Actor Jerry Seinfeld died today at the age of 92. Stiller was a comedian, actor and author. While some younger people may believe that he is most famous for being Ben Stiller’s father, Jerry was a comedic powerhouse in his own right.
He is most widely remembered for his appearances on Seinfeld, King of Queens and Zoolander. He also had roles in both the 1988 and 2007 versions of Hairspray. He was an extremely talented actor and stage performer with an enduring Broadway career to boot. He appeared in 11 films alongside his son, Ben.
Stiller did not appear in any productions since reprising the role of talent agent Maury Ballstein in Zoolander 2, in 2016. I have fond memories of him as the cantankerous Arthur, in King of Queens. As soon as you would see him step on set to berate Doug (Kevin James) for being lazy or overweight you knew there was a chance you would laugh out loud. His portrayal of the easily-riled up ancient New Yorker is one of my first memories of seeing laugh-out-loud comedy on the t.v.
He is absolutely hilarious in Zoolander (2001), playing the model’s agent and friend. The image of him walking around with his ginger hair gelled up, comical glasses and matching svelte tracksuits was enough to draw laughter back then and still now.
Stiller leaves behind his son Ben, daughter Amy and two grandchildren. He died of natural causes, going to join his wife Anne who passed five years ago. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.
