Jerry Stiller, actor and comedian and father to Ben Stiller, has died of nature causes. He was 92. He died early this morning and his death was confirmed on a tweet from actor son, Ben Stiller.
Most people will remember Jerry from his roles as Frank Costanza in “Seinfeld” and as Arthur Spooner in “The King of Queens.” These were not his only successes as he was very successful on Broadway, appeared in dozens of movies, numerous sitcoms, TV celebrity games, voiceovers in many animated movies, as well as guest appearances on dozens of TV series.
Stiller met Anne Mears in 1953 and were married shortly after. They performed together for many years as the timeless “Stiller & Meara” comedy team and making quite a name for themselves with frequent performances on variety shows, including 36 appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” In Meara Stiller found his soulmate. Jerry lost Anne in 2015.
“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,” his son Ben tweeted.
Stiller was nominated for a Grammy in 2001 for best spoken word album for “Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara.” Stiller and Meara shared a star on the Hollywood Walk in Fame, awarded in 2007.
Personally, he was one of my favorite comedy actors. I have seen all of the episodes of “The King of Queens” and he always made me laugh. He will be missed along with the millions of laughs he created.
