An innovative actor, director, and writer, BEN STILLER (Detective David Starsky) continues to imprint his unique comedic and dramatic perspective on film, television and stage.
Stiller most recently starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the smash hit Along Came Polly, written and directed by John Hamburg. The film centers on the life of an anal-retentive, risk-averse man who analyzes risk for a living. His life is turned upside down when he gets involved in a risky romance. The impressive cast also includes Debra Messing and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Stiller is currently in production lending his voice as one of the stars in the animated feature Madagascar. The film, which also stars Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer, is about four civilized Central Park Zoo animals who have spent their entire lives in blissful captivity. But when they are unexpectedly shipped to Africa and get shipwrecked on the exotic island of Madagascar, these native New Yorkers must try to survive and come to terms with what it truly means to be “wild.”
In 2004, Stiller will also star in Barry Levinson’s Envy with Jack Black. The duo will play lifelong best friends and neighbors whose relationship takes a nasty turn when one of them (Black) becomes filthy rich by selling an invention. The black comedy also stars Christopher Walken.
Last year Stiller starred in Duplex opposite Drew Barrymore, which he produced through his production company Red Hour Films with partner Stuart Cornfeld. Stiller, under his Red Hour Films banner, also produced and co-stars in The Untitled Dodgeball Project due out in Summer 2004. The film, which recently wrapped production, also stars Vince Vaughn and Christine Taylor. Stiller also starred as the title role in the comedy Zoolander based on the story of Derek Zoolander, a character he co-created with Drake Sather for the VH-1 Fashion Awards.
Stiller co-wrote, directed and also produced the film through Red Hour Films with partner Stuart Cornfeld. Prior to that Stiller also starred in Jay Roach’s blockbuster Meet The Parents. 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 is also nominated for two MTV Movie Awards; Best Comedic Performance and Best On-Screen Team (with Robert De Niro). Stiller also starred in Wes Anderson’s comedy The Royal Tenenbaums, with Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow. Stiller has an exclusive, three year, first-look film and television production deal with DreamWorks, in which he will write, produce, and direct films under his own banner, Red Hour Films.
Stiller made his feature-length motion picture directorial debut in 1994 with the critically acclaimed 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.
As an actor, Stiller has amassed a variety of film credits. He starred in Disney’s Keeping the Faith with Ed Norton (who also directed the film) and Jenna Elfman. In 1998, Stiller appeared in Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s smash hit romantic comedy, There’s Something About Mary. 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. He was also seen in Mystery Men, directed by Kinka Usher. The film also starred Hank Azaria, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Reubens, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo and William H. Macy. He also appeared in Neil Lebute’s Your Friends and 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, Tea Leoni, Josh Brolin, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin, Steven Spielberg’s epic World War II adventure, Empire of the Sun, John Irvin’s Next of Kin, David Anspaugh’s Fresh Horses and John Erman’s Stella.
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 last December.
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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