Stiller, Ben (1965– )

US actor and director. After landing a role as a regular in the television series Saturday Night Live in 1989, he wrote, directed, and starred in the Emmy Award-winning The Ben Stiller Show 1990–92. He is known for his cynical humour and depictions of the awkwardness and absurdity of social interaction, often playing shy, awkward characters. His films include Reality Bites (1994) and The Cable Guy (1996), both of which he also directed, There's Something About Mary (1998), and Meet the Parents (2000).

His other films include The Suburbans (1999), Keeping the Faith (2000), Zoolander (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Duplex (2003), Along Came Polly (2004), Starsky and Hutch (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), and Meet the Parents sequel Meet the Fockers (2004).

Stiller was born in New York City, the son of comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. He made his acting debut on his mother's television drama Kate McShane (1975). He attended the University of California at Los Angeles, but dropped out to pursue his acting career. After appearing in the Tony Award-winning play The House of Blue Leaves (1987), he made a short parody of the Tom Cruise/Paul Newman film The Color of Money called The Hustler of Money, which aired on Saturday Night Live in 1988. He made his feature film debut in Empire of the Sun (1987).