Thing We Saw Today: Remembering the Legendary Jerry Stiller
The entertainment world said goodbye to another legend today: Jerry Stiller. Perhaps best known for his role as Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, the comedian husband of Anne Meara and father of Ben Stiller passed away of natural causes today in his home at the age of 92.
Stiller first found success along with his wife Anne Meara in the 1960s as a comedy duo playing clubs, talk shows, and even commercials, but he is probably best remembered as the short-fused father of George Costanza on Seinfeld. Astonishingly, Stiller’s iconic character didn’t make an appearance until the fifth of Seinfeld’s nine seasons. In a scant 30 episodes which included his creation of the “mansiere” (the bra for men) and the holiday Festivus (for the rest of us), Stiller made an indelible mark of our culture.
His castmates, fans, and family offered tributes on social media in the wake of the news.
Jerry Stiller’s comedy will live forever.
— Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld) May 11, 2020
Seinfeld also posted a picture of him holding a Stiller and Meara comedy album. Another Seinfeld co-star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, shared her own fond memories of Stiller.
The truth is that this happened all the time with Jerry Stiller. He was so funny and such a dear human being. We loved him. RIP Jerry Stiller.https://t.co/kXL14zMKeX
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) May 11, 2020
Stiller’s son, actor and comedian Ben Stiller, shared the news of his father’s passing.
I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020
And Stiller’s on-screen son Jason Alexander offered a touching tribute.
Such sad news that my beloved friend, Jerry Stiller, has passed. He was perhaps the kindest man I ever had the honor to work beside. He made me laugh when I was a child and every day I was with him. A great actor, a great man, a lovely friend. #RIPJerryStiller I Love you.
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) May 11, 2020
Jerry Stiller brought laughter to many people over an extraordinary 92 years. He will be missed, but he will also be lovingly remembered.
(via The New York Times, image: Brad Barket/Getty Images)
Here are a few other choice selections from around the internet today:
- One of the inspirations for A League of Their Own, Mary Pratt, has also passed away at the age of 101. (via PopCulture.Com)
- We’re more than a little obsessed with this oral history of the iconic Center Stage (via Vulture)
- Jeffrey Katzenberg blames the failures of Quibi on the coronavirus and not on the fact Quibi is a bad idea. (via The New York Times)
- An American Horror Story spin-off? That’s scary. (via Variety)
- We’ll never say no to Witcher extras:
- The end of Supergirl season five looks dangerous … (via Comicbook Movie)
- Anime AND astrology? Yes please. (via CBR)
- And finally, some good news, especially for fans of The Office.
John Krasinski reunited the cast of ‘The Office’ to recreate Jim and Pam’s wedding dance after marrying a couple via Zoom 😭
(via @johnkrasinski | #SomeGoodNews) pic.twitter.com/KIDrLInhuc
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) May 11, 2020
What did you see today?
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