R.I.P. Jerry Stiller, who took his comedy from The Ed Sullivan Show to Seinfeld

The sitcom icon and half of the legendary Stiller and Meara comedy duo was 92.

The Everett Collection

For younger generations, Jerry Stiller will undoubtedly be best known as two fathers, both fictional and real. Comedy lovers know him as the dad of Ben Stiller and as Frank Costanza, George's old man on Seinfeld. But for those who grew up on the classic television of the 1960s and '70s, Jerry Stiller is known as one half of Stiller and Meara, the comedy team forged with his wife, Anne Meara.

It was rare to see them without one another on the small screen. Graduates of the legendary Second City improv theater, Stiller and Meara became household names as frequent guests on The Ed Sullivan Show, as seen above. First appearing on Sullivan's iconic talent showcase in 1963, Stiller and Meara popped up in episodes alongside hot acts such as The Supremes, The Turtles, The Lovin' Spoonful, Steppenwolf, Rodney Dangerfield, Sammy Davis Jr., The Three Stooges, Flip Wilson and Frankie Avalon, not to mention the Muppets and Topo Gigio, of course.

Stiller and Meara's 30-plus appearances on Sullivan — not to mention The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson — inevitably led acting roles and their own showcase. The duo played a couple on The Paul Lynde Show (1972–73) and The Love Boat. In 1974, Stiller and Meara even performed comedy with Andy Griffith, bringing together Brooklyn and Mayberry, on The Mac Davis Show.

The Everett CollectionStiller with Griffith on 'The Mac Davis Show' in 1974

Even as Meara landed recurring solo gigs on Rhoda and Archie Bunker's Place, Stiller would show up as an occasional guest to capture that incomparable chemistry. 

At last, in 1986, networks gave the twosome their own sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, but the pilot special failed to make it to a series. A few years later, Stiller would become a sitcom icon in his own right, however.

In hindsight, it's hard to fathom that Jerry Stiller's Frank Costanza only appeared in 26 out of 180 total episodes of Seinfeld. His outsized personality led to timeless catchphrases, from his Festivus celebrations to "Serenity now!" Both became part of pop culture as a whole. The role earned Stiller an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997 and an American Comedy Award a year later. 

It was a role that was essentially replicated for The King of Queens, as Stiller became a fixture on that later sitcom as the oddball, live-in father-in-law.

In 2007, Stiller and Meara earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their son, Ben Stiller announced the death of Jerry via Twitter. "I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes," Stiller tweeted. He was 92.

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16 Comments

FloridaTopCat 17 months ago
Jerry Stiller was a natural at New York Comedy, and Frank Costanza became Arthur Spooner so easy because of all the other New Yorkers in those two shows, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin James, Larry David, etc.
djw1120 46 months ago
And now he is reunited with his wife Anne Meara.
RIP
Condolences to Ben.
MaryHelen 46 months ago
i watched ed sullivan weekly with my family--so young ws i--and really enjoyed s and m, not the least of which they were the only comedy act that made laugh a lot-- i got the jokes-- every other comedian, i just did not get what was so funny!!
EmBee 53 months ago
Left out those Nike commercials where he portrayed Vince Lombardi.
bewest169 53 months ago
Kept the same character in King of Queens from Seinfeld he was a classic will be missed
cynkgreen bewest169 46 months ago
Yes I think the role on K of Q was even better, hilarious, what a nut!
dbalius 53 months ago
Thanks for the Festivus for the rest of us, Jerry. Enjoyed your and Anne’s comedy for many years. RIP...I hope you truly have “Serenity Now!”
TheDavBow3 53 months ago
Jerry Stiller was the funniest "yeller" I've ever seen. Rest In Peace, Jerry.
ZiffGuard 53 months ago
Probably have seen most Seinfeld episodes in syndication (more "meh... leave it on" than "ooh, let's watch this"). The one and only time I ever actually laughed out loud was when Kramer was cinching Frank up in the mansiere & Estelle walks in. Never really got that "best show ever" thing... Frasier was better.
cperrynaples 53 months ago
Specifically, Stiller & Meara were the parents of Paul Lynde's son-in-law on that sitcom!
PortelaJ 53 months ago
Always enjoyed the comedic duo of Stiller and Meara. May you Rest In Peace Jerry.
p.s. Happy Festivus
Lacey PortelaJ 53 months ago
I always looked forward to when they were on.
Yolandadiana 53 months ago
RIP Jerry, We'll never forget ya! Love and prayers to Ben Stiller and family.
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