Ben Stiller was born in New York on November 30, 1965. He is the son of actor/writer/comedian Jerry Stiller (known for playing George Constanza's father on Seinfeld and actress/comedian/playwright/screenwriter Anne Meara. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles for nine months (1983-84) where he studied film.

His television appearance in The Hustler of Money won Stiller a spot as a writer and player on Saturday Night Live in 1989. This led to MTV hiring Ben to star in "The Ben Stiller Show" which received lackluster ratings and was cancelled by MTV and later by Fox. His directorial debut in 1996 was Jim Carrey's sole flop to date, "The Cable Guy." Stiller stepped into the limelight when he starred in the comedy There's Something About Mary yet his biggest success to date is Meet the Parents.


Significant Other(s):

Wife: Christine Taylor, actress; engaged November 1999; married May 13, 2000 in Kauai, Hawaii
Claire Forlani, actress; dated 1998-99
Amanda Peet, actress; dated briefly in 1998
Jeanne Tripplehorn, actress; had on-again, off-again relationship for several years; reportedly engaged at one time
Janeane Garofalo, actress, comic; had brief relationship in the early 1990s


Quotes:

"I've been practicing for it my whole life." on simulating masturbation for There's Something About Mary - US Magazine. Issue 249.

"All those rumors about her being underweight are trash. She's gorgeous." on Calista Flockhart - US Magazine. Issue 301/302.


Trivia:

He appeared in Who Wants to be a Millionaire? on May 9, 2001 and walked away with $32,000 for his charity. He phoned his mother Anne Meara for help, but lost on the question.

Awards:

Best Comedic Performance in the MTV Movie Awards 2001 from his appearance in Meet the Parents.

Best Fight in the MTV Movie Awards 1999 for There's Something About Mary.



Filmography:

As an Actor:

Madagascar (2004) (pre-production)
Starsky & Hutch (2003) (filming) .... Starsky
Untitled John Hamburg Project (2003) (post-production) .... Ruben
Envy (2003) .... Tim Dingman
Duplex (2003)
Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002) (TV) (voice) .... Robbie the Reindeer
"Liberty's Kids" (2002) TV Series (voice) .... Thomas Jefferson
Orange County (2002) .... Firefighter
Royal Tenenbaums, The (2001) .... Chas Tenenbaum
Zoolander (2001) .... Derek Joseph Zoolander
Mission: Improbable (2000) (TV) .... Tom Crooze ... aka Being Tom Cruise (2000) (TV)
Meet the Parents (2000) .... Gaylord 'Greg' Focker, R.N.
Keeping the Faith (2000) .... Rabbi Jake Schram
Independent, The (2000) .... Cop
Hooves of Fire (1999) (TV) (voice: USA version) .... Robbie the Reindeer
Black and White (1999) .... Mark Clear
Mystery Men (1999) .... Mr. Furious (Roy)
Suburbans, The (1999) .... Jay Rose
Backstreet Boyz (1998) (TV)
Nobody Knows Anything (1998)
Saturday Night Live: Game Show Parodies (1998) (V) .... Tom Cruise
Permanent Midnight (1998) .... Jerry Stahl
Your Friends & Neighbors (1998) .... Jerry
There's Something About Mary (1998) .... Ted Stroehmann
Zero Effect (1998) .... Steve Arlo
Derek Zoolander University (1997) (TV) .... Derek Zoolander
Derek Zoolander: Male Model (1996) (TV) .... Derek Zoolander
Cable Guy, The (1996) .... Sam Sweet/Stan Sweet
Flirting with Disaster (1996) .... Mel Coplin
If Lucy Fell (1996) .... Bwick Elias
Happy Gilmore (1996) .... Orderly in Nursing Home
Heavyweights (1995) .... Tony Perkis/Tony Perkis Sr.
Reality Bites (1994) .... Michael Grates
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1992) TV Series .... Host
Nutt House, The (1992) (uncredited) .... Pie thrower
Highway to Hell (1992) .... Pluto's Cook and Attila the Hun
Working Tra$h (1990) (TV) .... Freddy Novak
Stella (1990) .... Jim Uptegrove
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1990) TV Series .... Host
"Saturday Night Live" (1975) TV Series .... Various (1989)
Elvis Stories (1989) .... Bruce
Next of Kin (1989) .... Lawrence Isabella
That's Adequate (1989) .... Chip Lane
Fresh Horses (1988) .... Tipton
Hustler of Money, The (1988) (TV) .... Wince
Empire of the Sun (1987) .... Dainty
House of Blue Leaves, The (1987) (TV) .... Ronnie Shaughnessy
Hot Pursuit (1987) .... Chris Honeywell


As a Producer:

What Makes Sammy Run (2003) (in production) (producer)
Date School (2004) (filming) (producer)
Starsky & Hutch (2003) (filming) (executive producer) (producer)
Duplex (2003) (completed) (producer)
Zoolander (2001) (producer)
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1992) TV Series (producer)
Hustler of Money, The (1988) (TV) (producer)


As a director:

What Makes Sammy Run (2003) (in production)
Zoolander (2001)
Cable Guy, The (1996)
Reality Bites (1994)
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1992) TV Series
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1990) TV Series
Elvis Stories (1989)


As a writer:

What Makes Sammy Run (2003) (in production)
Zoolander (2001) (character Derek Zoolander) (screenplay) (story)
Derek Zoolander University (1997) (TV)
Derek Zoolander: Male Model (1996) (TV)
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1992) TV Series (writer)
"Ben Stiller Show, The" (1990) TV Series (writer)


As himself:

You'll Never Wiez in This Town Again (2003) .... Himself
Sledge: A Documentary (2003) .... Commander
74th Annual Academy Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Himself - Presenter
Inside the Playboy Mansion (2002) (TV) .... Himself
"Andy Dick Show, The" (2001) TV Series .... Himself (2001)
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 2001 (2001) (TV) .... Presenter
2001 MTV Movie Awards (2001) (TV) .... Himself
73rd Annual Academy Awards, The (2001) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 2000 (2000) (TV) .... Himself
2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) (TV) .... Himself/'Tom Crooze'
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies
(2000) (TV) .... Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 1998 (1998) (TV) .... Himself/Host
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Intimate Portrait: Mary Tyler Moore (1997) (TV) .... Himself
1996 MTV Movie Awards (1996) (TV) .... Himself/Host
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond (1996) (TV) .... Himself


Notable TV Guest Appearances:

"King of Queens, The" (1998) playing "Seamus Spooner" in episode: "Shrink Wrap" (episode # 4.25) 20 May 2002
"Undeclared" (2001) playing "Rex" in episode: "Eric's POV" (episode # 1.16) 12 March 2002
"Simpsons, The" (1989) playing "Garth Motherloving" (voice) in episode: "Sweet and Sour Marge" (episode # 13.8) 20 January 2002
"TV total" (1999) playing "Himself" 7 November 2001
"Big Breakfast, The" (1992) playing "Himself" 5 November 2001
"Rove Live" (2000) playing "Himself" (episode # 2.37) 30 October 2001
"Biography" (1987) playing "Himself" in episode: "Ben Stiller" 22 October 2001
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" (1999/I) playing "Himself" in episode: "Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" 9 May 2001
"Freaks and Geeks" (1999) playing "Agent Meara" in episode: "The Little Things" (episode # 1.17) 8 July 2000
"Raw Is War" (1997) playing "Himself" 26 July 1999
"Saturday Night Live" (1975) playing "Host" (episode # 24.4) 24 October 1998
"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (1994) playing "Himself" in episode: "Rio Ghosto" (episode # 64) 18 September 1998
"Friends" (1994) playing "Tommy" in episode: "The One with the Screamer" (episode # 3.22) 24 April 1997
"Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "Make a Wish" (episode # 5.7) 15 January 1997
"Viva Variety" (1996) playing "Himself" 1997
"NewsRadio" (1995) playing "Vic" in episode: "The Trainer" (episode # 3.11) 18 December 1996
"Anti Gravity Room, The" (1996) playing "Himself/Special Guest Host"
"Mr. Show" (1995) playing "Jimmy" in episode: "If You're Going to Write a Comedy Scene, You're Going to Have Some Rat Feces in There" (episode # 2.4) 1996
"Duckman" (1994) playing "Harry Medfly" (voice) in episode: "Clip Job" (episode # 2.9) 8 May 1995
"Frasier" (1993) playing "Barry" (voice) in episode: "Miracle on Third or Fourth Street" (episode # 1.12) 16 December 1993
"Miami Vice" (1984) playing "Fast Eddie Felcher" in episode: "Amen...Send Money" (episode # 4.2) 2 October 1987
"Kate & Allie" (1984) playing "Peter" in episode: "Too Late the Rebel" (episode # 3.15) 27 January 1986
"Kate McShane" (1975) playing "Nickie" (as Benjamin Stiller) in episode: "Conspiracy of Silence" (episode # 1.7) 29 October 1975
"Sesame Street" (1969)


Sources:
http://www.eonline.com/Facts/People/Bio/0,128,15051,00.html
http://www.imdb.com/Bio?Stiller,%20Ben
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800019193&cf=biog&intl=us
http://www.absolutenow.com/celebs/ben_stiller/biography.html
http://www.celebritywonder.com/html/benstiller.html

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.