Anne Meara, Comedian, Star Of ‘Stiller & Meara’ And Mother To Ben Stiller, Dies At 85

Anne Meara, comedic legend, half of “Stiller & Meara” and mother to Ben Stiller, has died at the age of 85.

Meara’s comedic career spanned decades, beginning in the 1960s, when she and her husband, Jerry Stiller, formed the comedy team Stiller & Meara. “Jerry started us being a comedy team. He always thought I would be a great comedy partner. At that time in my life, I disdained comedians,” Meara said in 2008.

Together, they became fan favorites on The Ed Sullivan Show, but the duo took some time off from their act in the ‘70s to pursue solo acting careers. Meara appeared on multiple television shows, including Archie Bunker’s Place, The Love Boat and Alf. She also continued to work with her husband, and later her son, Ben Stiller, in films and television shows. In fact, Meara was a guest star on The King of Queens, where Stiller was a regular, and their characters married in the sitcom’s series finale in 2007. Stiller and Meara also starred in a short webseries produced by their son called “Stiller and Meara.”

Meara died on Saturday, May 23, the Stiller family confirmed in a statement. “The Stiller family is deeply saddened to share the beloved Anne Meara passed away last night at the age of 85. She is survived by her husband and partner in life Jerry Stiller. The two were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long… Anne’s memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne,” read the statement.

Ben Stiller also commented on Twitter, thanking everyone for their condolences. “Thank you so much for all the kind words about Anne. All of us in our family feel so lucky to have had her in our lives,” he wrote.

#tbt me and my mom in a pool at some motel in the 1970’s.

A photo posted by Ben Stiller (@benstiller) on Jan 29, 2015 at 7:15pm PST

Hollywood Remembers Anne Meara

Many of Meara’s admirers and former co-stars took to Twitter to express their condolences, including fellow comedians, Billy Crystal and Sarah Silverman, who called meeting Meara “a life highlight.”

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.