Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as There's Something About Mary (1998), Zoolander (2001), and Tropic Thunder (2008). Stiller is also known for his work in franchises such as the Meet the Parents films (2000–2010), the Madagascar franchise (2005–2012), and the Night at the Museum films (2006–2014). His films have grossed over $2.6 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $79 million per film. His awards and honors include an Emmy Award, a Directors Guild of America Award, a Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award. Stiller is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. He began his career writing mockumentaries and was offered a variety sketch series, The Ben Stiller Show, which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run. The series ran on MTV in 1990 and Fox in 1992 and 1993, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Program. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack. Transitioning to acting in films, Stiller made his directorial debut with Reality Bites (1994) and went on to direct and star in films such as The Cable Guy (1996) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). He also starred in a string of successful studio comedies, including Along Came Polly (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004), and Tower Heist (2011). His performances in independent films include Flirting with Disaster (1996), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and the Noah Baumbach films Greenberg (2010), While We're Young (2014), and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). Since the mid-2010s, Stiller has primarily worked as a television director and showrunner. In 2018, he directed the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora, earning a Directors Guild of America Award and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series. In 2022, he was a director and executive producer on the Apple TV+ series Severance, earning two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.
224 acting credits · 19 directing credits
Acting · 224
The Simpsons
1989
Family Guy
1999
The Daily Show
1996
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
Friends
1994
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Raw
1993
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Saturday Night Live
1975
Frasier
1993
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
King of the Hill
1997
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Phineas and Ferb
2007
Miami Vice
1984
The View
1997
The King of Queens
1998
Arrested Development
2003
The One Show
2006
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
American Idol
2002
Hot Ones
2015
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
Quotidien
2016
Severance
2022
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
Late Night with David Letterman
1982
MTV Video Music Awards
1984
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
MTV Movie & TV Awards
1992
Duckman
1994
Madagascar
2005
The Larry Sanders Show
1992
The Oscars
1953
The Jonathan Ross Show
2011
Krapopolis
2023
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
1995
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
1994
NewsRadio
1995
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007
Workaholics
2011
Kate & Allie
1984
Freaks and Geeks
1999
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013
Extras
2005
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
2012
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
2004
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
2008
Mr. Show with Bob and David
1995
Night at the Museum
2006
Rove
1999
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
2014
Kids' Choice Awards
1987
Running Wild with Bear Grylls
2014
Another Period
2015
Megamind
2010
Chicken Shop Date
2014
Comedy Central Roasts
2003
Entertainment Tonight
1981
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
2025
Tropic Thunder
2008
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
2009
Inside Comedy
2012
Desus & Mero
2019
Undeclared
2001
Today
1952
Happy Gilmore 2
2025
Primetime Glick
2001
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
2008
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
2015
Meet the Parents
2000
Meet the Fockers
2004
Happy Gilmore
1996
The Trip
2010
Circus Halligalli
2013
There's Something About Mary
1998
Eagleheart
2011
Zoolander
2001
Little Fockers
2010
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001
Empire of the Sun
1987
The Ben Stiller Show
1992
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2004
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004
Tower Heist
2011
The Emmy Awards
1949
The Cable Guy
1996
The Birthday Boys
2013
The Playboy Murders
2023
Along Came Polly
2004
Kate McShane
1975
The Watch
2012
Wish Kids
2002
Haters Back Off
2016
The Heartbreak Kid
2007
Zoolander 2
2016
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
2006
Mystery Men
1999
Dear Santa
2024
Starsky & Hutch
2004
Reality Bites
1994
Ted's Notebook
2012
Funny People
2009
Hubie Halloween
2020
The Early Show
1999
Madly Madagascar
2013
Duplex
2003
Focker-In-Law
2026
The Henry Rollins Show
2006
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
2003
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
2026
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
2020
Heavyweights
1995
Big Time in Hollywood, Fl
2015
Bros
2022
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
Merry Madagascar
2009
Greed
2019
I'm Still Here
2010
Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs
2017
Locked Down
2021
America | A Tribute to Heroes
2001
Submarine
2011
Le Débarquement
2013
Black and White
1999
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
2017
Next of Kin
1989
Gone Mental with Lior
2020
Nutcrackers
2024
Envy
2004
The Andy Dick Show
2001
Your Friends & Neighbors
1998
Earth to America
2005
Orange County
2002
Flirting with Disaster
1996
While We're Young
2015
Confessions of an Action Star
2005
Greenberg
2010
Brad's Status
2017
School for Scoundrels
2006
12-12-12 | The Concert for Sandy Relief
2012
Harmontown
2014
Prehistoric Planet
2002
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
Keeping the Faith
2000
Don't Think Twice
2016
Beastie Boys Story
2020
Being Canadian
2015
Saturday Night Special
1996
Bianca by Night
2025
Stella
1990
Playboy Mansion Parties Uncensored
2001
Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner
2006
Nobody Knows Anything!
2004
Permanent Midnight
1998
Run Ronnie Run
2002
The Secret Policeman's Ball
2012
Zero Effect
1998
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007
Teen Choice Awards
1999
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996
The Independent
2000
Pauly Shore Is Dead
2003
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
2009
If Lucy Fell
1996
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
2023
Highway to Hell
1991
The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller
1999
The Dink
2026
The Suburbans
1999
Hot Pursuit
1987
The Trip
2011
Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness
2008
The Nutt House
1992
TV total
1999
Fresh Horses
1988
Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine
2020
The Off Weeks
—
Here Comes the Night Time
2013
That's Adequate
1989
Everybody Has an Andy Dick Story
2017
Celebrity Escape Room
2020
Mission: Improbable
2001
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
2025
Downey Wrote That
2025
Dreamworks: Holiday Classics
2012
Elmo's Christmas Countdown
2007
Nantucket Film Festival's Comedy Roundtable
2012
Le Débarquement
2013
He's Way More Famous Than You
2013
The Marc Pease Experience
2009
Danny Roane: First Time Director
2006
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
2006
Drake Sather: The Man Who Created Zoolander
2016
Nantucket Film Festival's 2nd Comedy Roundtable
2013
Elvis Stories
1989
The Semplica Girl Diaries
—
The House of Blue Leaves
1987
The Truth Is in the Stars
2017
Working Tra$h
1990
Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder
2015
Zoolander: Super Model
2016
Sweet Micky for President
2015
The Champions
—
Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song?
2004
Heat Vision and Jack
1999
The Hustler of Money
1987
Monkey Mischief
2009
Bleecker
2023
Belly of the Beast
—
Shoeshine
1987
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld
2025
The Farrelly Bros.: In the French Tradition
2007
The Making of 'The Pick of Destiny'
2007
All Aboard the Crazy Train
2005
Protective Custody
—
Derek Zoolander: Male Model
1996
Romanekian
2005
A Matter of Time
—
Derek Zoolander University
1997
Directing · 19
Saturday Night Live
1975
Severance
2022
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013
Tropic Thunder
2008
Zoolander
2001
Escape at Dannemora
2018
The Ben Stiller Show
1992
The Cable Guy
1996
Zoolander 2
2016
Reality Bites
1994
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
2025
Elvis Stories
1989
The Champions
—
Airman
—
London
—
Heat Vision and Jack
1999
The Hustler of Money
1987
Bag Man
—
This, But Again
—