Actor and comedian, a man beloved in Hollywood and far beyond, known for grumpy characters but as a loving husband, father, grandfather and human being in real life, has died of natural causes. Jerry Stiller was 92.
Born in Brooklyn in 1927, Stiller served in the US Army during World War II, and returned to act in theatre productions, which is were he met his future wife, Anne Meara. Together, the pair enjoyed huge success in comedy, becoming a staple of small screen variety and talk shows, while Stiller also appeared in various movies, including 1974's The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, Airport 1975, Hairspray and Hot Pursuit.
Stiller gained an even wider fanbase later in life, making memorable appearances on shows such as Seinfeld (where he played the caustic, hilarious Frank Costanza) and as a regular on The King Of Queens.
Jerry and Anne had two children, both of whom followed their parents into performing – Amy makes regular appearances on TV and movies and Ben became a household name with his own career, which often featured Jerry, who popped up in both Zoolander movies, The Heartbreak Kid, and starred alongside him in Oscar-nominated short Shoeshine.
A raft of tributes have been paid to both Stiller's talent and good-natured personality, including from his son.