Jerry Stiller
Stiller in New York City in November 2005
Born	Gerald Isaac Stiller (1927-06-08) June 8, 1927 (age 85) New York City, New York, U.S.
Residence	New York City, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Seward Park High School
Alma mater	Syracuse University
Years active	1956–present
Home town	New York City, New York
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Spouse	Anne Meara (1954–present)
Children	Ben Stiller, Amy Stiller

Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller (born June 8, 1927) is an American comedian and actor.

He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara. Stiller and Meara are the parents of actor Ben Stiller (with whom he co-starred in the movies Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit and The Heartbreak Kid) and actress Amy Stiller.

He is best known for his recurring role as Frank Costanza on the television series Seinfeld and his supporting role as Arthur Spooner on the television series The King of Queens.

Personal life[link]

The eldest of four children,^[1] Stiller was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Bella (née Citrin) and William Stiller, a bus driver.^[2] He attended Seward Park High School.^[3] A drama major at Syracuse University, he gained a Bachelor's degree in Speech and Drama in 1950.

In the 1953 Phoenix Theater production of Coriolanus (produced by John Houseman) Jerry Stiller (along with Gene Saks and Jack Klugman) formed "the best trio of Shakespearian clowns that [he] had ever seen on any stage."^[4]

Stiller has two children, actor/comedian Ben Stiller and actress Amy Stiller.

Stiller is a member of the National Fraternity Tau Delta Phi.

Stiller and Meara[link]

The comedy team Stiller and Meara, composed of Stiller and wife Anne Meara, was successful in the 1960s and 1970s, with numerous appearances on television variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Their career declined as variety series gradually disappeared, but they subsequently forged a career in radio commercials, notably the campaign for Blue Nun wine. They also starred in their own syndicated five-minute sketch comedy show Take Five with Stiller and Meara, in 1977–78. From 1979 to 1982 Stiller and Meara hosted HBO Sneak Previews, a half-hour show produced monthly on which they described the movies and programs to be featured in the coming month.^[5] They would also do a few brief comedy sketches between show discussions. The duo's own 1986 TV sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in which Stiller played the deputy mayor of New York City and Meara portrayed his wife, a TV commercial actress, was unsuccessful.

Resurgence[link]

Seinfeld[link]

Jerry Stiller played the irascible Frank Costanza, the father of George Costanza in the sitcom Seinfeld from 1993 to 1998. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997 and won the American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series for his portrayal of Frank Costanza.

The King of Queens[link]

After Seinfeld's run ended, Stiller had planned on retiring, but Kevin James requested him to join the cast of The King of Queens. Kevin James, who played the leading role of Doug Heffernan, had told Stiller that he needed him in order to have a successful show^{[citation needed]}. Stiller obliged, and played the role of Arthur Spooner, the always scheming (and again, irascible) father of Carrie Heffernan in the situation comedy from 1998 until 2007. Stiller has said this role tested his acting ability more than any others have and that, before being a part of King of Queens, he only saw himself as a "decent actor".

Other appearances[link]

Stiller played himself in filmed skits, opening and closing Canadian rock band Rush's 30th Anniversary Tour concerts in 2004. These appearances are seen on the band's DVD R30 Live In Frankfurt, released in 2005. Stiller later appeared in cameos in later in-concert films for the band's 2008 Snakes & Arrows Tour.

Stiller is a martial arts enthusiast and has hosted the Kumite three times. He also routinely attends UFC events and can be seen in many backstage segments.

In the late 1990s Stiller appeared in a series of Nike television commercials as the ghost of deceased Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi.

Stiller has appeared in various motion pictures, most notably Zoolander (2001) and Secret of the Andes (1999) with Nancy Allen.

On February 9, 2007, Stiller and his wife were honored with a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On October 28, 2010, Stiller and his wife appeared on an episode of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

Stiller voiced the announcer on the childrens' educational show Crashbox

Starting in October 2010, Stiller and his wife began starring in a Yahoo web series called Stiller & Meara from Red Hour Digital, in which they discuss current topics. Each episode lasts about two minutes.^[6]

As author[link]

Stiller wrote the foreword to the book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us (ISBN 0-446-69674-9) by Allen Salkin, released on October 26, 2005.

His memoir, Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara, was published in 2000.

Filmography[link]

• Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) as Jim (Carol's Father) (uncredited)
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) as Lt. Rico Patrone
• Airport 1975 (1974) as Sam
• The Ritz (1976) as Carmine Vespucci
• Nasty Habits (1977) as P.R. Priest
• Time Express (1979) (TV series)
• Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980) as Mr. Shoemaker
• Madame X (1981) (made for TV)
• Simon & Simon (1982) "The Uncivil Servant" as Harold Traxler
• The McGuffin (1985) as Marty
• Tales from the Darkside (November 10, 1985) in "The Devil's Advocate" (TV)
• Seize the Day (1986) as Dr. Tamkin
• Hot Pursuit (1987) as Victor Honeywell
• Nadine (1987) as Raymond Escobar
• Hairspray (1988) as Wilbur Turnblad
• That's Adequate (1989) as Sid Lane
• Little Vegas (1990) as Sam
• Sweet 15 (1990) as Mr. Waterman
• Freefall (1992) as Emily's Father
• Highway to Hell (1992) as The Desk Cop
• Seinfeld (1993–1998) as Frank Costanza (TV)
• The Pickle (1993) as Phil Hirsch
• Heavyweights (1995) as Harvey Bushkin
• Subway Stories (1997) as man in the subway
• Camp Stories (1997) as Schlomo
• Stag (1997) as Ted
• The Deli (1997) as Petey Cheesecake
• The King of Queens (1998–2007) as Arthur Spooner (TV)
• The Suburbans (1999) as Speedo Silverburg
• A Fish in the Bathtub (1999) as Sam
• Secret of the Andes (1999) as Dr. Golfisch
• The Independent (2000) as Monty Fineman
• My 5 Wives (2000) as Don Giovanni
• Chump Change (2001) as The Colonel
• Zoolander (2001) as Maury Ballstein
• On the Line (2001) as Nathan
• Serving Sara (2002) as Milton the Cop
• Teacher's Pet (2004) (voice) as Pretty Boy
• The Lion King 1½ (2004) (voice) (direct-to-DVD) as Uncle Max
• R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) as himself
• Hairspray (2007) as Mr. Pinky
• The Heartbreak Kid (2007) as Doc
• Snakes & Arrows Live (video) (2008) as "Heidi"
• Fish Hooks (2010) as Principal Strickler (voice)
• Ice Dreams (2010) as Skipper
• Excuse Me For Living (2012) as Morty^[7]

Television[link]

• The Love Boat
• Fish Hooks as Principal Stickler
• The Paul Lynde Show as Barney Dickerson 1972-1973
• Archie Bunker's Place as Carmine – 1980
• Celebrity Ghost Stories, Season 3, Episode 3(bio.HD)
• Seinfeld as Frank Costanza - 1993-98
• King of Queens 1998-2007 As Arthur Spooner
• The Good Wife as Judge Felix Afterman - 2011

Short films[link]

• Shoeshine (1987)
• So You Want to Be an Actor (1993)
• Amy Stiller's Breast (2000)

See also[link]

• Stiller and Meara
• The Stiller and Meara Show
• Anne Meara
• Ben Stiller
• Amy Stiller
• Seinfeld
• The King of Queens

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jerry Stiller at the Internet Movie Database
• The Stiller and Meara Show at Internet Movie Database
• Jerry Stiller at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jerry Stiller at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Festivus: The website for the rest of us – Website for Festivus Book to which Stiller wrote foreword, includes Festivus movies, songs, forum and grievances
• Jerry Stiller – Internet Accuracy Project
• Exclusive Jerry Stiller Interview at TrulyHollywood.com (March 21, 2007)
• Stiller and Meara article at talkingcomedy.com

Ben Stiller
Stiller filming Tower Heist, 2010
Born	Benjamin Edward Stiller (1965-11-30) November 30, 1965 (age 46)[1] New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, comedian, director producer, writer
Years active	1965–present
Net worth	$120 million[2]
Spouse	Christine Taylor (2000–present; 2 children)
Parents	Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara

Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.^[3]

After beginning his acting career with a play, Stiller wrote several mockumentaries, and was offered two of his own shows, both entitled The Ben Stiller Show. He began acting in films, and made his directorial debut with Reality Bites. Throughout his career he has since written, starred in, directed, and/or produced over 50 films including Heavyweights, There's Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Zoolander, Dodgeball, Tropic Thunder, Greenberg and Night at the Museum. In addition, he has had multiple cameos in music videos, television shows, and films.

Stiller is a member of the comedic acting brotherhood colloquially known as the Frat Pack. His films have grossed more than $2.1 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $73 million per film.^[4] Throughout his career, he has received several awards and honors including an Emmy Award, several MTV Movie Awards, and a Teen Choice Award.

Early life[link]

Stiller was born in New York City. His father, Jerry Stiller, is Jewish; his mother, Anne Meara, who is of Irish Catholic background, converted to Reform Judaism after marrying his father.^[5][6][7] The family celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas, and Stiller had a Bar Mitzvah.^[8][9] He has said that he is "half Jewish and half Irish Catholic."^[10] Stiller's parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, including The Mike Douglas Show when he was six.^[11] He stated in an interview that he considered his childhood unusual: "In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights—not what you'd call traditional."^[12] His sister, actress Amy Stiller, has made appearances in many of his productions, including Reality Bites, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Zoolander.^[13][14][15]

Stiller displayed an early interest in filmmaking, and made Super 8 movies with his sister and friends.^[16] At ten years old, he made his acting debut as a guest on his mother's television series, Kate McShane. In the late 1970s, he performed with the New York City troupe NYC's First All Children's Theater, playing several roles, including the title role in Clever Jack and the Magic Beanstalk.^[17] After being inspired by the television show Second City Television while in high school, Stiller realized that he wanted to get involved with sketch comedy.^[17]

Stiller attended the Cathedral School and graduated from the Calhoun School in New York in 1983. He started performing on the cabaret circuit as opening act to the cabaret siren Jadin Wong. Stiller then enrolled as a film student at the University of California, Los Angeles. After nine months, Stiller left school to move back to New York City.^[9] He made his way through acting classes, auditioning and trying to find an agent.^[18]

Acting career[link]

Early work[link]

Stiller was cast in a role in the Broadway revival of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves, alongside John Mahoney; the production would garner four Tony Awards.^[18] During its run, Stiller produced a satirical mockumentary whose principal was fellow actor Mahoney. His comedic work was well received by the cast and crew of the play, and he followed up with a 10 minute short called The Hustler of Money, a parody of the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money. The film featured him in a send-up of Tom Cruise's character and Mahoney in the Paul Newman role, only this time as a bowling hustler instead of a pool shark. The short got the attention of Saturday Night Live, which aired it in 1987, and two years later offered him a spot as a writer.^[18] In the meantime, he also had a bit part in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun.^[19]

In 1989, Stiller wrote and appeared on a season of Saturday Night Live as a featured performer. However, since the show did not want him to make more short films for the show, he left after four episodes.^[18] He then put together Elvis Stories, a short film about a fictitious tabloid focused on recent sightings of Elvis Presley.^[20] The film starred friends and co-stars John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Mike Myers, Andy Dick, and Jeff Kahn.^[20] The film was considered a success, and led him to develop another film titled Back to Brooklyn for MTV.^[21]

[edit] The Ben Stiller Show

MTV was so impressed with Back to Brooklyn that they offered Stiller a 13-episode show in the experimental "vid-com" format.^[22] Titled The Ben Stiller Show, this series mixed comedy sketches with music videos and parodied various television shows, music stars, and films. It starred Stiller, along with main writer Jeff Khan and Harry O'Reilly, with occasional appearances by his parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and sister Amy Stiller.^[22]

Although the show was canceled after its first season, it led to another show titled The Ben Stiller Show, on the Fox Network in 1992. The Ben Stiller Show aired 12 episodes on Fox, with a 13th unaired episode broadcast by Comedy Central in a later revival.^[23] Among the principal writers on The Ben Stiller Show were Stiller and Judd Apatow, with the show featuring the ensemble cast of Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk.^[24] Both Denise Richards and Jeanne Tripplehorn appeared as extras in various episodes. Throughout its short run, The Ben Stiller Show frequently appeared at the bottom of the ratings, even as it garnered critical acclaim and eventually won the Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program" post-humously.^[23][25][26]

Ben Stiller in 2006, photographed by Jerry Avenaim

Directorial debut[link]

After a few minor film roles in the early 1990s, such as Stella, Highway to Hell, and a cameo in The Nutt House, Stiller devoted his time to writing, fundraising, recruiting cast members, starring in, and directing Reality Bites.^[18] The film was produced by Danny DeVito (who later directed Stiller's 2003 film Duplex and produced the 2004 film Along Came Polly).^[27] Reality Bites debuted as the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend and received mixed reviews.^[28][29]

Stiller joined his parents in the family film Heavyweights (1995), in which he played two roles, and then had a brief uncredited role in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore (1996).^[30][31] Next, he had lead roles in If Lucy Fell and Flirting with Disaster, before tackling his next directorial effort with The Cable Guy, which starred Jim Carrey. Stiller once again was featured in his own film, as twins. The film received mixed reviews, but was noted for paying the highest salary for an actor up to that point, as Jim Carrey received $20 million for his work in the film.^[32] The film also connected Stiller with future Frat Pack members Jack Black and Owen Wilson.

Also in 1996, MTV invited Stiller to host the VH1 Fashion Awards. Along with SNL writer Drake Sather, Stiller developed a short film for the awards about a male model known as Derek Zoolander. It was so well received that Stiller developed another short film about the character for the 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards and finally remade the skit into a film.^[18]

Comedy career[link]

In 1998, Stiller put aside his directing ambitions to star in There's Something About Mary, alongside Cameron Diaz, which accelerated Stiller's acting career. That year, he also starred in several dramas, including Zero Effect, Your Friends & Neighbors, and Permanent Midnight. Stiller was invited to take part in hosting the Music Video awards, for which he developed a parody of the Backstreet Boys and performed a sketch with his father, commenting on his current career.^[33]

In 1999, he starred in three films, including Mystery Men, where he played a superhero wannabe called Mr. Furious. He returned to directing with a new spoof television series for Fox titled Heat Vision and Jack, starring Jack Black, however, the show was not picked up by Fox after its pilot episode and the series was cancelled.^[34]

2000 would be a better year for Stiller, as he starred in three more films, including one of his most recognizable roles, a male nurse named Greg Focker in Meet the Parents, opposite Robert De Niro.^[35] The film was well-received by critics, grossed over $330 million worldwide, and spawned two sequels.^[36][37] Also in 2000, MTV again invited Stiller to make another short film, and he developed Mission: Improbable, a spoof of Tom Cruise's role in Mission: Impossible II and other films.^[38]

In 2001, Stiller would direct his third feature film, Zoolander, which focused on the character Derek Zoolander (played by Stiller) that he developed for the VH1 Fashion Awards. The film featured multiple cameos from a variety of celebrities including Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Heidi Klum, and David Bowie, among others. The film was banned in Malaysia (as the plot centered on an assassination attempt of a Malaysian prime minister)^[39] while shots of the World Trade Center were digitally removed and hidden for the film's release after the September 11 terrorist attacks.^[40]

Stiller signing autographs before a screening for Tropic Thunder at Camp Pendleton on August 3, 2008.

After Stiller worked with Owen Wilson in Zoolander, they joined together again for The Royal Tenenbaums.^[40] Over the next two years, Stiller continued with the lackluster box office film Duplex and several cameos in Orange County and Nobody Knows Anything!.^[41][42][43] He also guest-starred on several television shows, including an appearance in an episode of the television series King Of Queens in a flashback as the father of the character Arthur (played by Jerry Stiller).^[44] He also made a guest appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment's WWE Raw.^[45]

In 2004, Stiller appeared in six different films, all of which were comedies, and include some of his highest grossing films. They include Starsky & Hutch, Envy, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, an uncredited cameo in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Along Came Polly, and Meet the Fockers. While the critically panned Envy only grossed $14.5 million worldwide,^[46] his most successful film of the year was Meet the Fockers, which grossed over $516.6 million worldwide.^[47] In 2005, Stiller would begin his first attempt at a computer-animated film with Madagascar, which performed so well at the box office that it resulted in a sequel released in 2008 and another in 2012.

In 2006, Stiller had cameo roles in School for Scoundrels, and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, for which he served as executive producer. In December, Stiller starred in the lead role of Night at the Museum. Although not a critical favorite, it earned over $115 million in ten days.^[48] In 2007, Stiller starred alongside Malin Åkerman in the romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid. The film earned over $100 million worldwide despite receiving mostly negative reviews.^[49][50] Tropic Thunder, a film he directed, co-wrote, and co-produced, and in which he starred with Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, was released on August 13, 2008. In May 2009, he starred with Amy Adams in the sequel Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.^[51] In 2010, Stiller made a brief cameo in Joaquin Phoenix's mockumentary I'm Still Here and played the lead role in the comedy-drama Greenberg. Stiller again portrayed 'Greg' Focker in the critically bombed Little Fockers, the second sequel to Meet the Parents. Stiller had planned to voice a character in Megamind, but later dropped out while still remaining a producer.^[52]

Stiller at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2011, Stiller starred with Eddie Murphy and Alan Alda in Tower Heist, about a group of maintenance workers planning a heist in a residential skyscraper.^[53] Filming began in November 2010.

"Frat Pack"[link]

Stiller is the "acknowledged leader" of the Frat Pack, a core group of actors that has worked together in multiple films. The group includes Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Steve Carell, and Paul Rudd.^[54][55] Stiller has been acknowledged as the leader of the group due to his multiple cameos and for his consistent use of the other members in roles in films which he produces and directs.^[54] He has appeared the most with Owen Wilson, in eleven films including.^[54][56] Of the 35 primary films that are considered Frat Pack films, Stiller has been involved with 20, in some capacity.^[54] He is also the only member of this group to have appeared in a Brat Pack film (Fresh Horses).^[19]

Personal life[link]

Stiller in December 2008.

Stiller dated several actresses during his early television and film career, including Jeanne Tripplehorn, Calista Flockhart, and Amanda Peet.^[57][58] In May 2000, Stiller married Christine Taylor, whom he met while filming a never-broadcast television pilot for the Fox Broadcasting network called Heat Vision and Jack, which starred Jack Black.^[59] The couple appeared onscreen together in Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Tropic Thunder. He and Taylor reside in New York City and have a daughter, Ella Olivia, born April 10, 2002, and a son, Quinlin Dempsey, born July 10, 2005.^[60]

Stiller is a supporter of the Democratic Party and donated money to John Kerry's 2004 U.S. Presidential campaign.^[61] In February 2007, Stiller attended a fundraiser for Barack Obama and later donated to the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaigns of Democrats Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton.^[62] Stiller is also a supporter of several charities including Declare Yourself, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.^[63] In 2010, Stiller joined Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Robin Williams, and other Hollywood stars in "The Cove PSA: My Friend is... ", an effort to stop the slaughter of dolphins and protect the Japanese population from the toxic levels of mercury found in dolphin meat.^[64] Stiller and his wife have both adopted a vegan diet.^[65]

In a 1999 interview with GQ and later in a 2001 interview with Hollywood.com, Stiller stated jokingly that he had bipolar disorder, an illness he said that ran in his family.^[26] In interviews in November and December 2006, Stiller claimed that this earlier interview's comment about the disorder was misconstrued and false.^[66] In one interview he clarified, "I said jokingly in GQ that I was, like, crazy, and it came out as: Ben Stiller, bipolar manic-depressive!"^[67] He added in another interview that "Unfortunately, irony is never something that comes across well in a print interview."^[68]

Stiller frequently does impersonations of many of his favorite performers, including Bono, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, and David Blaine. In an interview with Parade, he commented that Robert Klein, George Carlin, and Jimmie Walker were inspirations for his comedy career.^[12] Stiller is also a self-professed Trekkie and appeared in the television special Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond to express his love of the show, as well as a comedy roast for William Shatner.^[69][70] He frequently references the show in his work, and named his production company Red Hour Productions after the original Star Trek episode "The Return of the Archons".^[71]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Director and producer[link]

Television work[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards and honors[link]

• Stiller was awarded an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program" for his work on The Ben Stiller Show.^[26]
• He has been nominated twelve times for the Teen Choice Awards and won once for "Choice Hissy Fit" for his work in Zoolander. He also was nominated by the MTV Movie Awards thirteen times and won three times for "Best Fight" in There's Something About Mary, "Best Comedic Performance" in Meet the Parents, and "Best Villain" in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.^[72]
• Princeton University's Class of 2005 inducted Stiller as an honorary member of the class during its "Senior Week" in April 2005.^[73]
• On February 23, 2007, Stiller received the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.^[74]
• On March 31, 2007, Stiller received the "Wannabe Award" from the Kids' Choice Awards.^[75]
• On May 31, 2009, Stiller received the MTV Generation Award, at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. It is the ceremony's top honor.^[76]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bankston, John. Ben Stiller (Real-Life Reader Biography). Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2002. ISBN 1-58415-132-3.
• Dougherty, Terri. Ben Stiller (People in the News). Lucent Books, 2006. ISBN 1-59018-723-7.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Stiller

• Ben Stiller at the Internet Movie Database
• Ben Stiller on Twitter

Jeff Ross
Jeff Ross in 2005
Pseudonym	The Roast Master General
Birth name	Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz
Born	(1965-09-13) September 13, 1965 (age 46) Springfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, books
Nationality	American
Years active	1986–present
Genres	Roast comedian, satire
Subject(s)	Jewish culture, pop culture, self-deprecation
Influences	Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Cheech & Chong, The Blues Brothers[1]
Notable works and roles	Comedy Central Roasts Buddy in Where My Dogs At?

Jeff Ross (born Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz; September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, insult comic, actor, director and author.

Early life[link]

Ross was born and raised in Springfield, New Jersey.^[2] He attended Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. He is Jewish, as mentioned in his 2008 Comedy Central stand-up special, Jeffrey Ross: No Offense. He is a graduate of Boston University's College of Communication. In a 2008 interview for the student-run BUTV10 program Full Circle, Ross mentioned that during his college years he was the director at BU's WTBU and worked at the local NPR affiliate.^{[citation needed]} His mother died from leukemia when he was 14 years old. His father died 5 years later when Ross was 19 years old.^[3]

Comedy career[link]

In 1996, he was in the movie Celtic Pride.

Ross is the current New York Friars' Club Roastmaster General, and was a roaster for the last nine Comedy Central Roasts: Pamela Anderson in 2005, William Shatner in 2006, Flavor Flav in 2007, Bob Saget in 2008, Larry the Cable Guy in 2009, Joan Rivers in 2009, David Hasselhoff in 2010, and Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen in 2011. He has also written for, performed in and/or produced several other celebrity roasts, including those for Hugh Hefner, Rob Reiner, Jerry Stiller, Drew Carey, Emmitt Smith, Carson Daly, Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic, Gene Simmons, and David Hasselhoff. In addition to his roasts, his stand-up has been featured in Comedy Central's animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties.^[4]

He is the author of a book released September 15, 2009, titled I Only Roast the Ones I Love: Busting Balls Without Burning Bridges. It recounts his rise to stardom and, includes tips on writing roast jokes and has ideas on how to put on a roast.

In addition to Ross' dramatic turn on CBS's CSI, he has appeared on HBO's Six Feet Under, Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program, and Showtime's Weeds. He has also appeared as a regular cast member in Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out on MTV. In film, he has appeared in Stuck on You and The Aristocrats. He also provided the voice for the beagle Buddy in the MTV2 Sic'emation animated satire program that he created, Where My Dogs At?. He appeared in the third tournament of Celebrity Poker, but lost in his first match.

Ross' 2005 directorial debut, Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie received the Best Feature Film Award at the Montreal Comedy Festival. The documentary is about Ross' life changing experience entertaining U.S. troops stationed around Iraq. It features fellow comedians/comic actors Drew Carey, Blake Clark and Kathy Kinney.

Ross competed on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with Edyta Śliwińska. During rehearsal of their first dance, Ross was accidentally poked in the eye by Śliwińska, suffering a scratched cornea. Against doctor's advice, Ross continued the competition. They were the first couple to be eliminated.

In other media[link]

An animated version of Jeff Ross appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold in the opening to "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth" voiced by Ross himself. He distracted Joker and the other villains at Joker's celebrity roast in order for Batman to escape being literally roasted alive. When Joker tries to escape, Jeff gets in the way and stops Joker in his tracks. He suggests that he could be a full-time crime-fighter, but Batman advises he should just stick to comedy.

Political Engagments[link]

On October 19th, he visited the protesters of the Occupy movement in L.A to support their cause^[5].

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Jeff Ross on Myspace
• Jeff Ross at the Internet Movie Database
• Patriot Act at the Internet Movie Database

Jerry Seinfeld
Seinfeld at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair party
Birth name	Jerome Allen Seinfeld[1]
Born	(1954-04-29) April 29, 1954 (age 58)[1] Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Television, Stand up
Nationality	American
Years active	1976–present
Genres	Observational comedy, Political satire, Black comedy
Subject(s)	Avant-garde, American culture, Human behavior, American Politics, Gender differences, Everyday life
Influences	Bill Cosby,[2] George Carlin,[3] Robert Klein,[3] Abbott and Costello,[4] Jean Shepherd, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Don Rickles, Ricardo Montalban[5]
Influenced	Carol Leifer, Ricky Gervais, Mitch Hedberg
Spouse	Jessica Seinfeld (1999–present), 3 children
Notable works and roles	Jerry Seinfeld' on Seinfeld
Signature	128px
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Comedy Series 1993 Seinfeld
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor – Musical or Comedy Series 1994 Seinfeld
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Ensemble – Comedy Series 1995 Seinfeld 1997 Seinfeld 1998 Seinfeld
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication 1992, 1993 Seinfeld Comedy Club Stand-Up Comic – Male 1988 Lifetime Achievement

Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld^[1] (born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons, co-executive-produced.

In his first major foray back into the media since the finale of Seinfeld, he co-wrote and co-produced the film Bee Movie, also taking on the lead role of Barry B. Benson. In February 2010, Seinfeld premiered a reality TV series called The Marriage Ref on NBC. Seinfeld directed Colin Quinn in the Broadway show Long Story Short at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York which ran until January 8, 2011.

Seinfeld is known for specializing in observational humor, often focusing on personal relationships and uncomfortable social obligations. Comedy Central ranked Jerry Seinfeld as one of the twelve greatest stand-up comedians of all time in its four-part special The 100 Greatest Standups Of All Time.^[6]

Early life[link]

Seinfeld was born in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. His father, Kalmen Seinfeld (1918–1985), was of Austrian Jewish background and was a sign maker;^[7][8] his mother, Betty (1915- ),^[9] is of Syrian Jewish descent.^[10] Her family identified their nationality as Turkish when they emigrated to the United States in 1917.^[10]

Seinfeld grew up in Massapequa, New York. In September 1959, his mother enrolled him at Birch Lane Elementary School, Massapequa High School.^[11] At the age of 16, he spent a short period of time volunteering in Kibbutz Sa'ar in Israel.^[12] He went to SUNY Oswego, and after his sophomore year he transferred to Queens College, City University of New York, graduating with a degree in communications and theater.^[7]

Seinfeld developed an interest in stand-up comedy after brief stints in college productions.^[13] In 1976 after graduation from Queens College, he tried out at an open-mic night at New York City's Catch a Rising Star, which led to an appearance in a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special.^[7] In 1979 he had a small recurring role on the Benson sitcom as "Frankie", a mail delivery boy who had comedy routines that no one wanted to hear, but he was abruptly fired from the show due to creative differences.^[7] Seinfeld has said that he was not actually told he had been fired until he turned up for the read-through session for an episode, and found that there was no script for him.^[14] In May 1981 Seinfeld made a highly successful appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, impressing Carson and the audience and leading to regular appearances on that show and others, including Late Night with David Letterman.^[7]

[edit] Seinfeld

Seinfeld with Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the 1997 Emmy Awards

Seinfeld created The Seinfeld Chronicles with Larry David in 1989 for NBC. The show was later renamed Seinfeld to avoid confusion with the short-lived teen sitcom The Marshall Chronicles and, by its fourth season, had become the most popular and successful sitcom on American television. The final episode aired in 1998, and the show has been a popular syndicated re-run. The show also starred Saturday Night Live veteran Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as experienced actors Michael Richards and Jason Alexander. On the show, Seinfeld played a caricature of himself. He has said that his show was influenced by the 1950s sitcom The Abbott and Costello Show. Citing Jean Shepherd as an influence in his commentary for "The Gymnast" episode on "Seinfeld, Season 6," he said, "He really formed my entire comedic sensibility--I learned how to do comedy from Jean Shepherd." Seinfeld also holds the distinction of being the only actor to appear in every episode of the show.^[15] From 2004–2007, the former Seinfeld cast and crew recorded audio commentaries for episodes of the DVD releases of the show. Seinfeld himself provided commentary for numerous episodes.

[edit] Post-Seinfeld

1998–2006[link]

After his sitcom ended, Seinfeld returned to stand-up comedy instead of pursuing a film career. In 1998, Seinfeld went on tour and recorded a comedy special titled I'm Telling You for the Last Time. The process of developing and performing new material at clubs around the world was chronicled in a 2002 documentary, Comedian, which focused also on fellow comic Orny Adams, directed by Christian Charles. He has written several books, mostly archives of past routines.

In the late 1990s, Apple Computer came up with an advertising slogan called "Think different" and produced a 60-second commercial to promote the slogan which showed people who were able to "think differently", like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and many others. This commercial was later cut short to thirty seconds and ended up paying tribute to Jerry Seinfeld. This commercial aired only once, during the series finale of Seinfeld.^[16]

Seinfeld at the 1997 Emmy Awards.

In 2004, Seinfeld also appeared in two commercial webisodes promoting American Express, titled The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman, in which he appeared together with an animated rendering of Superman, who was referenced in numerous episodes of Seinfeld as Seinfeld's hero, voiced by Patrick Warburton, who had portrayed David Puddy on Seinfeld. The webisodes were aired in 2004 and directed by Barry Levinson. Seinfeld and "Superman" were also interviewed by Matt Lauer in a specially-recorded interview for the Today show.

On November 18, 2004, Seinfeld appeared at the National Museum of American History to donate the "Puffy Shirt" he wore in the famous Seinfeld episode of the same name. He also gave a speech when presenting the "Puffy Shirt", claiming humorously that "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life."

Seinfeld had a special appearance on May 13, 2006, Saturday Night Live episode as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' assassin. Louis-Dreyfus was the host of that episode and in her opening monologue she mentioned the "Seinfeld Curse". While talking about how ridiculous the "curse" was, a stage light suddenly fell next to her. The camera moved to a catwalk above the stage that Seinfeld was standing on, holding a large pair of bolt cutters. He angrily muttered, "Dammit!", angry that it didn't hit her. Louis-Dreyfus then continued to say that she is indeed not cursed.

2007[link]

On February 25, 2007, Seinfeld appeared at the 79th Academy Awards as the presenter for "Best Documentary". Before announcing the nominations he did a bit of a stand-up comedy routine about the unspoken agreement between movie theater owners and movie patrons. One of the winners of the award was Larry David's now ex-wife, Laurie.

On October 4, 2007, Seinfeld made a brief return to NBC, guest-starring in the episode "SeinfeldVision" of 30 Rock as himself.^[17]

2008[link]

On February 24, 2008, Seinfeld appeared as the voice of his Bee Movie animated character Barry, at the 80th Academy Awards as the presenter for "Best Animated Short". Before announcing the nominees, he showed a montage of film clips featuring bees, claiming that they were some of his early work (as Barry).

Amidst his spring 2008 tour Seinfeld made a stop in his hometown of New York City for a one-night-only performance on June 2, 2008 at the Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit Stand Up for a Cure, a charity aiding lung cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In August 2008 the Associated Press reported that Jerry Seinfeld would be the pitchman for Windows Vista, as part of a $300 million advertising campaign by Microsoft. The ads, which were intended to create buzz for Windows in support of the subsequent "I'm a PC" advertisements, began airing in mid-September 2008 and were cut from television after just 3 installments, Microsoft opting instead to continue with the "I'm a PC" advertisements,^[18] and instead continued running the Seinfeld ads on the Microsoft website as a series of longer advertisements.^[19]

2009[link]

In March 2009, it was announced that Seinfeld and the entire cast of Seinfeld would be appearing for a reunion in Larry David's HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The fictional reunion took place in the seventh season's finale.

Seinfeld appeared on an episode of the Starz original series Head Case. Like many of his previous guest appearances on sitcoms he played himself.

In Australia, Seinfeld appears on a series of advertisements for Greater Building Society, a building society based in New South Wales and south eastern Queensland.^[20] His appearance in these ads were highly publicized and considered a coup for the society, being only the third time Seinfeld had appeared in a television commercial.^[21] The advertisements were filmed in Cedarhurst, Long Island, with the street designed to emulate Beaumont Street in Hamilton, where the Greater's head offices are located.^[22] Seinfeld also wrote the scripts for the fifteen advertisements that were filmed. The ads largely aired in the Northern New South Wales television market, where the society has most of its branches.

Seinfeld was the first guest of Jay Leno's new talk show, The Jay Leno Show, which premiered on September 14, 2009.

2010s[link]

Seinfeld was featured on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update sketch to do the "Really!?!" segment with Seth Meyers. Seinfeld was also executive producing and occasionally starring as a panelist in The Marriage Ref. On August 30, 2010, Seinfeld made a notable surprise guest appearance on The Howard Stern Show, repairing the falling out the two had in the early 90s.

Seinfeld toured the U.S. in 2011 and made his first appearance on stage in the U.K. in thirteen years. In July 2011, he was a surprise guest on The Daily Show, helping Jon Stewart to suppress his urge to tell "cheap" "Michele Bachmann's husband acts gay" jokes.^[23] He launched a personal archives website at JerrySeinfeld.com. In 2011 he appeared in the HBO special Talking Funny with fellow comedians Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and Ricky Gervais.

Books[link]

Seinfeld is also a bestselling author, most notably for his book Seinlanguage. Released in 1993, the book went on to become a number one New York Times bestseller. The book, written as his television show was first rising in popularity, is primarily an adaptation of the comedian's standup material. The title comes from an article in Entertainment Weekly listing the numerous catch-phrases for which the show was responsible.

In 2002, he wrote a children's book titled Halloween. The book was illustrated by James Bennett. There are also several books about both the sitcom and Seinfeld himself, though many of them are not written by Seinfeld.

Seinfeld wrote the forewords to Ted L. Nancy's Letters from a Nut series of books and Ed Broth's Stories from a Moron. Both authors were rumored to be pseudonyms for Seinfeld or a friend of his. Neither Nancy nor Broth have been seen publicly, although Seinfeld is heavily involved in pitching their books for television.

In promoting Broth's book, Seinfeld hosted a toast in the author's honor. Broth did not attend.^[24]

Seinfeld also wrote the foreword to the Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook, from his favorite sandwich shop in New York City.

Personal life[link]

Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld in 2010.

Seinfeld dated Carol Leifer, a fellow comedian and rumored to be the inspiration for the character of Elaine from his eponymous sitcom Seinfeld, although both parties deny it.^{[citation needed]} When he was in his late thirties, Seinfeld began a romantic relationship with then-seventeen year old high school student Shoshanna Lonstein.^[25] A while later, after meeting Jessica Sklar at the Reebok Sports Club, he began dating her. Sklar, a public relations executive for Tommy Hilfiger, had just returned from a three-week honeymoon in Italy with Eric Nederlander, a theatrical producer and scion of a theater-owning family. Sklar divorced Nederlander and married Seinfeld on November 14, 1998.^[26] Comedian George Wallace was the best man at the wedding. After the nuptials Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld bought Billy Joel's Amagansett, Long Island house for $32 million in March 2000.

Seinfeld and his wife have one daughter and two sons; daughter Sascha was born in 2000,^[27] son Julian Kal was born in 2003,^[28] and Shepherd Kellen was born in 2005, all in New York City.^[29][30] His son Julian's middle name, Kal, is the first name of Seinfeld's father and also the first name of Seinfeld's hero Superman, aka Kal-El. Among Seinfeld's best friends are fellow comedians Larry Miller, George Wallace, and Mario Joyner.^[31]

In 2000, Jessica Seinfeld launched Baby Buggy, a charity that provides clothing and gear for underprivileged women and children. She is the author of the best-seller Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, released by HarperCollins in October 2007.^[32]

Seinfeld is recorded as having made several political contributions, including George W. Bush and Al Gore's presidential campaigns in 2000, and subsequently to four Democratic Party primary candidates in 2000 and 2004.^[33]

Seinfeld says that he has practiced Transcendental Meditation for most of his life,^[34] and he appeared at a 2009 benefit for TM.^[35] Seinfeld has admitted dabbling in Scientology when he was in his twenties,^[36] though he says he was never in the organization.^[37][38] The association came to light in 1992.^[37]

A fan of the New York Mets, Seinfeld periodically calls Steve Somers' show on WFAN-AM, a sports talk radio station, as "Jerry from Queens."^[39] Seinfeld called four innings of a Mets game on SportsNet New York June 23, 2010, reuniting with analyst Keith Hernandez who appeared in the Seinfeld two part episode The Boyfriend.^[40]

Personal wealth[link]

According to Forbes magazine, Jerry Seinfeld's annual earning from Seinfeld in 1998 was $267 million, making him the highest-earning celebrity that year.^[41] He reportedly turned down $5 million per episode, for 22 episodes, to continue the show for a tenth season.^[42] He earned $100 million from syndication deals and stand-up appearances in 2005 and $60 million in 2006.^[43][44] He also earned $10 million for appearing with Bill Gates in Microsoft's 2008 ads for Windows.^[45] Between June 2008 and June 2009, Seinfeld earned $85 million, making him the highest-paid comedian during that 12-month period.^[46]

Car collection[link]

Seinfeld, an automobile enthusiast and avid collector, owns a large Porsche collection. He rented a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, in Santa Monica, California, for an extended period of time during the 1990s for storage of some of the vehicles in the collection. After his return to New York City, he was involved in an extended dispute with several neighbors over the proposed building of a $1.4 million multi-story garage to contain the cars.

One tally has Seinfeld owning 46 Porsches. Reporter Paul Bannister reports that Seinfeld's collection includes Porsche 911s from various years, 10 Porsche Boxsters each painted a different color, and the famous 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, the same model and pearl-grey color that actor James Dean was driving when he crashed and died. The Discovery Channel television show "Chasing Classic Cars" claims that Seinfeld owns the first and last original Porsche 911s produced. The centerpiece is a $700,000 Porsche 959, one of only 337 ever built. To his initial despair, he was not allowed to drive it as US emission and crash tests were never performed because Porsche refused to donate four Porsche 959s for destruction tests, rendering the car "not street-legal". He imported the car "for exhibition purposes", which stipulates the car may never be driven on American roads.^[47] The car was made US street legal in 1999 under the "Show and Display" federal law.^[48][49] In several episodes of Seinfeld, Seinfeld drives a Saab 900 (NG) convertible, but a Porsche-themed painting, depicting a Porsche 904 GTS race car competing in the 1964 Targa Florio race in Italy, is visible on a wall in his apartment, as well as a Porsche racing poster featuring a 550 Spyder depicting the 1958 Targa Florio. In another episode, he is seen hiding behind a red Porsche 911RS parked on the street. In addition, an issue of Excellence, a Porsche-centered publication, is featured prominently on an outdoor magazine rack in one episode and on at least one occasion he is seen reading an issue of Road and Track magazine from circa 1990 with a cover article on the Porsche 964. He also wrote an article for the February 2004 issue of Automobile, reviewing the Porsche Carrera GT. For the story he was awarded Road Pest — Silver at the 2004 International Automotive Media Awards.

Credits[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

[edit] Writing credits for Seinfeld

The list below only includes episodes mainly written by Seinfeld, as he and Larry David rewrote the drafts for each episode.

Season 1

• The Seinfeld Chronicles (with Larry David)
• Male Unbonding (with Larry David)
• The Stake Out (with Larry David)
• The Stock Tip (with Larry David)

Season 2

• The Ex-Girlfriend (with Larry David)
• The Pony Remark (with Larry David)
  • Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1991 - Episode "The Pony Remark")
• The Busboy (with Larry David)
• The Jacket (with Larry David)
• The Chinese Restaurant (with Larry David)
• The Phone Message (with Larry David)

Season 3

• The Stranded (with Larry David and Matt Goldman)

Season 4

• The Shoes (with Larry David)

Season 5

• The Sniffing Accountant (with Larry David)
• The Raincoats (with Larry David, Tom Gammill, and Max Pross)
• The Opposite (with Larry David and Andy Cowan)

Season 6

• The Kiss Hello (with Larry David)

Season 7

• The Cadillac part 1 and 2 (with Larry David)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jerry Seinfeld

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jerry Seinfeld