Comedian best known for ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘King of Queens’
NEW YORK — Comedian and actor Jerry Stiller, who found stardom alongside his wife, Anne Meara, in the ‘50s before winning a new generation of ‘90s fans as George Costanza’s explosively unhinged father on “Seinfeld,” has died. He was 92.
The Brooklyn-born Stiller — father to comedian/actor/director Ben Stiller and actress/comedian Amy Stiller — died of natural causes, the family said Monday.
“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 tweeted.
Though a supporting player on “Seinfeld,” Stiller produced some of the comedy classic’s most hilarious and indelible moments. His abrasive Frank Costanza character, forever walking a tightrope of simmering rage, famously introduced the phrase “Serenity now!” and the holiday Festivus to the Seinfeld universe, along with the “manzier” — a brassiere for chunky guys.
His accomplishments came without a lot of encouragement on the homefront: “When I told my father I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘Why not a stagehand? You’ll work every night.’”
Stiller was a man of many talents across a seven-decade career. The couple appeared some three dozen times on “The Ed Sullivan Show” after meeting as Stiller exited his agent’s Manhattan office back in the summer of 1953.
The couple — he Jewish, she Irish-Catholic and two inches taller than her spouse — famously costarred with his wife in a series of co-written ads for the wine “Blue Nun.” Sales quickly increased by 500%,.
He appeared solo opposite Walter Matthau in the hit 1974 movie thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” and landed a starring role opposite Divine in the John Waters’ breakthrough film “Hairspray.” His myriad television spots included everything from “Murder, She Wrote” to “Law and Order.” And son Ben cast his dad in his 2007 comedy “The Heartbreak Kid.”
The elder Stiller even wrote a 2000 book “Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara,” a memoir about their shared life. The couple, married in 1954, were together for six decades before her death in May 2015 at the age of 85.