Just when we needed “serenity now” more than ever, we have lost Jerry Stiller. He was a classically trained actor, but we got to know him as a gifted, hilarious comedian. I first saw him as part of the husband and wife comedy team, Stiller and Meara. Anne Meara, who died in 2015, was a tall Irish woman, while Jerry was a short Jewish man. This combination was unusual for the 50’s when they married and began working together, but the comic possibilities were there. They first joined the Chicago improvisational company, “The Compass Players,” which became the iconic “Second City” troupe. The Stiller and Meara act became a hit with frequent appearances on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”
He appeared on Broadway in “The Three Penny Opera” and “Hurlyburly” and in movies such as “The Taking of Pelham 123” and “Hairspray” (as Divine’s husband). However, two TV sit com roles brought him to his greatest prominence. As Frank Constanza in “Seinfeld” he raged constantly and brought us a “Festivus for the rest of us.” Later, he played Arthur Spooner on “The King of Queens.”
His son, Ben Stiller, announced his death on Twitter. Thanks for the laughs, Jerry. There was a lifetime of them.
Stiller and Meara
And, of course, Frank Constanza