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Jerry Stiller

He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara. Stiller and Meara are the parents of actor Ben Stiller (with whom he co-starred in the movies Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit and The Heartbreak Kid), and actress Amy Stiller.

He is best known for his recurring roles as Frank Costanza on the television series Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner on the television series King of Queens.

Personal life

One of fourteen children, Stiller was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Bella (née Citrin) and William Stiller, a bus driver. His paternal grandparents were Austrian Jewish immigrants and his maternal grandparents were Russian Jews. He attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY. A drama major at Syracuse University, he gained a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Drama. He is a brother of Tau Delta Phi fraternity, Tau Zeta chapter.

Stiller has two grandchildren (both of them are from his son, Ben, with actress Christine Taylor): Ella Olivia Stiller (b. April 10, 2002) and Quinlin Dempsey Stiller (b. July 10, 2005).

Stiller and Meara

The comedy team Stiller and Meara, composed of Stiller and wife Anne Meara, was extremely successful in the 1960s and 1970s, with numerous appearances on television variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Their career declined, however, as variety series gradually disappeared. The duo's own 1986 TV sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in which Stiller played the deputy mayor of New York City and Meara portrayed his wife, a TV commercial actress, was unsuccessful.

Resurgence

Seinfeld

Jerry Stiller played the short-tempered Frank Costanza, the father of George Costanza in the hit sitcom Seinfeld from 1993 to 1998. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997 and won the American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series for his portrayal of Frank Costanza.

King of Queens

After Seinfeld's run ended, Stiller had planned on retiring, but Kevin James requested him to join the cast of King of Queens. Kevin James, who played the leading role of Doug Heffernan, had told Stiller that he needed him in order to have a successful show[citation needed]. Stiller obliged, and played the role of Arthur Spooner, the always scheming father of Carrie Heffernan in the situation comedy The King of Queens from 1998 until 2007. Stiller has said this role tested his acting ability more than any others have, and that before being a part of King of Queens, he only saw himself as a "decent actor".