Ben Stiller,
one of today's most sought-after comedy
stars, has also enjoyed
success behind the camera as a director, writer and producer.
Stiller is currently on screens
nationwide starring as Starsky, partnered with
Owen Wilson's
Hutch, in Starsky & Hutch, which brings the famed detective duo of the 1970s to the
big screen. Stiller also serves as an executive producer on the project, under his
Red Hour Films banner. He most recently starred with
Jennifer Aniston in the smash
hit comedy
Along Came Polly. His upcoming films include Meet the Fockers, the
sequel to Meet the Parents, which reunites the
cast under the direction of
Jay Roach; and
DreamWorks' animated feature Madagascar, in which he will be the
voice of
Alex the Lion.
Stiller wrote, directed, produced and starred in Zoolander, playing the title role of an outrageous male model, whom Stiller and co-writer Drake Sather had originally created for the VH1 Fashion Awards. Currently, he is producing the film Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, starring Jack Black.
Stiller's other recent acting credits include Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, as part of an all-star ensemble cast that also included Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson; There's Something About Mary, opposite Cameron Diaz; and Keeping the Faith, with Edward Norton and Jenna Elfman, which marked Norton's directorial debut.
Stiller made his feature film directorial debut with the widely praised comedy Reality Bites, starring Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke. He went on to direct The Cable Guy, starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick.
As an actor, Stiller's additional film work includes the action comedy Mystery Men, the biographical drama Permanent Midnight, Neil LaBute's Your Friends & Neighbors, Zero Effect, and David O. Russell's Flirting with Disaster.
A native New Yorker, Stiller made his professional acting debut on Broadway in the 1985 production of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves. While appearing in the play, he directed the comedy short The Hustler of Money, a parody of Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money. The film eventually aired on Saturday Night Live, which led to Stiller's being hired as a featured player and apprentice writer for the comedy series.
Following Saturday Night Live, Stiller directed the MTV comedy special Back to Brooklyn, and then created the series The Ben Stiller Show for Fox. A critical success, the series brought Stiller an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing.
.jpg)
