Jerry Stiller

Jerry was married to Anne Meara from 1954 till her death on 23 May 2015.

Anne Meara converted to Judaism after her marriage to Jerry. She was of Irish ancestry.

He has two children with Anne Meara. They are actors Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller.

Gerald Isaac “Jerry” Stiller was born on June 8, 1927 in Unity Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, in a Jewish family to Bella and William Stiller. His father was a bus driver.

Jerry’s paternal grandparents are from Galicia, Spain; they later immigrated to the U.S. His mother is from Poland.

He has three younger siblings- Arnold Stiller, Maxine Stiller, and Doreen Stiller.

As a kid, he lived in the East New York Neighborhood and Williamsburg, and later moved to the Lower East Side.

He attended the Seward Park High School and got a major in Drama at Syracuse University. He got a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama.

In 1953, Jerry formed a group which he thought was the best trio of Shakespearean clowns and appeared in Phoenix Theater production of Coriolanus.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Jerry and his wife Meara formed a comedy duo and appeared on ‘The Ed Sullivan’s Show’. They were a successful team and made several television appearances.

Though the comedy duo’s craze seemed to fade gradually, they continued to appear on radio.

They hosted the HBO Sneak Previews which described the upcoming shows for the month from 1979-1982.

In 1986, the duo started their own sitcom, ‘The Stiller and Meara Show’ which didn’t do quite well and wasn’t a successful venture.

Jerry made his film debut in the 1970 film ‘Lovers and Other Strangers’. He was cast alongside Richard Castellano, Gig Young, Anne Jackson, and Anne Meara.

He played the role of Carmine Vespucci in the American film ‘The Ritz’ which was based on the play written by Terrence McNally. He was also a part of the cast of the original play.

Later, he starred in the ’86 movie ‘Seize the Day’ alongside Robin Williams. This was a drama film based on the novel of the same name by Saul Bellow.

He was a part of the romantic comedy movie ‘Hairspray’, where he played Wilbur Turnblad, father to the leading character, Tracy. He portrayed a funny, enthusiastic and motivating father.

Simon & Schuster published Jerry’s memoir, ‘Married to Laughter: A Love Story’ featuring Anne Meara.