Actress and comedian Anne Meara, who was married to Jerry Stiller for over 60 years and is Ben Stiller’s mother, died Saturday. She was 85.
Ben Stiller and Jerry Stiller sent a joint statement to the Associated Press Sunday, which offered no further details.
“The two were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long,” the statement read. “Anne's memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne.”
Jerry Stiller and Meara got their start on television in the early 1960s, performing as the comedy duo Stiller and Meara on The Ed Sullivan Show and even appearing in commercials. By herself, she also appeared on All My children, Rhoda and Alf. In 1977, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her work on Rhoda and earned four Emmy nods, including two for Archie Bunker’s Place.
Other credits included Sex and the City, The King of Queens (which starred Jerry Stiller) and Ben’s Night at the Museum.
How Jerry Stiller and Meara met would make a good movie itself. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two met in 1953 at a theatrical agent’s office after not getting a job. They went out for a cup of coffee, which she paid for. But she asked him to steal silverware for her apartment, which he did. They married a year later and she converted to Judaism. They continued performing as a duo until 1970.
Meara is also survived by her daughter, Amy, and grandchildren.
image courtesy of Scott Kirkland/INFevents.com