About Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller’s memorable characters have entertained fans for generations. Playing Frank Costanza on Seinfeld cemented Jerry’s status as a comedy icon, garnering recognitions that have included an Emmy nomination, an American Comedy Award and a Paley Center honor as ‘TV’s All Time Funniest Relative.’ Following Seinfeld, Jerry appeared as Arthur Spooner in all nine seasons of the hit CBS series The King of Queens, along with Kevin James and Leah Remini. Both shows, now in syndication, continue to delight audiences worldwide.
In the 1960’s, Jerry and his wife, the late Anne Meara, formed the groundbreaking comedy duo known as Stiller and Meara. Their relatable sketches that poked fun at the male-versus-female dynamic earned them many opportunities to showcase their comedy act live in countless clubs and theatres across the country. This success also led to regular appearances on several variety and talk shows programs like The Flip Wilson Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Kraft Music Hall, and thirty-six performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was on Ed Sullivan where Anne and Jerry debuted their signature sketch: “Computer Dating,” with a scenario introducing the short, stout Hershey Horowitz to the tall, beautiful Mary Elizabeth Doyle—two well-received characters that made their way into many other Stiller and Meara sketches throughout the years.
Their successes continued when Jerry and Anne began to pursue separate endeavors in television, film and theater. For TV, Anne starred as the title character in Kate McShane, co-starred with Carroll O’Connor in Archie’s Bunker Place, with Valerie Harper on Rhoda and with a wise cracking puppet on Alf. She also appeared for several years as Peggy Moody on All My Children and made countless guest appearances on shows such as In the Heat of the Night, Homicide, Ed, Oz and Law & Order: SVU. Her later work included appearances on Sex and the City, and a recurring role as the paramour of Jerry’s character on The King of Queens. Anne was nominated for a total of five Emmy Awards throughout her long television career. Her films include roles in Lovers and Other Strangers, The Out of Towners, Fame, The Boys From Brazil, The Daytrippers and Another Harvest Moon as well as appearances in Reality Bites, Zoolander and Night at the Museum for son Ben Stiller. On the New York stage, Anne originated the role of Bunny in John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves and appeared again for Guare in Bosom and Neglect. She starred in Richard Greenberg’s Eastern Standard and Harvey Fierstein’s Spookhouse and a revival of Anna Christie—for which she received a Tony nomination. In the 1990’s, Anne also became an award- winning playwright with Off-Broadway productions of her works After-Play and Down the Garden Paths.
On Broadway, Jerry performed in original productions of Hurlyburly, directed by Mike Nichols, The Ritz, Passione, Unexpected Guests and What's Wrong with This Picture? In addition he appeared in revivals of Three Men on a Horse and The Three Sisters. His film resume includes The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with Walter Matthau, Seize the Day with Robin Williams, The Independent with Janeane Garofalo, A Fish in the Bathtub with wife Anne and John Water’s iconic Hairspray, in which Jerry played the role of Wilbur Turnblad, opposite Divine, and later the role of Mr. Pinky in the musical adaptation starring John Travolta. He has also made several on-camera appearances with his son, Ben, including the Academy Award-nominated short Shoeshine, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander. Jerry also received critical recognition for his autobiography Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara, published by Simon & Schuster with a Grammy-nominated audio edition released by Random House. His one-man show An Evening with Jerry Stiller captivated audiences at The Cape Playhouse, Cornell University, Tarrytown Theatre, Morristown Theatre, Syracuse University and many other venues along the East Coast. Most recently, Jerry has portrayed the role of Harry, opposite his daughter Amy Stiller, in the short film Simpler Times and provided the voice of the title role in the NBC holiday special How Murray Saved Christmas.
Jerry and Anne also found success in the commercial world writing and performing award winning radio spots for Blue Nun Wine, United Van Lines and Amalgamated Bank among many others. On television, Jerry appeared as Vince Lombardi for Nike and for AT&T with his Seinfeld wife, Estelle Harris. Jerry’s other on camera commercials include Total Cereal, Glad Bags and America Online. He was the spokesman for Capital One Bank in a series of humorous ads and was featured in two short videos for the rock band Rush which opened their live performances.
In the mid 1990’s, Jerry and Anne revived their classic comedy act in theatrical venues in Atlantic City, across the country and onboard the QE2. Stiller and Meara also teamed up to host So You Want to be an Actor? — an entertaining and informative program featuring Christopher Walken, Uta Hagen, and many other industry professionals. This program is slated for re-release in 2016.
While the duo may boast a large collection of awards and honors accumulated throughout the years--they retain a unique prestige as one of only four couples with a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For one of their last projects together, Anne and Jerry marked the longevity of their on-screen chemistry by hilariously discussing and debating a selection of current topics in a web-series produced by their son Ben.
Simpler Times features Jerry’s debut as a singer/songwriter—a milestone the eighty-something-year-old hopes will let people know that it’s never too late to find your voice or try something new.
In the 1960’s, Jerry and his wife, the late Anne Meara, formed the groundbreaking comedy duo known as Stiller and Meara. Their relatable sketches that poked fun at the male-versus-female dynamic earned them many opportunities to showcase their comedy act live in countless clubs and theatres across the country. This success also led to regular appearances on several variety and talk shows programs like The Flip Wilson Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Kraft Music Hall, and thirty-six performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was on Ed Sullivan where Anne and Jerry debuted their signature sketch: “Computer Dating,” with a scenario introducing the short, stout Hershey Horowitz to the tall, beautiful Mary Elizabeth Doyle—two well-received characters that made their way into many other Stiller and Meara sketches throughout the years.
Their successes continued when Jerry and Anne began to pursue separate endeavors in television, film and theater. For TV, Anne starred as the title character in Kate McShane, co-starred with Carroll O’Connor in Archie’s Bunker Place, with Valerie Harper on Rhoda and with a wise cracking puppet on Alf. She also appeared for several years as Peggy Moody on All My Children and made countless guest appearances on shows such as In the Heat of the Night, Homicide, Ed, Oz and Law & Order: SVU. Her later work included appearances on Sex and the City, and a recurring role as the paramour of Jerry’s character on The King of Queens. Anne was nominated for a total of five Emmy Awards throughout her long television career. Her films include roles in Lovers and Other Strangers, The Out of Towners, Fame, The Boys From Brazil, The Daytrippers and Another Harvest Moon as well as appearances in Reality Bites, Zoolander and Night at the Museum for son Ben Stiller. On the New York stage, Anne originated the role of Bunny in John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves and appeared again for Guare in Bosom and Neglect. She starred in Richard Greenberg’s Eastern Standard and Harvey Fierstein’s Spookhouse and a revival of Anna Christie—for which she received a Tony nomination. In the 1990’s, Anne also became an award- winning playwright with Off-Broadway productions of her works After-Play and Down the Garden Paths.
On Broadway, Jerry performed in original productions of Hurlyburly, directed by Mike Nichols, The Ritz, Passione, Unexpected Guests and What's Wrong with This Picture? In addition he appeared in revivals of Three Men on a Horse and The Three Sisters. His film resume includes The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with Walter Matthau, Seize the Day with Robin Williams, The Independent with Janeane Garofalo, A Fish in the Bathtub with wife Anne and John Water’s iconic Hairspray, in which Jerry played the role of Wilbur Turnblad, opposite Divine, and later the role of Mr. Pinky in the musical adaptation starring John Travolta. He has also made several on-camera appearances with his son, Ben, including the Academy Award-nominated short Shoeshine, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander. Jerry also received critical recognition for his autobiography Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara, published by Simon & Schuster with a Grammy-nominated audio edition released by Random House. His one-man show An Evening with Jerry Stiller captivated audiences at The Cape Playhouse, Cornell University, Tarrytown Theatre, Morristown Theatre, Syracuse University and many other venues along the East Coast. Most recently, Jerry has portrayed the role of Harry, opposite his daughter Amy Stiller, in the short film Simpler Times and provided the voice of the title role in the NBC holiday special How Murray Saved Christmas.
Jerry and Anne also found success in the commercial world writing and performing award winning radio spots for Blue Nun Wine, United Van Lines and Amalgamated Bank among many others. On television, Jerry appeared as Vince Lombardi for Nike and for AT&T with his Seinfeld wife, Estelle Harris. Jerry’s other on camera commercials include Total Cereal, Glad Bags and America Online. He was the spokesman for Capital One Bank in a series of humorous ads and was featured in two short videos for the rock band Rush which opened their live performances.
In the mid 1990’s, Jerry and Anne revived their classic comedy act in theatrical venues in Atlantic City, across the country and onboard the QE2. Stiller and Meara also teamed up to host So You Want to be an Actor? — an entertaining and informative program featuring Christopher Walken, Uta Hagen, and many other industry professionals. This program is slated for re-release in 2016.
While the duo may boast a large collection of awards and honors accumulated throughout the years--they retain a unique prestige as one of only four couples with a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For one of their last projects together, Anne and Jerry marked the longevity of their on-screen chemistry by hilariously discussing and debating a selection of current topics in a web-series produced by their son Ben.
Simpler Times features Jerry’s debut as a singer/songwriter—a milestone the eighty-something-year-old hopes will let people know that it’s never too late to find your voice or try something new.
