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Talent clearly runs in Ben Stiller's family. Throughout his career, the actor has established himself as a comedic genius while taking on roles in countless films, including "Dodgeball," "Zoolander," "Meet the Parents" and "Night at the Museum." He's also a force behind the camera, producing the awards show darling "Severance" and directing "Escape at Dannemora." As it turns out, Ben Stiller inherited his comedic chops from both of his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Though they both passed away several years ago, their legacy lives on in their son, who is paying homage to his parents in an Apple TV+ documentary titled “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost.” Not sure where you've seen Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara onscreen before? We're sharing everything you need to know about Ben Stiller's late parents. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Met in an Agent's Office Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller first crossed paths at an agent's office. They looked back on the fateful moment in a 2005 interview with the Television Academy Foundation. "I met Anne when I was trying to do a comedy act with another girl," Jerry Stiller said — a girl who, he said, "wanted to get rid of me." Jerry Stiller said his comedic partner suggested that he talk to Meara. The two later went out to a restaurant and Stiller offered to pick up the check. "She says, 'Forget the check. Just pick up some silverware. Stick it in your pocket. Let’s get the hell out of here,'" he recalled. "He found felons attractive," Meara teased. The duo later saw each other again at an off-Broadway show and Meara invited Jerry Stiller back to her apartment. "On the walls are these little squiggles, these little things that had seemed to be attached. And I said to her, 'What are those squiggles?' She says, 'That’s the spaghetti. I throw it against the wall to find out if it’s al dente,'" he recalled. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Were a Comedic Duo Together, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were a comedic duo who performed under the name Stiller and Meara. In 1963, the couple appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the first time. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, they made a total of 36 appearances on the show. Despite their joint success, the married couple eventually decided to do their own thing professionally. “I love Anne, but if I had depended on her in my professional life, I would have lost her as a wife. We felt like two guys,” Jerry Stiller told People in 1977. Meara echoed her husband's sentiments, saying, “I didn’t know where the act ended and our marriage began.” Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Had 2 Children Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara got married in 1954. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Amy Stiller in 1961. Four years later, their son Ben Stiller was born in 1965. Both of their children followed in their parents' footsteps and pursued careers in the entertainment industry. Amy Stiller has made guest appearances in many TV shows, including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Love Life.” She's also been seen in several of her brother's films, including "Dodgeball," "Zoolander" and "Zoolander 2." Ben Stiller has become a household name with roles in many popular films, including "Meet the Parents," "Night at the Museum," "Zoolander," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "Dodgeball" and more. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Both Appeared Onscreen with Their Children As his star rose, Ben Stiller teamed up with both of his parents on several professional projects. For instance, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara appeared in Ben Stiller's Disney movie "Heavyweights" in 1995. Jerry Stiller starred with his son in "Zoolander," "Zoolander 2," "The Suburbans," "The Heartbreak Kid" and several other films. The duo also made cameos in "Anchorman" together. Meara shared the screen with her son in a few films, too, including "Zoolander" and "Night at the Museum." Meara and Jerry Stiller collaborated with their daughter Amy Stiller on a short titled "Simpler Times." All four members of the Stiller family appeared at different times in the TV series "The King of Queens." Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Were Supportive of Their Children's Careers In 2020, Ben Stiller appeared on "Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist" and recalled how both of his parents supported his dreams of becoming an actor. "As it became something I wanted to do for real, I think he was very supportive and also very overprotective and not wanting to have his kids to have to go through the pain of rejection (since that's) what show business is," he explained. Ben Stiller said his mother took a bit of a different approach. "And my mom was a little more, you know, 'This is what it is and you're going to (experience this).' She was kind of a little more hands off. (She was) very supportive too, but my dad was the one who kind of couldn't help but want to help in any way that he could," he said. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara Had Long Legacies in Hollywood Before her death at the age of 85 in 2015, Meara had a successful decades-long career that included recurring roles in "Sex and the City," "All My Children," "Rhoda" and "Archie Bunker's Place," in addition to others. The actor also appeared in many movies, including "Like Mike," "What Makes a Family" and "The Independent." Jerry Stiller, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 92, also had a laundry list of hit roles throughout his enduring career. The star was well-known for his roles in two hit sitcoms: "The King of Queens" and Seinfeld." Jerry Stiller also appeared in several films, including "Hairspray," "Highway to Hell" and "The Lion King 1½." For TV roles, he made guest appearances on many shows, including "Touched by an Angel," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Law & Order," among others. Ben Stiller Made a Documentary About His Parents Ben Stiller pays tribute to his late parents in “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost," a new documentary that's set to hit Apple TV+ on Oct. 24. The documentary dives into the couple's impact on pop culture and their family. It features old footage of the lovebirds and interviews with Ben Stiller, his 23-year-old daughter Ella and his 20-year-old son Quinlin.
