Ben Stiller

Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller born November 30 1965 is an American actor comedian and filmmaker He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack His films have grossed more than 26 billion in Canada and the United States with an average of 79 million per film Throughout his career he has received various awards and honors including an Emmy Award multiple MTV Movie Awards a Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award While beginning his acting career Stiller wrote several mockumentaries and was offered a variety sketch comedy series titled The Ben Stiller Show which he produced and hosted for its 13episode run The series ran on MTV from 1990 to 1992 earning him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Program He then appeared on shows such as Friends Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development Having previously acted in television he began acting in films He made his directorial debut with Reality Bites and continued directing films and often starring in them such as with The Cable Guy 1996 Zoolander 2001 Tropic Thunder 2008 and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 2013 During this time he also starred in a string of successful studio comedies including Theres Something About Mary 1998 Along Came Polly 2004 Dodgeball A True Underdog Story 2004 Starsky Hutch 2004 and Tower Heist 2011 Stiller is also widely known for multiple franchise films such as the Meet the Parents films 20002010 the Madagascar franchise 20052012 and the Night at the Museum trilogy 20062014 He is known for his performances in independent films such as David O Russells Flirting with Disaster 1996 Wes Andersons The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 Noah Baumbachs Greenberg 2010 While Were Young 2014 and The Meyerowitz Stories 2017 In 2018 he directed the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora earning himself a Directors Guild of America Award and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series In 2022 he served as a director and executive producer on the Apple TV series Severance earning two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series