Ben Stiller is one of Hollywood’s funniest with his unforgettable movies like Meet The Parents, Tropic Thunder, and Night at The Museum. His comedic timing, coupled with his dramatic portrayals, have made his movies heartwarming and endearing to fans. We find it interesting to note though, that a lot of the industry’s funny men are actually not so tall. Read on and discover if Ben is part of this pack.
Ben Stiller is indeed one of the vertically challenged leading men in Hollywood, standing at 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 m or 170 cm) tall.
Did Ben Stiller’s height affect his success? Certainly not for the Zoolander actor and other male Hollywood stars under 6 feet. Scroll down to learn more about the NYC-born comedian and find out who joins him in the A-list-under-6-feet club.
Who was Ben Stiller’s dad?
Born November 30, 1965, in New York City by the name of Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller, this Upper West Side-bred Jewish boy is the first-born son of comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. The duo has been doing comedic acts all throughout the 60s and 70s, even appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show more than 60 times.
Being a son of great actors may have influenced Ben a lot in his chosen career path. He may not have just inherited the height from his dad Jerry, but his impeccable comedic timing as well. Growing up, Ben recalls how much pressure he had to endure during auditions knowing that he is the son of famous actors.
He also shared that his childhood was more of a show-business upbringing. There were a lot of late nights and traveling, very far from the traditional home setup. His sister, Amy Stiller, also joined the family business, appearing in many films that Ben produced.
Ben’s mother, Anne, passed away in 2015 while his dad, Jerry died in 2020.
What was Ben Stiller’s first movie?
Not everything was handed to Ben on a silver platter. He had to work his way up by joining auditions and finding himself an agent. He studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles, but dropped out 9 months later to move back to New York and work on his acting.
According to his IMDb profile, his very first movie acting credit is in the 1987 movie Hot Pursuit with John Cusack and his dad Jerry Stiller in the cast. He played Chris Honeywell in the movie.
He also appeared as Dainty in the 1987 war epic Empire of the Sun, which was directed by Steven Spielberg. Ben was joined by a young Christian Bale in the cast, who was 13 years old at the time.
In the next few years, fans saw him produce a lot of parodies, comedy sketches, and short films that were well-received by both audiences and critics alike. He also made his directorial debut in the early 90s with the movie Reality Bites, starring the 90s grunge sweetheart, Winona Ryder.
He also was an actor in the movie, playing Michael Grates.
Apart from producing and directing, Ben also got busy supporting his buddy Adam Sandler by doing a cameo in the movie, Happy Gilmore. Then he joined a band of comedy brothers in what they call the Frat Pack.
The group consists of fellow male comedians Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Jack Black. These actors have worked with each other in multiple films either in twos or across different roles per movie production, and occasionally made cameo appearances in their movies.
Is Ben Stiller married?
Many may not know this, but Ben Stiller has dated quite a few women over the years. Notable names in his dating history include Jeanne Tripplehorn, Calista Flockhart, and Amanda Peet. In May 2000, he married actress Christine Taylor in Hawaii. Their union produced two children, Ella Olivia who was born in 2002, and a son Quinlin Dempsey “Quinn” Stiller born in 2005.
Christine Taylor is not only his wife – but they’re also frequent collaborators, very much like Ben’s own parents. Christine has appeared in several of Ben’s movies including Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder, and Zoolander 2.
The family resided in Westchester, New York. However, after 17 years of marriage, the couple announced their separation in 2017. The couple never got to finalizing their separation through a divorce and eventually reconciled in 2020, due to living together during the pandemic.
Which actors have the same height as Ben Stiller?
The Modest Man was able to identify 44 famous short men in their definitive list, but we’ll highlight only a few. Among those who are as tall as Ben Stiller (5 feet 7 inches) are as follows:
Zach Galifianakis
More interestingly, these actors may be a few inches shorter than Ben but they are just as – if not more – famous than him: Danny DeVito (4’10”), Jack Black (5’5”), Kevin Hart (5’2”), and Al Pacino (5’6”).