BEN STILLER (Greg Focker) was recently seen in the 20th Century Fox film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, opposite Vince Vaughn. The film, which he produced with his Red Hour Films partner Stuart Cornfeld, opened number one at the box office and was the biggest grossing comedy of the summer. In the film, a group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain owned by the eccentric White Goodman, played by Stiller.
Earlier this year, Stiller starred as classic television character Starsky, opposite Owen Wilson as Hutch, in Todd Phillips’ smash hit comedy Starsky & Hutch. Based on the long-running ABC series, the feature version focused on the formation of the duo’s partnership and also starts Vince Vaughn and Snoop Dogg. The film was also produced by Red Hour Films.
Prior to that, Stiller starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the romantic comedy Along Came Polly, written and directed by John Hamburg for Universal Pictures. In the film, Stiller plays a risk-averse man who analyzes risk for a living; his life is subsequently turned upside down when he gets involved in a risky romance with Aniston’s Polly character. The impressive cast also includes Debra Messing, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin and Hank Azaria.
In 2001, Stiller directed and starred in the title role of the Paramount Pictures comedy Zoolander, based on the story of Derek Zoolander, the male model character he co-created with Drake Sather for the VH-1 Fashion Awards. Stiller also co-wrote the movie with Drake Sather and John Hamburg (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and director/writer of Along Came Polly). He also produced with Scott Rudin and Red Hour Films partner Stuart Cornfeld.
Prior to that Stiller also starred in Jay Roach’s blockbuster Meet the Parents for Universal Pictures. The film, which also stars Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson, has grossed over $150 million in the U.S. The film won a People’s Choice Award and earned Stiller an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performance. He was also nominated for two MTV Movie Awards for his work in the film: Best Comedic Performance and Best On-Screen Team (with De Niro). Stiller also starred in Wes Anderson’s eccentric comedy The Royal Tenenbaums for Disney, with Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Stiller made his feature-length motion picture directorial debut in 1994 with Reality Bites, in which he also co-starred with Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo and Ethan Hawke. He went on to direct Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick in The Cable Guy for Columbia Pictures.
Other films: In 1998, Stiller appeared in Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s smash hit romantic comedy, There’s Something About Mary, for 20th Century Fox; the film also starred Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon. He gained critical notice in the feature film Permanent Midnight, directed by David Veloz and based on Jerry Stahl’s controversial Hollywood memoir about being a heroin addict who led a double life while writing for television sitcoms. He also appeared in Neil LaBute’s Your Friends & Neighbors; written and directed by LaBute, the ensemble drama also stars Jason Patric, Nastassja Kinski, Catherine Keener and Aaron Eckhart. He appeared in Jake Kasdan’s Zero Effect with Bill Pullman; the comedy/mystery was selected to take part in the “Un Certain Regard” sidebar of the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. He also starred in David O. Russell’s Flirting With Disaster, opposite Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni, Josh Brolin, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin.
Stiller made his professional acting debut on Broadway in 1985 starring opposite John Mahoney in John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves. While appearing in the play, Stiller persuaded Mahoney and fellow cast members Swoosie Kurtz, Stockard Channing and Julie Hagerty to appear in a short comedy film, his first true directorial effort, The Hustler of Money. The short film, a parody of Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, eventually aired on Saturday Night Live, where it was so well received Stiller was subsequently hired as a featured player and apprentice writer for the NBC comedy series.
Following his stint at Saturday Night Live, Stiller directed a comedy special for MTV called Back to Brooklyn. Stiller followed that project by creating The Ben Stiller Show, also for MTV, and later collaborated with Judd Apatow for a 13-episode run on FOX. A critical success, Stiller, along with the rest of the writing staff, was awarded an Emmy for outstanding comedy writing. Warner Home Video released all 13 episodes on DVD in December, 2003.
Decidedly predisposed to a career in show business, with parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Stiller is a native of New York City. Stiller studied Theater Arts at UCLA for one year before opting out of college to pursue his acting and directing ambitions professionally.
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