Ben Stiller
Date of birth: 1965-11-30
Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: بَن ستِلَر, ベン·スティラー
Biography
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.
Movie Credits
Madagascar
2005-05-25
Four animal friends get a taste of the wild life when they break out of captivity at the Central Par
There's Something About Mary
1998-07-15
For Ted, prom night went about as bad as it’s possible for any night to go. Thirteen years later, he
Flirting with Disaster
1996-03-22
Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin decides he cannot name his son until he knows his birth pa
Night at the Museum
2006-12-20
Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley accidentally stirs up an
Meet the Parents
2000-10-06
Greg Focker is ready to marry his girlfriend, Pam, but before he pops the question, he must win over
Meet the Fockers
2004-12-22
Hard-to-crack ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife Dina head for the warmer climes of Florida to meet
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
2006-11-22
In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenac
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
2008-10-30
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble
Empire of the Sun
1987-12-09
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all
Don't Think Twice
2016-07-22
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting
Envy
2004-04-30
A man becomes increasingly jealous of his friend's newfound success.
Reality Bites
1994-02-18
A small circle of friends suffering from post-collegiate blues must confront the hard truth about li
Keeping the Faith
2000-04-14
Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular
Along Came Polly
2004-01-16
Reuben Feffer is a guy who's spent his entire life playing it safe. Polly Prince is irresistible as
Duplex
2003-09-26
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs
I'm Still Here
2010-09-10
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remark
Permanent Midnight
1998-09-16
Juggling increasing career success and a growing heroin habit, a television comedy writer attempts t
Tropic Thunder
2008-08-09
A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning c
The Semplica Girl Diaries
Family man Lloyd Turner (Ayoade) is facing up to his 40th birthday with the prospect of a new decade
Mission: Improbable
2001-06-02
A behind the scenes look at the stunt work of "Mission: Impossible 2", told through one stunt man wh
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004-06-28
It's the 1970s and San Diego anchorman Ron Burgundy is the top dog in local TV, but that's all about
The Marc Pease Experience
2009-08-21
Former high school musical star, Marc Pease, finds himself still living in the past, eight years aft
Merry Madagascar
2009-11-16
While trapped on the island of Madagascar, the Central Park Zoo escapees receive a visit from Santa-
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001-10-05
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children
The Heartbreak Kid
2007-10-05
Eddie, the 40-year-old confirmed bachelor finally says "I do" to the beautiful and sexy Lila. But du
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2004-06-18
When megalomaniacal White Goodman, the owner of a trendy, high-end fitness center, makes a move to t
Starsky & Hutch
2004-03-05
Join uptight David Starsky and laid-back Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson as they're paired for the first time
Mystery Men
1999-08-06
When Champion City's hero Captain Amazing is kidnapped by the recently paroled supervillain Casanova
Zoolander
2001-09-28
Clear the runway for Derek Zoolander, VH1's three-time male model of the year. His face falls when h
Greenberg
2010-03-26
Roger Greenberg, a failed musician now making a living as a carpenter in New York, returns to Los An
School for Scoundrels
2006-09-29
In the hope of winning the woman of his dreams, Amanda, lovelorn meter-reader Roger Wadell enrolls i
The Cable Guy
1996-06-10
When recently single Steven moves into his new apartment, cable guy Chip comes to hook him up—and do
The Champions
Follows three United Nations agents whose plane crashes into the Himalayas. Upon being rescued by an
Megamind
2010-10-28
After Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain, defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Me
Heavyweights
1995-02-17
Camp Hope is a summer retreat for overweight boys run by a kindly couple who make the campers feel c
Zero Effect
1998-01-30
Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible c
Submarine
2011-03-18
15-year-old deep-thinking Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate struggles to initiate and maintain a relations
Little Fockers
2010-12-21
It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam and countless hurdles for Greg to finally ge
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
2009-05-20
Hapless museum night watchman Larry Daley must help his living, breathing exhibit friends out of a p
The Watch
2012-07-26
Four everyday suburban guys come together as an excuse to escape their humdrum lives one night a wee
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
2012-06-06
Animal pals Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria are still trying to make it back to New York's Central P
Le Débarquement
2013-01-18
Inspired by the American program Saturday Night Live from NBC, around thirty actors take part in var
Bleecker
2023-06-09
Full of heart, humor, and a phenomenal ensemble, this dark comedy is about people who create little
Sweet Micky for President
2015-01-23
Music and politics collide when international music star, Pras Michel of the Fugees, returns to his
Your Friends & Neighbors
1998-08-19
Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen busin
Tower Heist
2011-11-02
A luxury condo manager leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler who defr
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013-12-18
A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life a
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
2014-12-17
When the magic powers of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah begin to die out, Larry Daley spans the globe, unit
Madly Madagascar
2013-01-29
Your favorite Madagascar pals are back in an all-new adventure! Alex's favorite holiday, Valentine's
While We're Young
2015-03-27
An uptight documentary filmmaker and his wife find their lives loosened up a bit after befriending a
All Aboard the Crazy Train
2005-06-19
Winner of the 2005 Maui Film Festival's Best Short Film Documentary, this eye-popping video captures
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
2023-11-12
Rob Reiner profiles Albert Brooks, comedic legend, acclaimed filmmaker, talented character actor and
Drake Sather: The Man Who Created Zoolander
2016-05-24
A look at Sather's life and comic career and the impact his death had on his friends, family, and th
Greed
2019-09-07
A retail billionaire's 60th birthday party is celebrated in an exclusive hotel on the Greek island o
Nutcrackers
2024-09-05
Just as Mike is on the heels of closing the biggest deal of his career, he's pulled away from his ba
Bros
2022-09-30
Two emotionally unavailable men attempt a relationship.
Belly of the Beast
Under notorious literary titan Norman Mailer’s mentorship, Jack Henry Abbott is paroled after nearly
Earth to America
2005-11-20
Tom Hanks is the host of this show with a comic approach to raise awareness concerning the environme
Zoolander 2
2016-02-06
Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the bus
Funny People
2009-07-30
Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons doesn't give much thought to how he treats people until a
Nobody Knows Anything!
2004-08-24
Sarah thinks making a movie is easy. With the guidance of her screenwriter uncle, she goes on a wild
12-12-12 | The Concert for Sandy Relief
2012-12-12
“12-12-12” was a fundraising concert to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy, it took place on Decembe
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
2017-10-13
An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
2006-03-31
Concert film combining the footage from 50 camcorders given to audience members of a sold-out Beasti
Everybody Has an Andy Dick Story
2017-05-13
A documentary detailing funny, outrageous, positive stories about Andy Dick. Interviews range from c
Brad's Status
2017-09-14
Although Brad has a satisfying career, a sweet wife and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento, t
The Trip
2011-04-24
When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it
Orange County
2002-01-11
Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a w
Happy Gilmore
1996-02-16
Failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore — whose unconventional approach and antics on th
Heat Vision and Jack
1999-01-10
As the result of a NASA miscalculation, Astronaut Jack Austin flew too close to the sun, the rays ex
Derek Zoolander: Male Model
1996-10-31
The short film that introduces the character of Derek Zoolander, first shown at the 1996 VH1 Fashion
Derek Zoolander University
1997-10-31
The second short film to feature the character of Derek Zoolander, shown at the 1997 VH1 Fashion Awa
Run Ronnie Run
2002-01-20
A redneck with an uncanny knack for getting arrested becomes the star of his own reality program.
Hot Pursuit
1987-05-08
High school student Dan Bartlett misses the plane he was supposed to be on with his rich girlfriend
Black and White
1999-09-04
Rich Bower is an up-and-coming star in the hip-hop world. Everyone wants to be around him, including
Shoeshine
1987-01-01
During a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, a young Wall Street investment banker and an old shoeshine
Romanekian
2005-09-13
Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Robin Williams offer commentary on music videos directed by Mark Romanek
The Making of 'The Pick of Destiny'
2007-02-27
A behind the scenes look at the making of "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny".
The Truth Is in the Stars
2017-05-01
William Shatner sits down with scientists, innovators and celebrities to discuss how the optimism of
Pauly Shore Is Dead
2003-03-11
Hollywood comedian/actor Pauly Shore loses everything: his house, nobody in Hollywood wants to repre
The Secret Policeman's Ball
2012-03-04
A live stand-up comedy and music gig to celebrate Amnesty International's 50th Anniversary.
The Independent
2000-11-10
A notorious B-movie director tries for a comeback by seeking out the film rights to the life story o
Elvis Stories
1989-01-01
Elvis Stories is a short movie directed by Ben Stiller and starring John Cusack and Ben Stiller
That's Adequate
1989-01-20
This mockumentary about fictional movie studio Adequate Pictures boasts an interesting cast. Tony Ra
Elmo's Christmas Countdown
2007-12-23
There's a miracle on Sesame Street in this special holiday tale. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and their new f
Fresh Horses
1988-11-18
A Cincinnati college student breaks off his engagement to his wealthy fiancée after he falls in love
Confessions of an Action Star
2005-01-23
A 'mockumentary' on the rise and fall of Chip and Dales dancer turned martial arts action star, Fran
Working Tra$h
1990-11-26
Ralph and Freddy work as janitors at a brokerage firm and become rich by making investments based on
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
1996-10-06
A star-studded tribute to Star Trek on its 30th anniversary, hosted by many of the stars and guest s
Next of Kin
1989-10-20
Truman Gates, a Chicago cop, sets out to find his brother's killer. Meanwhile, another of his brothe
Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness
2008-08-26
A behind-the-scenes mockumentary of Tropic Thunder.
Being Canadian
2015-09-18
What does it actually mean to be Canadian? This humorous documentary, featuring interviews with a wh
If Lucy Fell
1996-03-08
Joe and Lucy are roommates and best friends. Lucy, whose love life is embarrassingly dull, convinces
He's Way More Famous Than You
2013-05-10
When once-up-and-coming indie film starlet Halley Feiffer loses her boyfriend, her agent and her car
Harmontown
2014-03-08
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes h
Highway to Hell
1991-11-21
Charlie and Rachel run away from home to get married in Las Vegas. But they get attacked by a zombie
Stella
1990-02-02
Barmaid Stella Claire and blueblood Stephen Dallas have very little in common -- except they've fall
Nantucket Film Festival's Comedy Roundtable
2012-09-27
In June at the Nantucket Film Festival, Ben Stiller brought together three of his funniest famous fr
Nantucket Film Festival's 2nd Comedy Roundtable
2013-10-25
Ben Stiller, Mike Myers, Seth Meyers and Michael Ian Black have a roundtable comedy discussion.
The Suburbans
1999-10-29
The Suburbans, a one-hit-wonder new wave band from the '80s, reunite at their bassist's wedding, whe
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007-06-20
10th Anniversary of the 100 greatest films as chosen by the American Film Institute.
Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs
2017-11-18
Jon Stewart returns to television to host a live show presented from The Theater at Madison Square G
The Hustler of Money
1987-03-28
A veteran bowling hustler tries to teach a young hotshot the finer points of playing the game for mo
Playboy Mansion Parties Uncensored
2001-05-31
See inside the exclusive Playboy Mansion, with parties attended by all the A-List celebrities
Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner
2006-08-20
It's William Shatner's turn to step in to the celebrity hot seat for the latest installment of The C
The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Jerry Stiller
1999-10-27
The annual roast of the Friars Club, a fraternal organization for comedians, is a big honor - and ye
Zoolander: Super Model
2016-08-01
Ridiculously good-looking superheroes Derek Zoolander and Hansel defend people from the dark forces
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
2009-04-24
The troubled fraternal relationship between songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, th
The Farrelly Bros.: In the French Tradition
2007-12-26
A making-of, focusing on the script and direction by the Farrellys. The material here is culled from
America | A Tribute to Heroes
2001-09-21
A benefit concert and telethon organized by George Clooney and broadcast uninterrupted and commercia
Beastie Boys Story
2020-04-24
Here's a little story they're about to tell... Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of the
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
2020-05-11
Celebrities recall their most mind-bending trips via animations, reenactments and more in this comed
Celebrity Escape Room
2020-05-21
Jack Black is the master of ceremonies, leading Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Adam Scott, and Ben Stil
The House of Blue Leaves
1987-05-25
On the day in 1965 that the Pope visits New York and masses of people line the streets in adulation,
Locked Down
2021-02-25
During a COVID-19 lockdown, sparring couple Linda and Paxton call a truce to attempt a high-risk jew
Hubie Halloween
2020-10-07
Hubie Dubois, despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts (and its legendary Hallow
Here Comes the Night Time
2013-09-29
Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder
2015-07-11
A mix of cabaret and standup recorded at Joe's Pub in New York.
Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine
2020-10-27
Comedian and Trump lip-synching sensation Sarah Cooper tackles politics, race and other light topics
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
2003-09-14
Conan O'Brien celebrates ten years of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in this one-hour special. Many
The Dink
A washed-up tennis pro who, in trying to save a club in crisis and win his father’s respect, is forc
The Nutt House
1992-09-10
Two identical twins, separated since infancy, meet after 30 years causing a series of mistaken ident
Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division
2011-10-01
Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jack Black, Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen & Kevin S
Happy Gilmore 2
2025-07-25
Happy Gilmore isn't done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour C
Dear Santa
2024-11-24
Likeable 6th grader Liam writes to Santa asking him to prove that he's real. But Liam is dyslexic an
Focker-In-Law
2026-11-25
The fourth installment in the franchise. Plot TBA.
Danny Roane: First Time Director
2006-04-25
A television actor drinks too much and gets blackballed from the industry, and then he decides to br
Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song?
2004-03-06
Come one, come all for Sesame Street's 35th anniversary musical gathering! Is there one song the who
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
2025-10-17
Ben Stiller tells the story of his parents—comedy icons Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara—exploring their
Monkey Mischief
2009-12-01
Go Bananas with Dexter & Able
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld
2025-10-23
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld is an intimate portrait of what it means to expose oneself. At its ce
Downey Wrote That
2025-10-16
Exploring the sketches, contributions and influence of Jim Downey, one of the most impactful comedy