People
Ben Stiller
Acting · follow into films and chains
Biography
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as There's Something About Mary (1998), Zoolander (2001), and Tropic Thunder (2008). Stiller is also known for his work in franchises such as the Meet the Parents films (2000–2010), the Madagascar franchise (2005–2012), and the Night at the Museum films (2006–2014). His films have grossed over $2.6 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $79 million per film. His awards and honors include an Emmy Award, a Directors Guild of America Award, a Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award. Stiller is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. He began his career writing mockumentaries and was offered a variety sketch series, The Ben Stiller Show, which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run. The series ran on MTV in 1990 and Fox in 1992 and 1993, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Program. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack. Transitioning to acting in films, Stiller made his directorial debut with Reality Bites (1994) and went on to direct and star in films such as The Cable Guy (1996) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). He also starred in a string of successful studio comedies, including Along Came Polly (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004), and Tower Heist (2011). His performances in independent films include Flirting with Disaster (1996), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and the Noah Baumbach films Greenberg (2010), While We're Young (2014), and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). Since the mid-2010s, Stiller has primarily worked as a television director and showrunner. In 2018, he directed the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora, earning a Directors Guild of America Award and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series. In 2022, he was a director and executive producer on the Apple TV+ series Severance, earning two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.
Notable films
Where to start
Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.
The Cable Guy
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Empire of the Sun
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Madagascar
As Alex (voice)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
As Walter Mitty
Night at the Museum
As Larry Daley
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
As Alex (voice)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
As Alex (voice)
Tropic Thunder
As Tugg Speedman
Chains
KinoChain journeys
Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.
When the Cartoon Fights Back: Slapstick Meets Liability
What happens when simulated harm, comic violence, or staged ordeals crash into real-world consequences? This collection explores the unsettling borderland where...
8 films
Wild Hearts: Feral Children and the Call of the Wild
From the forests of 18th-century France to the animated jungles of Mowgli, a journey through cinema's feral children and their quest for belonging.
7 films
Related people
Collaborators & neighbours
Directed
Acted
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
2026 · Self - Actor & Filmmaker
Happy Gilmore 2
2025 · Hal L
The Truth Is in the Stars
2017 · Self
While We're Young
2015 · Josh Schrebnick
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
2014 · Larry Daley / Laaa
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013 · Walter Mitty
Nantucket Film Festival's 2nd Comedy Roundtable
2013 · Self
The Watch
2012 · Evan
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
2012 · Alex (voice)
Tower Heist
2011 · Josh Kovacs
Greenberg
2010 · Roger Greenberg
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
2009 · Larry Daley
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
2009 · Self
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
2008 · Alex (voice)
Tropic Thunder
2008 · Tugg Speedman
The Heartbreak Kid
2007 · Eddie Cantrow
Night at the Museum
2006 · Larry Daley
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
2006 · Guitar Center Guy
All Aboard the Crazy Train
2005 · Self - Special Appearance
Madagascar
2005 · Alex (voice)
Meet the Fockers
2004 · Greg Focker
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2004 · White Goodman
Starsky & Hutch
2004 · David Starsky
Along Came Polly
2004 · Reuben Feffer
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 · Chas Tenenbaum
Zoolander
2001 · Derek Zoolander
America | A Tribute to Heroes
2001 · Self
Meet the Parents
2000 · Greg Focker
Mystery Men
1999 · Mr. Furious / Roy
There's Something About Mary
1998 · Ted Stroehmann
The Cable Guy
1996 · Sam Sweet
Flirting with Disaster
1996 · Mel Coplin
Reality Bites
1994 · Michael Grates
Empire of the Sun
1987 · Dainty
