Anne Meara

She married actor Jerry Stiller in 1954. After her marriage, she converted to Judaism. She had two kids with Stiller, daughter Amy Stiller who was born in 1961 and son Ben Stiller who was born in 1965.

Meara died of natural causes at her home in Manhattan on May 23, 2015. She was 85.

Anne Meara was born on September 20, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Mary and Edward Joseph Meara. As the only child of her parents, Meara was nurtured in Rockville Centre of New York. When she was 12, her mother Mary committed suicide.

At the age of 18, Meara learnt acting from Dramatic Workshop at The New School (Manhattan).

Anne Meara began her acting career in 1948 through the summer stock theatre. Then after marrying Jerry Stiller in 1954, she joined The Compass Players (later renamed to The Second City) and formed the comedy team ‘Stiller and Meara’ along with him.

In 1961, Meara and her husband performed in many nightclubs of New York. After this, the couple joined ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ as the show’s regulars. Later on, they did many other television programs including Johnny Carson’s ‘The Tonight Show’.

Meara then had a recurring role on the series ‘Rhoda’. She also had a small role in ‘The Boys from Brazil’. In 1975, she appeared in her own series titled ‘Kate McShane’ that happened to be aired on CBS.

Meara then costarred with Martin Balsam and Carroll O'Connor and in the series ‘Archie Bunker's Place’. This show was a continuation of the 1970s sitcom ‘All in the Family’. The actress portrayed the character of Veronica Rooney in the series’ first three seasons.

In 1980, Meara acted in the flick ‘Fame’. In the late 1980s, she got featured in the television series titled ‘ALF’.

Anne Meara acted in a handful of films such as ‘The Boys From Brazil’, ‘Crooked Lines’, ‘Awakenings’, ‘Sex and the City: The Movie’ and ‘Zoolander’. She has also acted in short videos like ‘Brooklyn Thrill Killers’, ‘The Yard Sale’, ‘The Queen of Greenwich Village’ and ‘Simpler Times’.

She released her first LP with her husband in 1963 which became a hit. During the 1970s, she and her husband wrote and performed several radio advertisements together for Blue Nun Wine.

Meara had lent her voice to characters in many films. Her last voice role was in the 2014 movie ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’ in which she provided her voice to the character of Winnie.