Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Ben Stiller. Check it out!
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller was born on November 30, 1965, in New York City, New York, to legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. His father was of Austrian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent, and his mother was of Irish Catholic descent (she converted to Judaism).
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Interesting Facts about Ben Stiller
- Played the part of an arrogant director in Get Shorty (1995), but the scene was cut.
- Produced a short film parody of The Color of Money (1986) entitled “The Hustler of Money” which got him noticed by Saturday Night Live (1975) who eventually offered him employment there.
- His favorite actress of all time is Diane Keaton. He even wrote an article about her for Premiere magazine in 1997.
- Has a Hollywood “clique” of close friends that have often appeared in his movies: Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Kyle Gass and Janeane Garofalo.
- His father is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Austria and Poland). His mother, who was of Irish descent, was a convert to Judaism.
- Appeared in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1998) on May 9, 2001 and walked away with $32,000 for Project ALS. He phoned his mother, actress Anne Meara, for help but lost on the question worth $250,000.
- According to “Jews Who Rock,” a book by Guy Oseary, Stiller was once a drummer in a band called Capital Punishment that released an album titled “Roadkill”.
- As an actor, he was highly influenced by Jerry Stiller.
- Often casts/co-stars with Janeane Garofalo.
- He and wife Christine Taylor have both guest-starred on the TV series Arrested Development (2003). She played “Sally Sitwell”, the love interest of “Michael Bluth” (two episodes) and he played the incompetent magician “Tony Wonder” in the episode “The Sword of Destiny”.
- Credits his real-life father Jerry Stiller as his favorite acting mentor/best friend.
- Admitted in a Playboy Magazine interview that he auditioned for three or four years before he got a part.
Personal Quotes by Ben Stiller
I’m not an expert on the Malaysian sense of humor.
- Ben Stiller
I have a lot of nervous energy. Work is my best way of channelling that into something productive unless I want to wind up assaulting the postman or gardener.
- Ben Stiller
The failure of The Cable Guy impacted my career. I had to start writing and acting again.
- Ben Stiller
Whatever talent I had, I’m sure it helped that my parents were in the business and that I grew up around actors, comedians and directors.
- Ben Stiller