Ben Stiller

Stiller in 2011, photo by carrie-nelson / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: November 30, 1965

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – Irish [converted to Judaism]

Ben Stiller is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He has directed, and featured in, the films Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, both of which he co-wrote; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Zoolander 2, which he co-wrote; and Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost. His roles also include the films Empire of the Sun, Next of Kin (1989), Stella (1990), Highway to Hell (1991), The Nutt House, Heavyweights, Happy Gilmore, and its sequel; If Lucy Fell, Flirting with Disaster, Zero Effect, There’s Something About Mary, Your Friends & Neighbors, Permanent Midnight, The Suburbans, Mystery Men, Black and White (1999), The Independent (2000), Keeping the Faith, Meet the Parents, and its sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers; The Royal Tenenbaums, Orange County, Duplex (2003), Pauly Shore Is Dead, Along Came Polly, Starsky & Hutch, Envy (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Madagascar, and its sequels; Night at the Museum, and its sequels, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb; The Heartbreak Kid (2007), The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story, Greenberg, I’m Still Here, Tower Heist, The Watch (2012), While We’re Young, Don’t Think Twice, Brad’s Status, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Hubie Halloween, Locked Down, and Nutcrackers (2024). He has also appeared in the made-for-tv movie Working Tra$h and on the show Arrested Development; co-created, directed and wrote for, and starred on, The Ben Stiller Show; directed the series Heat Vision and Jack and Escape at Dannemora; and directed episodes of the show Severance.

Ben is the son of comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. His sister is actress Amy Stiller. Ben has two children with his wife, actress and comedian Christine Taylor.

Ben’s father’s family were Jewish. They emigrated from Austria and Poland. Ben’s mother’s family were of Irish Catholic background. Ben’s mother converted to Judaism before Ben was born, around 1961.

Ben’s paternal grandfather was William “Willie” Stiller (the son of Samuel “Sam” Stiller and Anna/Annie Intel/Tietel/Teitel/Tieler/Title). William was born in New York, to Jewish emigrants, from Chijika, in Galicia. Samuel was born in Khodoriv, Zhydachivs’kyi district, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Ben’s great-grandmother Anna was the daughter of Abraham Teitel/Title and Ray Schiffman.

Ben’s paternal grandmother was named Bella/Bluma Zelda Cytrynbaum/Citrin/Citron (the daughter of Yussef/Yosif/Yosef/Joseph Itshak/Yitzchak Cytrynbaum/Citron and Devorah). Bella was a Jewish emigrant, from Powiat biłgorajski, Lubelskie, Poland.

Ben’s maternal grandfather was Edward Joseph Meara (the son of James Meara and Annie Breslin). Edward was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Irish parents. James was born in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, the son of Michael Meara and Julia Harty. Ben’s great-grandmother Annie was the daughter of James Breslin and Elizabeth McLaughlan.

Ben’s maternal grandmother was Mary T. Dempsey (the daughter of John Joseph Dempsey and Mary Elizabeth Shine). Ben’s grandmother Mary was born in New York. John was born in New York, to Irish parents, Cornelius Dempsey and Ellen Driscoll. Ben’s great-grandmother Mary Elizabeth was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the daughter of Timothy Shine, who was Irish; and of Mary Reilley/Reilly/Riley, who herself was born in New York, to Irish-born parents, Michael Reilley/Reilly/Riley and Catherine Garrity/Gerety. Ben’s maternal great-great-grandmother Mary, born c. 1847, was his first American-born ancestor.

Sources: Essay by Ben Stiller on his heritage – https://time.com

Genealogy of Ben Stiller – http://www.geni.com

Genealogies of Ben’s parents – https://www.findagrave.com

Ben’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of Ben’s paternal grandparents, William “Willie” Stiller and Bella Cytrynbaum/Citrin – https://www.familysearch.org

Family history of Ben’s mother, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, at The Huffington Post – http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Ben’s maternal grandfather, Edward Joseph Meara, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ben’s maternal grandmother, Mary T. Dempsey, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org