(CelebrityAccess) – Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller has passed away due to natural causes at the age of 92. His death was confirmed by his son, actor Ben Stiller in a tweet Monday.
“He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad,” the tweet read.
Best known for his roles as Frank Costanza in “Seinfeld” and as Arthur Spooner in “The King of Queens,” Stiller got his start as an actor in the early 1950s. While studying drama at Syracuse University, he met his future wife Anne Meara during a New York casting call in 1953. Both members of The Compass Players — a comedy troupe that later evolved into the legendary Second City — Stiller convinced her they’d make a great comedy team. Their bit, which highlighted the obvious contrasts between them – him a short, Jewish man and her a tall, Irish Catholic woman – soon became a hit. Stiller & Meara, as they were known, became TV variety show staples, appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” a whopping 36 times during the 1960s.
Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Stiller lent his comedy expertise to various celebrity games shows as well as a role in TV’s “The Love Boat,” among other series, however, it wasn’t until he was cast as the short-fused and insufferable Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld,” which premiered in 1989 on NBC, that his star soared to new heights. Later in 1998, he was cast as Arthur Spooner, Carrie Heffernan’s father on “King of Queens,” a role he would perform until the show’s final season in 2007.
Stiller is survived by his children Ben and Amy, and their families. Anne passed away in 2015.
