Today, the devastating news broke of the death of actor and comedian, Jerry Stiller.
His son, Ben Stiller, was the one to break the news with a touching, yet heartbreaking tribute to his father.
Keep scrolling to read about the incredible life that Jerry had led, and to read Ben’s moving tribute for yourself…
At the age of ninety-two, the much-loved actor and comedian, Jerry Stiller, has sadly passed away.
Upon graduating from high school, the Brooklyn-born Jerry served briefly in the U.S military during the Second World War.
But his real passions laid within the arts.
Thus achieving a degree in Speech and Drama in the 1950s.
But before that, Jerry met his wife-to-be, Anne Meara.
Anne was upset about not having been given a part, so Jerry took her out for a coffee – which was all he could afford at the time – to cheer her up.
Jerry and Anne wed just one year later and went on to have 2 children together – Ben and Amy Stiller, who have, themselves, accomplished successful careers in the world of acting.
And, heartwarmingly, they remained together until Anne’s death in 2015.
“I miss her,” Jerry had once said on the passing of his wife. “There were no walls between us in any way. We both knew what the other was thinking even when we weren’t listening.”
And they were so much more than just husband and wife.
At the start of their relationship, and after much persuasion on his part, the couple started doing comedy performances together across New York.
The comedy team, Stiller and Meara was a roaring success across the 1970s…
And, together, they made numerous appearances on television variety programs, comedy sketch shows, and radio commercials.
But most of us will probably recognize Jerry best from the hit sitcom, Seinfield.
Jerry played the role of George Costanzas’ father, Frank, on the NBC sitcom.
And he also went on to play Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens.
His career also saw him appear in Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, and The Heartbreak Kid.
Jerry played the role of fashion agent, Maury Ballstein in the Zoolander franchise.
And, alongside his sister, Amy, he shared an incredibly close relationship with his father.
Australian radio host, Jane Kennedy, wrote:
“I spent a wonderful evening with your mum and dad. They were protective of me and so funny. It was a night I will never forget.”
So it was only right that he was the one to break the heartbreaking news of his death.
Our thoughts go out to Ben, Amy, and the rest of their family.