Ben Stiller

Personal Life

Benjamin Edward Stiller, born November 30 1965, grew up in New York as the son of two comedians and actors. He attended school then enrolled in a film course at the University of California, Los Angeles. Upon graduating, he returned to New York to launch his acting career. He is married to actress Christine Taylor, who he worked with in several films and T.V shows, including Zoolander.

Early Career

Stiller started out on Broadway show The House of Blue Leaves, on which he made two short comedic films that received a warm reception from the cast and crew. The shorts also got the attention of Saturday Night Live, who handed Stiller his television break by commissioning him to write and star in an episode. It was a success. After two more short films, he got his own show, The Ben Stiller Show, which won numerous awards yet was cancelled by MTV

Film Career

Stiller then moved into cinema, having small roles in a number of films, such as Stella, Highway To Hell and The Nutt House before trying his hand at directing with Reality Bites. Following a sojourn back into acting with Heavyweights, Happy Gilmore, If Lucy Fell and Flirting With Disaster he directed his second film, The Cable Guy with Jim Carrey.

After this, Stiller's film career took off and he starred in box-office smashes There's Something About Mary, Zoolander, Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Dodgeball, Madagascar and The Royal Tenenbaums. Stiller continues to be a major force in global comedy.

Extras

Stiller accepted a cameo role in Extras due to his showbiz friendship with Ricky Gervais. He appeared in the first episode of series one, playing himself as an egomaniac director, presiding over a serious war film. During his directing, he shouts at a child actor and offends the real-life war refugee who is on set in a consulting role. Andy Millman eventually confronts Stiller, who reels off the box-office revenue of his hit films, and calls Millman a nobody. Gervais returned the favour by taking a cameo role in Stiller's comedy film Night at the Museum.