, ridiculously good looking.") Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (shared with Owen Wilson) Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Actor, Comedy
2002	Orange County	The Firefighter	Cameo
2002	Run Ronnie Run	Himself
2003	Nobody Knows Anything!	Peach Expert	Cameo
2003	Duplex	Alex Rose
2003	Pauly Shore Is Dead	Himself	Cameo
2004	Meet the Fockers	Greg Focker	Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Blush Scene(Greg's engagement party speech) Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2004	Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy	Arturo Mendes	Cameo
2004	Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story	White Goodman	MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actor
2004	Envy	Tim Dingman
2004	Starsky & Hutch	David Starsky	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (shared with Owen Wilson) Nominated — People's Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Owen Wilson) Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - Comedy Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Owen Wilson)
2004	Along Came Polly	Reuben Feffer	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence shared with Jennifer Aniston,For the hot salsa dance. Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Blush Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit
2005	Danny Roane: First Time Director	Himself
2005	Madagascar	Alex	Voice only Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Feature
2005	Sledge: The Untold Story	Commander
2006	Night at the Museum	Larry Daley	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
2006	In Search of Ted Demme	Himself
2006	Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny	Guitar Center Guy	Cameo and producer
2006	School for Scoundrels	Lonnie
2007	Heartbreak Kid, TheThe Heartbreak Kid	Eddie Cantrow
2008	Tropic Thunder	Tugg Speedman	Also writer and director Hollywood Film Festival Award for Comedy of the Year Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best WTF Moment Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
2008	Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	Alex	Voice only Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2009	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	Larry Daley	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
2009	Marc Pease Experience, TheThe Marc Pease Experience	Jon Gribble
2010	Greenberg	Roger Greenberg	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated — Comedy Film Award for Best Leading Actor
2010	Megamind	Bernard	Executive Producer, Voice-Role
2010
2010	Little Fockers	Greg Focker
2010	Trip, TheThe Trip	Ben Stiller	Exaggerated Version of Himself, Cameo (uncredited)
2011	Tower Heist	Josh Kovaks
2012	The Watch	Evan Trautwig
2012	Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	Alex	Voice only
2012	He's Way More Famous Than You	Himself	Post Production
2012	While We're Young		Pre Production
2012	The Mountain		Announced
2013	The Secret Life of Walter Mitty	Walter Mitty	filming
2013	Zoolander 2	Derek Zoolander	pre production

 
Director and producer

Year	Title	Notes
1989	Elvis Stories	Director/Writer
1994	Reality Bites	Director
1996	Cable Guy, TheThe Cable Guy	Director/Writer(uncredited)
2001	Zoolander	Director/Producer/Writer
2003	Duplex	Producer
2003	Crooked Lines	Executive producer
2004	Starsky & Hutch	Executive producer
2004	Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story	Producer
2006	Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny	Executive Producer
2007	Blades of Glory	Producer
2008	Date School	Producer
2008	The Ruins	Executive Producer
2008	Tropic Thunder	Director/Producer/Writer
2009	Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, TheThe Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story	Executive Producer
2010	Megamind	Executive Producer
2010	Submarine	Executive Producer
2011	30 Minutes or Less	Producer

 
Television work

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Miami Vice	Fast Eddie Felcher	Single episode
1989	Saturday Night Live	Various/Writer	4 episodes
1990	The Ben Stiller Show	Himself	Director and writer
1990	Working Trash	Freddy Novak	Television film
1992–93	Ben Stiller Show, TheThe Ben Stiller Show	Himself	Director, producer, and writer Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
1995	Duckman	Harry Medfly	Voice only; single episode
1995	2 Stupid Dogs	Tony Robbins-style character	Voice Only
1996	NewsRadio	Vic	Single episode
1997	Friends	Tommy	Single episode The One with the Screamer
1997	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	Single episode
1998	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Himself	Single episode
1999	Heat Vision and Jack	Strip Club DJ	Director and executive producer
1999	WWF Raw Is War	Himself	Special guest host
2000	Freaks and Geeks	Secret Service Agent	Single episode
2001	Undeclared	Rex	Single episode
2002	Simpsons, TheThe Simpsons	Garth Motherloving	Voice only; single episode Sweets and Sour Marge
2002	Prehistoric Planet	Narrator	First season
2002	King of Queens, TheThe King of Queens	Jerry	Single episode
2004	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Himself	Three episodes
2004–06	Arrested Development	Tony Wonder	Four episodes
2005	Extras	Himself	Single episode Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2007	Family Guy	Himself	Voice only; "No Meals on Wheels"
2007	Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary	Himself	Documentary
2008	Sesame Street	Himself	Single episode
2010	Phineas and Ferb	Khaka Peu Peu	"The Beak"
2010	Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!	Himself	Single episode
2010	Trip, TheThe Trip	Himself	Exaggerated Version of Himself, Cameo (uncredited)
2011	Onion News Network	Himself	Single episode
2011	Take Two with Phineas and Ferb	Himself	Single episode
2012	Eagleheart	Silly Sammy	Guest Star - Episode: "Silly Sammy"

 
Music videos

Year	Title	Artist	Role
1999	"All Star"	Smash Mouth	Mr. Furious
2000	"Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)"	Limp Bizkit	Himself
2000	"Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water"	Limp Bizkit	Himself
2001	"Bad Boy for Life"	Sean Combs	P. Diddy's Neighbor
2002	"Tribute"	Tenacious D	Himself
2004	"Taylor"	Jack Johnson	Himself
2006	"Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!"	Beastie Boys	Himself
2007	"Closer"	Travis	Supermarket Manager

 
Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012	Burning Love	Joe Rutherford	Also Executive Co-producer