Editing Ben Stiller (section)

==Early life and education==
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/06/25/funny-is-money |title=Funny Is Money: Ben Stiller and the dilemma of modern stardom|author-link=Tad Friend|first=Tad|last=Friend|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=June 25, 2012|access-date=March 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2023/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl%201987%20Jan-Jul%201987/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl%201987%20Jan-Jul%201987%20-%201889.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2023/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl%201987%20Jan-Jul%201987/Rockville%20Centre%20NY%20Long%20Island%20News%20and%20Owl%201987%20Jan-Jul%201987%20-%201889.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Edward J. Meara, Former Resident, Dies In Boston|work=Rockville Centre NY Long Island News and Owl|date=December 23, 1966|access-date=March 26, 2015}}</ref> was born on November 30, 1965, in [[New York City]]<ref name="Ben Stiller bio">{{cite web|title=Ben Stiller Biography: Film Actor|publisher=[[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV channel)|FYI]]/[[A&E Television Networks]])|url=http://www.biography.com/people/ben-stiller-9542437|access-date=March 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002164039/http://www.biography.com/people/ben-stiller-9542437|archive-date=October 2, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and raised on the [[Upper West Side]] of [[Manhattan]].<ref name="WSR">{{cite web |title=WHY JERRY STILLER LIVES ON THE UPPER WEST SIDE |url=https://www.westsiderag.com/2016/01/26/why-jerry-stiller-lives-on-the-upper-west-side |website=West Side Rag |date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=5 March 2019}}</ref> His father, comedian and actor [[Jerry Stiller]], was born to [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi Jewish]] parents that had emigrated from [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]] in [[Poland]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3kb7JaHLZcC&pg=PA19|title=Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara - Jerry Stiller|date=August 8, 2000|isbn=9780743211468|access-date=2013-06-25|last1=Stiller|first1=Jerry|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref><ref name="geek" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-ben-stiller|title= NEW AGAIN: BEN STILLER|work= Interview |date=March 11, 2015|access-date=April 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/ben-stiller-relieved-he-is-not-single-9022233.html|title=Ben Stiller relieved he is not single|work=London Evening Standard |date= December 23, 2013|access-date= April 18, 2018}}</ref> His mother, actress and comedian [[Anne Meara]], who was from an [[Irish Catholic]] background, [[Conversion to Judaism|converted]] to [[Reform Judaism]] after marrying his father.<ref name="background">{{cite news|last=Wallace|first=Debra|title=Stiller 'softy' in real life|newspaper=Jewish News of Greater Phoenix|date=November 19, 1999|url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/991119/stiller.shtml|access-date=March 29, 2009|archive-date=December 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211124151/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/991119/stiller.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-ca-24141-story.html|title=Finding an Afterlife as a Playwright|date=Mar 1, 1998|access-date=Aug 10, 2013|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Elaine|last=Dutka}}</ref><ref name="IrishCatholic">{{cite news|last=O'Toole|first=Lesley|title=Ben Stiller:'Doing comedy is scary'|work=[[The Independent]]|date=December 22, 2006|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/ben-stiller-doing-comedy-is-scary-429484.html|access-date=Aug 10, 2013|location=London, UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/the-evolution-of-ben-stiller-190731/|title=The Evolution of Ben Stiller|last=Mundy|first=Chris|date=November 12, 1998|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref> While they "were never a very religious family", they celebrated both [[Hanukkah]] and [[Christmas]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/what-i-know-about-women-20140422-3722c.html|title=What I know about women|last=Dow|first=Steve|date=April 27, 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref> and Stiller had a [[Bar and Bat Mitzvah|Bar Mitzvah]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/ben-stiller-measures-39279/|title= Ben Stiller Measures Up|work=TV Guide |date=April 18, 2000|access-date=April 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name=lge>{{cite news|last=Longsdorf|first=Amy|title=Christine Taylor: Sweet for the holidays|newspaper=The Morning Call|date=December 3, 2010|url=https://www.mcall.com/2010/12/03/christine-taylor-sweet-for-the-holidays/|access-date=2010-12-05|archive-date=December 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209151350/http://articles.mcall.com/2010-12-03/entertainment/mc-christine-taylor-20101203_1_christmas-tree-homemade-ornaments-holidays|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tca>Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 2001.</ref>

His parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, including ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' when he was 6.<ref name="MikeDouglas">{{cite web|title=Monday, May 30, 2005, Show #2366 recap|work=[[Late Show with David Letterman]]|first=Michael Z.|last=McIntee|url=http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20050530.phtml|access-date=March 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514113516/http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20050530.phtml|archive-date=May 14, 2007}}</ref> He considered his childhood unusual, stating: "In some ways, it was a show-business upbringing—a lot of traveling, a lot of late nights—not what you'd call traditional."<ref name="Parade">{{cite news|last=Masello|first=Robert|work=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]|title=What makes Ben Stiller funny?|url=http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_12-10-2006/Ben_Stiller|date=November 28, 2006|access-date=March 29, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603000915/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_12-10-2006/Ben_Stiller|archive-date=June 3, 2009}}</ref> His older sister, Amy,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=2018-10-19 |title=Ladies and Gentlemen, Give It Up for, er ... Ben Stiller's Sister! |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/nyregion/amy-stiller-is-more-than-ben-stillers-sister.html |access-date=2022-08-19 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> has appeared in many of his productions, including ''[[Reality Bites]]'', ''[[DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story]]'', and ''[[Zoolander]]''.<ref name="AmyRB">{{cite news|last=Bruni|first=Frank|title=Generation-X man Mercurial Ben Stiller gets raves for twentysomething flick|work=[[The Spectator]]|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/512722751.html?dids=512722751:512722751&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+22%2C+1994&author=FRANK+BRUNI&pub=The+Spectator&desc=Generation-X+man+Mercurial+Ben+Stiller+gets+raves+for+twentysomething+flick&pqatl=google|url-access=registration|date=February 22, 1994|access-date=January 9, 2010|archive-date=July 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725024938/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/512722751.html?dids=512722751:512722751&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+22%2C+1994&author=FRANK+BRUNI&pub=The+Spectator&desc=Generation-X+man+Mercurial+Ben+Stiller+gets+raves+for+twentysomething+flick&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="AmyAct">{{cite news|last=Millar|first=John|title=Keeping it in the family is Ben's way|work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-121367626|url-access=registration|date=August 28, 2004|access-date=Aug 10, 2013}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="AmyZoo">{{cite news|last=Mitchell|first=Elvis|title=A Lost Boy in a Plot to Keep The Fashion Industry Afloat|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/movies/film-review-a-lost-boy-in-a-plot-to-keep-the-fashion-industry-afloat.html|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=January 9, 2010}}</ref> Stiller displayed an early interest in filmmaking and made [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] movies with his sister and friends.<ref name="geek">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/mar/14/features.magazine|title=The geek who stole Hollywood|last=Wood|first=Gaby|date=March 14, 2004|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref>

At age 9, Stiller made his acting debut as a guest on his mother's short-lived television series, ''[[Kate McShane]]''. In the late 1970s, he performed with the New York City troupe NYC's First All Children's Theater, playing several roles, including the title role in ''Clever Jack and the Magic Beanstalk.''<ref name="JG" /> After being inspired by the television show ''[[Second City Television]]'' while in high school, Stiller realized that he wanted to get involved with sketch comedy.<ref name="JG">{{cite news|first=Ellen|last=McCarthy|title=Ben Stiller Isn't Funny. Or So He Says...|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/1184491571.html?dids=1184491571:1184491571&FMT=ABS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725040634/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/1184491571.html?dids=1184491571:1184491571&FMT=ABS|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 25, 2012|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|format=Fee required|date=December 22, 2006|access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref> During his high school years, he was also the drummer of the [[post-punk]] band Capital Punishment, which released the studio album ''Roadkill'' in 1982. The band's bassist, Peter Swann, went on to become a judge on the [[Arizona Court of Appeals]], serving from 2008 until 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/58997-ben-stillers-teenage-punk-band-capital-punishment-reissued-by-captured-tracks|title=Ben Stiller's Teenage Punk Band, Capital Punishment, Reissued by Captured Tracks|work=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]|date=March 27, 2015|access-date=December 12, 2015|author=Gordon, Jeremy and Amy Phillips}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/83984|title=Captured Tracks to reissue album by Ben Stiller's teenage 'no wave/retardo' punk band – listen|work=[[NME]]|date=March 27, 2015|access-date=December 12, 2015|author=Postigo, Cheyenne}}</ref> The band reunited in 2018 to release a new EP, titled ''This is Capital Punishment,'' for [[Record Store Day]].<ref>[https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/10/ben-stiller-capital-punishment-new-ep/ Ben Stiller’s high school punk band, Capital Punishment, is releasing an EP of new music] Consequence of Sound. October 9, 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2019.</ref> The current status of the band is unknown.

Stiller attended [[The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine, New York|The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine]] and graduated from the [[Calhoun School]] in New York in 1983. He started performing on the cabaret circuit as opening act to the cabaret siren [[Jadin Wong]]. Stiller then enrolled as a film student at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tft.ucla.edu/alumni/notable-alumni-actors|title=NOTABLE ALUMNI ACTORS|publisher=UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television|access-date=September 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006111604/http://www.tft.ucla.edu/alumni/notable-alumni-actors/|archive-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> After nine months, Stiller left school to move back to New York City.<ref name=tca/> He made his way through acting classes, auditioning and trying to find an agent.<ref name="Tis">{{cite web|last=Wills|first=Dominic|title=Ben Stiller Biography|work=[[Tiscali]]|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/ben_stiller_biog.html|access-date=March 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217224635/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/ben_stiller_biog.html|archive-date=February 17, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>