Ben Stiller
By Sara Templeton
 It's
hard to know where to start when trying to define Ben Stiller.
I mean he acts, he writes, he directs, he produces...
Sure, he's not as big as industry moguls like Bruckheimer
or Spielberg, but he comes across as a less ruthless, more
even-handed power broker than most Hollywood movers and shakers.
And best of all he can laugh at himself - something a lot
of powerful celebrities find difficult.
November 30th, in 1965, New York City, Ben Stiller was born
to parents Jerry and Anne, and it will come as no surprise
to many readers that both parents were comedians, or at least
humorous entertainers.
Both parents were regulars on one of America's most-loved
variety programmes, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Ben grew up
in direct exposure to such TV shows, and as a result was creating
his own small-scale productions and even began using a Super
8 camera to further his ambitions.
By the time he had turned 18, Ben Still knew exactly what
he wanted to do, and set off to study film in 1983.
He became a student at the hallowed UCLA, but before completing
his first year he returned to New York and managed bit parts
in show such as Miami Vice in 1984, where he once played the
character of, ahem, 'Fast Eddie Felcher'.
This move back to the East Coast of America could have been
his saving grace, as although he didn't make it to the big
time as soon as he returned, he managed to land a role in
a Broadway production where he met John Mahoney, also known
as Martin Crane or the 'father' from Frasier.
Mahoney and Stiller then created a spoof of the Martin Scorsese
film The Color of Money, which essentially became Ben
Stiller's inner-sanctum pass to the Saturday Night Live (SNL)
show.
Though
Ben only lasted one season as a full-time cast member of the
SNL show in the early 1990s, he garnered a strong following,
one in which MTV saw potential.
The Ben Stiller Show was formulated and screened in 1992
but after a daring parody of the hit TV show Beverly Hills
90210, the show was killed off.
Many believe it's axing was due to the 90120 producer, Aaron
Spelling, who was said to be furious about the piss-takes.
After his self-titled variety show, Ben Stiller grew tired
of the all the people you couldn't offend in TV, and so decided
to give up walking on egg shells and try his hand at the big
screen.
In 1994 Ben starred alongside Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder
in Reality Bites, which was was a complete success,
in turn piquing the interest of many big producers.
Next up Ben directed the offbeat comedy The Cable Guy
in 1996, which starred Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick,
which was followed by starring roles in amusing There's
Something About Mary, and the largely forgettable Mystery
Men.
With the beginning of the new millennium, Ben began to flex
his newfound film making muscle, starring alongside Edward
Norton in Keeping the Faith in the year 2000. He wed
Christine Taylor on the 13th of May 2000.
Meet the Parents was a box-office hit for Ben Stiller,
starring with Robert De Niro and the wonderfully charismatic
Owen Wilson, and capped off what was a brilliant year 2000
for the talented comedian.
In 2001 Ben co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in Zoolander,
fulfilling his dream of creating what he saw fit, as opposed
to what his superiors presumed would sell. In Zoolander
he also cast good friend Owen Wilson as his modelling
arch-nemesis, and even his wife Christine Taylor and model
Milla Jovovich (pictured
above) starred.
Also
in 2001 Ben appeared in the The Royal Tenenbaums with
Gene Hackman and Gwyneth Paltrow, which was nominated for
a Golden Globe award.
2002 was a quiet year for Ben Stiller, and it's hardly surprising
when you consider he had a baby with wife Christine - they
named her Ella Olivia.
In 2003 Ben returned to the ruthless creature we call Hollywood
to film Duplex, which he followed up with no less than
five comedies in 2004 - Along Came Polly, Starsky
& Hutch, Envy, Dodgeball and highly-anticipated
sequel to Meet the Parents, entitled Meet the Fockers.
There'll plenty of little Fockers to be running around...
Stiller is the type of actor who is remarkably easy to relate
to, both for men and women. He comes across as an affable
type on screen, and from all reports he's just as genial off
screen.
His comedy, while not loved by all, can range from amazingly
witty and clever to the most B-grade fart gags and bodily
excrement jokes you've ever seen, and perhaps his ability
to laugh at himself makes him one of the most popular actors
today. He can also do drama quite well, and in most of his
comedies there's always a sentimental moment or two.
Ben Stiller also had a large role in the animated box office
hit Madagascar in 2005, where he voiced the character
simply called the Lion. He's also got an undeniably busy schedule
ahead of him with three movies in post-production - where
the editors, well, edit and cut all the sounds in, which include
Danny Roane: First Time Director, The Mirror and
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, the latter of
which is expected to be real rib-tickler.
Other upcoming movies for 2006 and beyond include Tropic
Thunder, Night at the Museum 2, The
Persuaders, Used Guys and Madagascar
2, and something tells me he's going to be a busy
boy in the next few years...
Sara Templeton's Favourite Ben Stiller Movies:
1. Zoolander (a must for the fashionista)
2. Meet the Parents
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Reality Bites
5. Starsky and Hutch
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