Ben Stiller

An accomplished, talented Hollywood comedic actor also writer and director who has shown true dedication to the cinematic world through his numerous well-known works, Ben Stiller sure has nicely carved his way to become one of the most substantial figures in the genre. Born Benjamin Stiller on November 30, 1965 in New York City to veteran comedic performers Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Ben, along with his sister Amy, was never kept away from the Hollywood lifestyle as he grew up in Manhattan and so, it really did not take a long time for him to become attracted to entertainment industry. Not only flourished an interest in acting but also filmmaking as well, the boy eagerly spent his early life shooting films on his Super 8 camera while nurturing his desire to act through one-time appearance on “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1972 and his mother's TV series of “Kate McShane” three years later. This abundant fondness subsequently prompted him to take film studies at UCLA following his graduation from The Calhoun School, New York in 1983, but since the urge to pursue an acting career became too hard to resist, he thus decided to quit in his ninth month and without hesitation, began setting out his journey in show business shortly thereafter.

Relocated back to New York City in his effort to hone his craft at the famed Actors' Studio also to search for proper acting jobs, Ben finally could land his professional debut in the Broadway revival of John Guare's “The House of Blue Leaves” produced by Lincoln Center Theater in 1986. Still maintaining his love for filming during the play's run up to 1987, he then took time to make a 10-minute short spoof of Martin Scorsese's 1986 effort, “The Color of Money”, titled "The Hustler of Money" alongside fellow “Blue Leaves” performer, John Mahoney. Much to his surprise, the feature delightfully made its way to attract “Saturday Night Live” creator, Lorne Michaels, who aired it in 1987, directing him to gain spot as the program's featured player and apprentice writer in the 1988-1989 season. This joyously was followed by an offer from MTV to have his own comedy show, “The Ben Stiller Show” (1990), which had its spin-off on Fox in 1992 with the same name but different cast apart from the funnyman himself. The latter one unfortunately was cancelled in 1993 after only 12 episodes, but it ironically gave Ben his first honor later that year, a share of Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program.