Comedian Jerry Stiller, the father of actor Ben Stiller, has died aged 92.
His passing on Monday (May 11, 2020) was confirmed by his screen star son, who wrote on Twitter:
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. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020
Jerry started his career performing comedy and formed a duo with late wife Anne Meara, with whom he performed in Las Vegas nightclubs and on TV shows in character as arguing couple Hershey Horowitz and Mary Elizabeth Doyle. They also took their act online, for a web-based chat show filmed in their New York apartment. Meara – the mother of Ben and his sister Amy – passed away in 2015.
In 1993, Jerry enjoyed a career resurgence when he was cast as George Costanzas’ father Frank on NBC comedy Seinfeld, starring in the series until 1998 and earning an Emmy Award nomination in the process. He also starred in comedy series The King of Queens and appeared in movies such as The Heartbreak Kid, Heavyweights, and the Zoolander films – opposite Ben.
Jerry is survived by Ben, Amy, and Ben’s two children, Ella and Quinlin.
