Jerry Stiller, a Comedy Legend and Treasure, Passes Away During Pandemic

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Comedy Central Presents: The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller (Comedy Central) 1999 Shown: Jerry Stiller

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Jerry Stiller, one half of the legendary comedy team of Stiller & Meara, and went on to have a late career resurgence on Seinfeld and The King Of Queens, died Monday of natural causes.

Born in Brooklyn born and raised on the Lower East Side, Stiller began to chase a career in the arts after serving in World War II. He got his bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama from Syracuse University and quickly became immersed in the theater world. When Stiller was paired with Gene Saks and Jack Klugman in a stage production of Coriolanus, the show’s producer, John Houseman called them, ‘the best trio of Shakespearian clowns that I have ever seen on stage’.

In 1953, Stiller was at an agent’s office when he saw a woman coming out of a bad meeting. To calm her down, he took her out for coffee. It was the first date between Stiller and Anne Meara, and they would spend the next 61 years together. It was Stiller who convinced Meara to make the shift into comedy, and after a stint with the Chicago improv company, The Compass Players (which later became The Second City), the team of Stiller & Meara was born.

Upon returning back to New York, Stiller & Meara became nightclub regulars, and within a year, they were full blown stars. The dup became mainstays on a number of variety shows, talk programs, and game shows, with frequent stops on the granddaddy of all variety shows, The Ed Sullivan Show. Later, they would appeared on radio commercials and hosted several TV shows.

Stiller also started to do a series of supporting roles in feature films including The Taking Of Pelham One, Two, Three, Airport ‘75, and John Waters classic, Hairspray.

Then, at the age of 66, Stiller would get the biggest role of his career when he was cast as Frank Costanza, the father of George Costanza on the hit TV series, Seinfeld. His portrayal of the eccentric, cantankerous elder patriarch earned him an Emmy nomination, and a new legion of fans. Around the same time, Stiller would get to play the one and only Vince Lombardi, in a series of ads for Nike.

After Seinfeld went off the air in 1998, Stiller was ready to call it a career. But Kevin James insisted that he play the role of Arthur Spooner, the father of Carrie Heffernan on the show, The King Of Queens. After James told him that he was essential to the long term success of the series, Stiller agreed. James was right: The King Of Queens was a hit on CBS for 9 years.

For Jerry Stiller, comedy remained a family affair. Before Anne Meara’s death in 2007, Stiller & Meara were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Their son Ben followed in his parents footsteps, becoming a successful actor, director and Emmy Award winning writer.

With a career that spanned nearly 60 years, Jerry Stiller leaves behind a legacy that ranks among the all time comedy greats. Our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies go out to his family, friends, and fans.

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Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.