Comedian Jerry Stiller dies aged 92: Son Ben pays tribute to Kings Of Queens star as he reveals he 'passed away from natural causes'
- Jerry's son, actor Ben, announced his passing on Twitter on Monday morning
- 'He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad,' Ben wrote
- Stiller is best known for starring as George Costanzas’ father Frank, on NBC’s Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens
- He also starred in a number of films with Ben, including Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2
- Earlier in his career, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who married in 1954, formed a hugely successful comedy duo, known as Siller and Meara
Comedian Jerry Stiller has died at the age of 92 from natural causes.
His son, actor Ben Stiller shared the sad news on Twitter on Monday, writing: 'I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes.
'He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.'
Sad newsL Comedian Jerry Stiller has died aged 92: Son Ben has paid tribute to the Kings Of Queens star as he revealed he 'passed away from natural causes'
Stiller is best known for starring as George Costanzas’ father Frank, on NBC’s Seinfeld and later going on to play Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens.
He also starred in a number of films with Ben, including Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2.
Earlier in his career, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who married in 1954, formed a hugely successful comedy duo, known as Siller and Meara, in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tribute: Actor and director Ben wrote on Twitter on Monday: 'He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years'
Close: Jerry worked with his actor and filmmaker son Ben numerous times (pictured in 2012)
After a short stint performing in nightclubs, they made it onto the TV variety show circuit, including notably 36 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Anne and Jerry were married for 62 years before she passed away in 2015. They shared children Ben, and actress Amy Stiller, along with two grandchildren.
Stiller and Meara shared a star on the Hollywood Walk in Fame, awarded in 2007.
In the nineties, Stiller returned to television, playing Frank Costanza in Seinfeld for 26 episodes from 1993-1998.
Iconic: Stiller is best known for starring as George Costanzas’ father Frank, on NBC’s Seinfeld (pictured with co-stars Estelle Harris and Jason Alexander)
The performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997, while he won the American Comedy Award.
When Seinfeld ended in the late nineties, Stiller admitted he was readuy to retire, until Kevin James asked him to take a part in his new comedy King of Queens.
Stiller eventually played the role of Arthur Spooner for nine years, from 1998 to 2007.
During this time he also played supporting roles and cameos in a string of successful movies, including multiple appearances in his son Ben's movies.
TV star: The actor and comedian later went on to play Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens opposite Kevin James
Stiller also appeared in both film versions of Hairspray - the 1988 John Waters original in which he and Divine played the parents of Ricki Lake’s Tracy Turnblad, and the 2007 Adam Shankman-directed adaptation of the musical in which he played Mr. Pinky.
More recently, he guested on The Good Wife in 2011 as Judge Felix Afterman.
Born in New York City, he graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in speech and drama, and also studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village.
Stiller made his Broadway debut in 1954 in the musical comedy The Golden Apple, going on to earn roles in a long line of off and on Broadway productions throughout the fifties.
He made his screen debut in 1956 in a segment of Studio One in Hollywood. It was during this time that Jerry met his wife Anne in a casting agent's office, offering to take her out for coffee after she became upset during an altercation with an agent.
It was Jerry who convinced actress Anne to try comedy, and together they joined the Chicago improvisational company The Compass Players.
Talented family: He also starred in a number of films with Ben, including Zoolander (pictured), Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2
Duo: Earlier in his career, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who married in 1954, formed a hugely successful comedy duo, known as Siller and Meara (pictured in 2008)
