Ben Stiller biography, wife, net worth, parents, net worth, age 2025

Biography of Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller is comedy royalty – the mastermind behind Gaylord Focker from the Meet the Parents trilogy, the ridiculously good-looking Zoolander, and a powerhouse producer, director, and screenwriter. He holds the dubious honor of being nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards for worst actor in movies he directed in 2004. Net worth: $200 million.

His Childhood: New York City, West Side

Born in November 1965 to comedy legends Jerry Stiller (a Polish Jew) and Anne Meara (an Irish Catholic who converted to Judaism), the boy was named Benjamin Edward. Four-year-old Amy, the comedians' daughter, solemnly declared she would help raise her little brother. She kept that promise – the parents regularly brought their kids along to work. While Anne and Jerry performed in comedy shows, Amy and Ben would put on their own performances backstage, mimicking their parents.

For his tenth birthday, Ben got the ultimate gift from his loving family: a real eight-millimeter camera, instantly making him cameraman and director of his first home movie. Amy, as always, served as his assistant. Ben took filmmaking so seriously that his mother cast him in the detective series Kate McShane, where she starred.

Stiller Jr. successfully played his role. Though he initially dreamed of world travel and archaeological digs rather than cinema, he began considering his parents' profession – saving archaeology for his future films instead.

As progressive parents, the Stillers didn't stop their teenage kids from hitting cool parties and rock concerts at the legendary Studio 54 in the Upper West Side. But following the era's fascination with therapy, the family attended group sessions with a psychologist. No major issues were uncovered, but the belief was that therapy made it easier to understand yourself and your true desires. Ben had only one desire: to finish school and make a movie as soon as possible.

His Youth: California – New York City

Ben Stiller followed in his family's footsteps. Having finished school, he enrolled in a course of cinematography at the University of California. But what could you teach someone who'd grown up inside the film industry? Ben returned to New York City and completed acting classes in his hometown... landing a role in John Guare's TV production The House of Blue Leaves. Steven Spielberg took notice and cast Ben as Dainty in Empire of the Sun (1987), where he worked alongside John Malkovich and Christian Bale.

Ben Stiller in the movie Empire of the Sun

Then Ben Stiller played the role of Lawrence Isabella in the thriller Next of Kin and worked with such talented actors as Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Adam Baldwin, Patrick Swayze. It looked like he was headed for more dramatic roles and A-list directors, but his comedic DNA won out. It began with a ten-minute spoof of Tom Cruise in the movie The Color of Money (1986) by Martin Scorsese – and comedy became his calling card.

Stiller landed TV comedy gigs, eventually hosting his own MTV show that later moved to Fox. The show was canceled after backlash over its satirical takes on Hollywood stars. Still, Stiller earned an Emmy for Outstanding Writing.

His Career: Acting Flair and Directing Ambition

His directing ambitions grew stronger. Ben discovered a screenplay by 19-year-old Helen Childress about four college graduates navigating post-graduation life. After a year of development, Stiller cast Winona Ryder (Lelaina Pierce) and Ethan Hawke (Troy Dyer) in his directorial debut Reality Bites (1994), with Stiller playing Michael Grates. He also cast his mother Anne Meara in the dramedy.

Ben Stiller works on the movie Reality Bites

Eager to keep directing, Ben turned to dark comedy with The Cable Guy (1996). Initially, Stiller planned to play eccentric cable guy Chip Douglas himself, but his debut experience taught him to focus on either acting or directing – not both. Instead, Jim Carrey brought his signature energy to the role, while Matthew Broderick played Steven Kovacs, the unsuspecting customer who becomes the cable guy's obsession. The movie won the MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Villain of the year.

The scene from the shooting of the movie The Cable Guy

Stiller did appear in the film, playing Sam Sweet, an actor on trial for murdering his twin brother – a subplot running parallel to the main story. The role of this character was played by Stiller.

According to Zoomboola.com, in the same year, Stiller starred as the young father Mel Coplin in the comedy Flirting with Disaster by David O. Russell. Then Ben Stiller teamed up with Matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz to delight audiences in the romantic comedy There's Something About Mary, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz in the melodrama There's Something About Mary

The actor fully showcased his comedic potential in Jay Roach's movie Meet the Parents, where he worked with the stunningly funny Robert De Niro, who played a CIA agent in retirement.

Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the movie Meet the Parents

The film was such a hit that a few years later, the actors reunited on set, first in Meet the Fockers, then in its sequel Little Fockers. Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman (parents of Gaylord Focker, played by Ben) joined the dynamic duo. Beyond these comedy films, Stiller's filmography expanded with roles like David Starsky from Todd Phillips' action-comedy Starsky & Hutch, Eddie from The Heartbreak Kid, Lonnie from School for Scoundrels.

Little Fockers – a trailer

Stiller's creative energy as a writer and director continued to impress. He released Zoolander, a comedy, where even Donald Trump, the future president of the USA, acted. The film featured plenty of nepotism: the lead female role was played by Ben's wife Christine Taylor, the lead male role (except his own) – his closest friend Owen Wilson, the secondary one – his mother Anne Meara.

Then Ben wrote and directed Tropic Thunder, a satirical black comedy that spoofed Hollywood war movies. This marked Stiller's fourth directorial effort. Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. earned Golden Globe nominations for their performances.

Zoolander 2 – a trailer

Worth noting is the fantasy-comedy trilogy Night at the Museum (2006, 2010, 2014) by Shawn Levy, where Stiller played night security guard Larry Daley. Ben's friend Owen Wilson, the incomparable Robin Williams, and charming Carla Gugino all appeared in the film. During the 2000s, Stiller also became the creative force and lead voice behind the animated film Madagascar (2005, 2008, 2012), where he voiced Alex, a lion. In 2016, Ben produced Zoolander 2, a sequel about Derek Zoolander.

73 questions to Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller)

In 2017, Stiller appeared in two notable films: the tragicomedy The Meyerowitz Stories, which won one of the awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and Brad's Status, where Ben played Brad Sloan, experiencing a midlife crisis.

Ben Stiller in the movie Brad's Status (a trailer)

As a director, Stiller plans to helm the upcoming film Help Me Spread Goodness, based on Mark Friedman's screenplay. He'll star as a banker confronting online fraud.

Personal Life of Ben Stiller: His Wife, Children, Divorce

Following his parents' example, Ben had always dreamed of building his own close-knit, loving family. But Stiller didn't want to marry any of his girlfriends (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Amanda Peet, Janeane Garofalo, Calista Flockhart).

According to Zoomboola.com, the actor married actress Christine Taylor when he was 35. During their 18-year marriage, which was considered one of Hollywood's strongest, the couple had two children – daughter Ella Olivia and son Quinlin Dempsey.

Stiller admitted that their marriage was built on his wife's ability to make him laugh. She taught Ben to laugh at home, not just on set. Together they battled through Ben's cancer diagnosis and mourned the loss of his mother. In 2017, the couple divorced, shocking their family and friends. But they still make time to get together, talk, and share laughs. His ex-wife understands him like no one else, but they don't discuss the reasons behind their divorce.

Ben Stiller Now

Recently, Ben Stiller has been appearing in fewer films as an actor, though he's still taking on roles. In 2019, Stiller appeared in the series "In the Dark" and the drama "Plus One." In 2020, Ben Stiller was busy filming his own detective drama "London." The project also features Oscar Isaac from the "Star Wars" films.

The vigorous energy of the actor, screenwriter and director Ben Stiller continues to impress

Ben Stiller: latest news and articles

Ariana Grande will play the lead role in the sequel to the cult comedy with Ben Stiller

2 Jun 2025

7 Old Films Radiating Summer Vibes Worth Revisiting Before Summer Ends

23 Aug 2023

Tyler Sean Collins

Played a bunch of heroes, but all the same. Well done as a comedian, but seems to be stuck in the role and in Meet the Fockers

2021-05-17 16:02:42
Betty Bowman

He is already 54, and looks well :) always recognize him

2021-05-07 21:17:40
Geraldine Wood

A good actor for well-directed comedies - I used to think. Then he looked at Walter Mitty and realized that he also had enough drama

2021-04-14 09:39:25
Michael Thompson

Not a bad actor, mostly seen in comedy films. Of course they are not always funny, but you can watch.

2021-04-10 13:55:47
Adam Brooks

I would call him such a family comedian, all films with him, namely comedies, they are so kind and sweet, in a word, comedies.

2021-02-18 10:04:03

Photos: Ben Stiller