Jerry Stiller, an American comedian, actor and author, has passed away from natural causes at the age of 92.
His son, Ben Stiller, took to Twitter on Monday to announce the news of Jerry’s death, calling him “a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband.”
Jerry spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, who died in 2015. They met in 1953, married the following year, and teamed up to perform comedy acts and improv sketches. They were successful in the 1960s and 1970s.
He saw a late-career resurgence starting in 1993. He played George Costanza’s father Frank on the sitcom Seinfeld, which earned him an Emmy nomination.
Born on June 8, 1927, in Brooklyn, Jerry attended Seward Park high school, whose alumni included Tony Curtis and Zero Mostel.
The year Seinfeld went off the air, Jerry played the eccentric Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens, another role which garnered him widespread acclaim.
Jerry and his son Ben appeared together in films such as Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid, and Zoolander 2. Later in his career, Jerry was best known for playing grumpy and eccentric characters who were nevertheless beloved.
Jerry told the New York Post that he bought Ben a Super 8 film camera when he was 10. He said, “I just wanted to get him off my back. He went down and started filming movies on the street with his friends.”
Many actors Jerry worked with, including Seinfeld castmates Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jason Alexander and King of Queen’s castmates Kevin James and Leah Remini, paid tributes to him on social media. Jerry is also survived by his daughter, Amy Stiller, who is also an actor.
