Ben Stiller said his dad, 92, died of natural causes. George Costanza Father. [28] The two met in an agent's office. They also said in numerous interviews that George was "half-Jewish," implying that Frank was not. "Jerry Stiller received awards for comedic talent during time as SU student", "Jerry Stiller, 'Seinfeld' and 'Hairspray' Actor and Comedian, Dies at 92", "Anne Meara, Comedian and Actress, Dies at 85", "Jerry Stiller, 'Seinfeld' Actor and Father of Ben Stiller, Dies at 92", "Jerry Stiller Once Told Us How the Real Frank Costanza Was Born in the Middle of a Seinfeld Scene", "King of Queens cast prepares to say farewell", "CBS PRESS EXPRESS WHEN CARRIE PUTS ON A COUPLE OF EXTRA POUNDS, DOUG", "STILLER AND MEARA RECEIVE STAR ON HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME", "Introducing ... Festivus Appreciation Day", "Actress and Comedian Anne Meara, Mother of Ben Stiller, Dies at 85", "Ladies and Gentlemen, Give It Up for, er ... Ben Stiller's Sister! https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Frank_Costanza?oldid=29157. The comedian found fame in 1993 as short-tempered Frank Costanza, the dad of George Costanza in Seinfeld, playing the role until 1998. Less remembered is John Randolph, who appeared as George Costanza's father, Frank, in one episode of season four. On February 9, 2007, Stiller and Meara were honored with a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015. Jerry Stiller, a longtime actor who peaked in fame playing the father of George Costanza on the popular sitcom “Seinfeld” during the 1990s, died on Monday. "[15] They joined the Chicago improvisational company The Compass Players (which later became The Second City) and, after leaving, began performing together. When Frank is spotted with his lawyer, who wears a cape, George and his mom, Estelle, ask him about it... and Frank is ready to defend him at all costs. He also has a 'phobia' which disables him from spending his silver dollars, which he has collected since 18 years of age. Judge Arthur Vandelay had to break up the argument. Jason Alexander, Actor: Seinfeld. The book discussed Festivus, the fictional holiday promulgated by Stiller's Seinfeld character Frank Costanza. [14], Also in 1953, Stiller met actress-comedian Anne Meara, and they married in 1954. [33], Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, "Comedian Jerry Stiller, Who Played Hot-Headed Dad On 'Seinfeld,' Dies At 92", "Actor Jerry Stiller's Favorite Role? He was a short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man and this description is made by George himself. In "The Finale, Part 2," Frank and Estelle attend the trial of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer in Latham County. While Craig is away on a family vacation, Glen welcomed guest host Luis Cabellero a dad of a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old daughter. George often claims that his difficult childhood w… [9], Upon his return from service in the U.S. Army during World War II,[10][11] Stiller attended Syracuse University, earning a bachelor's degree in Speech and Drama in 1950. [6] He lived in the Williamsburg and East New York neighborhoods before his family moved to the Lower East Side,[7] where he attended Seward Park High School,[8] where he played Adolf Hitler in a school production. So we’ll try our best to shake the anti-Frank bias instilled in us … He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015. Stiller wrote the foreword to the 2005 book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 0-446-69674-9) by Allen Salkin. A longtime actor and comedian, Stiller was best known for his portrayal of Frank Costanza on NBC's Seinfeld. He invented an alternative to Christmas known as Festivus, due to his disgust with the commercialism of Christmas and his dislike of tinsel decorations, which was featured in "The Strike". Until Stiller suggested it, Meara had never thought of doing comedy. Here's the story of how real Frank Costanza was born in the middle of a Seinfeld scene. [29] He has two grandchildren through Ben. Last appearance After a couple of days of rehearsal Stiller realized the character wasn't working and asked Seinfeld co-creator Larry David if he could perform the character in a different way, which was more in line with his final characterization on the show. 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