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75-552: Before the remake in 2000, Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke cowrote the original independent film, Meet the Parents , in 1992. Glienna also directed the film, wrote two original songs, and starred as protagonist Greg: a Chicago advertising agent who travels with his fiancée Pam Burns to meet her parents, Irv and Kay, over a weekend but sets off a series of accidents and causes the family to fall apart. Despite this, Greg alone survives: after Pam's sister Fay commits suicide, framing Greg in

150-518: A Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award . While beginning his acting career, Stiller wrote several mockumentaries and was offered a variety sketch comedy series titled The Ben Stiller Show , which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run. The series ran on MTV in 1990, and on Fox in 1992 and 1993, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Program . He then appeared on shows such as Friends , Curb Your Enthusiasm , Arrested Development , and Extras ,

225-525: A Directors Guild of America Award and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series . In 2022 he served as a director and executive producer on the Apple TV+ series Severance earning two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series . Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller

300-456: A 13-episode show in the experimental "vid-com" format. Titled The Ben Stiller Show , this 1990 series mixed comedy sketches with music videos and parodied various television shows, music stars, and films. It starred Stiller, along with main writer Jeff Khan and Harry O'Reilly, with his parents and sister making occasional appearances. Although the show was canceled after its first season, it led to another show titled The Ben Stiller Show , on

375-412: A bomb threat. The pilot turned the airplane around approximately 40 minutes into the flight after a flight attendant found a crumpled napkin that read "Bomb, bomb, bomb ... meet the parents", a clear reference to the scene in which Ben Stiller's character repeatedly shouts the word "bomb" while being detained by airport security. The airplane was met by a bomb squad of the local sheriff's office as well as

450-576: A good start, small cracks begin to form between Jack and the Fockers, due to their contrasting personalities. Things are made worse when a chase between the Fockers' dog, Moses, and the Byrnes' cat, Jinx, culminates with Jinx flushing Moses down the RV's toilet, forcing Bernie to destroy it to save Moses, and later on when Bernie accidentally injures Jack's back during a game of football. Pam, meanwhile, informs Greg that she

525-623: 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. 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. During his high school years, he

600-441: A male nurse and whatever else he sees as a difference between Greg and the Byrnes family. Greg attempts to impress Jack, but his efforts fail. Greg becomes even more uncomfortable after he receives an impromptu lie detector test from Jack and later learns from Pam that her father is a retired CIA counterintelligence officer. Meeting the rest of Pam's family and friends, Greg still feels like an outsider. Despite efforts to impress

675-511: A never-broadcast television pilot for Fox called Heat Vision and Jack . Taylor and Stiller appeared together in the films Zoolander , Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story , Tropic Thunder , Zoolander 2 and in the TV series Arrested Development , and Curb Your Enthusiasm . Both adopted a vegetarian diet for health reasons. After 17 years of marriage, Taylor and Stiller separated in 2017. They later reconciled after living together during

750-425: A present of a kippah , informing him they traced his family roots back while nursing him back to health, discovering he is part Jewish. Bernie informs Greg and Pam that he and Roz have sold their island home and are moving to Chicago only two houses down from theirs. Jack and Dina decide they will move too, because they also want to be close to their grandchildren. Greg and Pam try to wean their respective parents off

825-412: A rum bottle. After a furious argument with the Fockers and his own family (though amends are quickly made), Jack reverts to his old ways and sends Greg and Jorge's hair samples for a DNA test, while inviting Jorge to the Fockers' planned engagement party in hopes of getting Greg to admit he is Jorge's father. At the engagement party, Jack introduces Greg to Jorge, and later when Greg refuses to admit Jorge

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900-561: A short film about a fictitious tabloid focused on recent sightings of Elvis Presley . The film starred friends and co-stars John Cusack , Jeremy Piven , Mike Myers , Andy Dick , and Jeff Kahn. The film was considered a success, and led him to develop the short film Going Back to Brooklyn for MTV ; it was a music video starring comedian Colin Quinn that parodied LL Cool J 's recent hit " Going Back to Cali ". Producers at MTV were so impressed with Back to Brooklyn that they offered Stiller

975-451: A short film for the awards about a male model known as Derek Zoolander. It was so well received that he developed another short film about the character for the 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards and finally remade the skit into a film. In 2021, Stiller signed on to co-write and direct Bag Man , a Focus Features adaptation of the 2018 podcast about the kickback scandal that led to the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew . As of October 2023,

1050-574: A stray whose tail he spray paints to make him look like Mr. Jinx. Also, after Greg spray-paints the cat's tail, the cat is left alone in the house while the whole family is out at dinner, and when the family returns home, they find that the stray cat has damaged and destroyed many of the wedding possessions. It is then that the truth is revealed about the cat and everybody, especially Jack, is absolutely furious with Greg. Jack denies turning Pam against Greg, saying that Greg did that himself through his dishonesty. Jack says that he always demands honesty, which

1125-505: A string of successful studio comedies , including There’s Something About Mary (1998), Along Came Polly (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004), and Tower Heist (2011). Stiller is also widely known for multiple franchise films such as the Meet the Parents films (2000–2010), the Madagascar franchise (2005–2012), and the first three Night at

1200-723: A variety of celebrities, including Donald Trump , Paris Hilton , Lenny Kravitz , Heidi Klum , and David Bowie , among others. The film was banned in Malaysia (as the plot centered on an assassination attempt of a Malaysian prime minister), while shots of the World Trade Center were digitally removed and hidden for the film's release after the September 11 terrorist attacks . After Stiller worked with Owen Wilson in Zoolander , they joined forces again for The Royal Tenenbaums . Over

1275-707: A very religious family", they celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas , and Stiller had a Bar Mitzvah . His parents frequently took him on the sets of their appearances, including The Mike Douglas Show when he was 6. 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." His older sister, Amy, has appeared in many of his productions, including Reality Bites , DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story , and Zoolander . Stiller displayed an early interest in filmmaking and made Super 8 movies with his sister and friends. At age 9, Stiller made his acting debut as

1350-648: Is also a self-professed Trekkie and appeared in the television special Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond to express his love of the show, as well as a comedy roast for William Shatner . He frequently references the show in his work, and named his production company Red Hour Productions after a time of day in the original series episode, " The Return of the Archons ". Stiller considers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be his "hero", and he visited him in Kyiv in June 2022; on

1425-460: Is also the co-author (with Mary Ruth Clarke) of the play Suffer the Long Night which had its Los Angeles premiere August 2008. This article about a United States film director born in the 1960s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of

1500-664: Is disrupted when he learns that Pam's sister's fiancé had asked Pam's father for permission before proposing. Greg and Pam travel to Pam's parents' house to attend Pam's sister's wedding. Greg hopes to propose to Pam in front of her family after receiving her father's permission. His plan, however, is put on hold after the airline loses his luggage which contains the engagement ring. At the Byrnes's house, Greg meets Pam's father Jack ( Robert De Niro ), mother Dina ( Blythe Danner ) and their beloved cat Mr. Jinx. Jack takes an instant dislike to Greg and openly criticizes him for his choice of career as

1575-653: Is his son, Jack injects him with a truth serum to make him talk. On stage, Greg blurts out that Pam is pregnant and that Jorge is indeed his son (in a comically Darth Vader -esque manner) before finally passing out. When the others realize Jack's actions the next day, another argument ensues and Dina admits that they all knew Pam was pregnant and deliberately did not tell him. Shocked and hurt by this, Jack leaves with his grandson. Bernie and Greg give pursuit, but are tasered and arrested by an overzealous, corrupt deputy sheriff, Officer Vern LeFlore ( Tim Blake Nelson ), for speeding. Jack returns to defend them after being informed Greg

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1650-460: Is not Jorge's father (his real father turns out to be a baseball player who also resembles Greg), but the overzealous LeFlore tasers and arrests him as well. In their cell, Greg, Jack and Bernie make up and are released by the local judge, Ira ( Shelley Berman ), who is a student of Roz and close friend of the Focker family. Greg and Pam are married that weekend by Pam's ex-fiancée ( Owen Wilson ). During

1725-400: Is pregnant, but the two decide to keep it a secret from Jack, who is unaware they are having sex. Jack, however, becomes suspicious of Greg's character again when they are introduced to the Focker's housekeeper, Isabel Villalobos ( Alanna Ubach ), with whom Bernie reveals Greg had a sexual affair 15 years earlier. Jack later takes the RV to Isabel's 15-year-old son, Jorge ( Ray Santiago ), to fix

1800-507: Is when Greg reveals to Pam that Jack never retired and is still in the CIA. Jack is forced to admit that Greg is correct. Unfortunately for Greg, the incident in which he observed Jack with one of Jack's associates and carrying out a phone call in Thai was actually Jack preparing a surprise honeymoon for Pam's sister and her fiancé which makes Jack even angrier with Greg. Jack reveals that the person he met at

1875-678: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The couple lives in Westchester County, New York and Manhattan and has two children, a daughter, Ella Olivia (born 2002), and a son, Quinlin Dempsey (born 2005). Stiller and Taylor's daughter, Ella, graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, New York with a degree in acting on May 24, 2024. In 2001, Stiller appeared as a celebrity contestant on

1950-539: The FBI whose agents questioned the plane's 176 passengers about the note. Note: A gray cell indicates character did not appear in that film. Greg Glienna Greg M. Glienna (born in Chicago, Illinois , August 23, 1963) is an American director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the original 1992 film Meet the Parents . Glienna also wrote A Guy Thing and wrote and directed Relative Strangers . He

2025-511: The Ferber method . Despite Jack's instructions to leave Little Jack to self-soothe, Greg is unable bear to listen to Little Jack's cries and tends to the boy to cheer him up, turning the television on to Sesame Street , acting funny and inadvertently teaching Little Jack to say "asshole". A brief phone call from Roz is long enough for Little Jack to wander out of his pen (after being accidentally opened by Jinx), put on Scarface and glue his hands to

2100-549: The Fox Network in 1992. The series aired 12 episodes on Fox, with a 13th unaired episode broadcast by Comedy Central in a later revival. Among the principal writers on The Ben Stiller Show were Stiller and Judd Apatow , with the show featuring the ensemble cast of Stiller, Janeane Garofalo , Andy Dick , and Bob Odenkirk . Both Denise Richards and Jeanne Tripplehorn appeared as extras in various episodes. Throughout its short run, The Ben Stiller Show frequently appeared at

2175-464: The "Frat Pack" label, saying in a 2008 interview that the concept was "completely fabricated". Stiller dated several actresses during his early television and film career, including Jeanne Tripplehorn between 1990 and 1996, Calista Flockhart , and Amanda Peet . In May 2000, Stiller married actress Christine Taylor at an oceanfront ceremony in Kauai , Hawaii . The two had met in 1999, while filming

2250-482: The 2008 U.S. presidential campaigns of Democrats Obama, John Edwards , and Hillary Clinton . Stiller has bipolar disorder . Stiller was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June 2014 and was declared cancer-free in September 2014 following the surgical removal of his prostate . Stiller has mostly appeared in comedy films. He is an Emmy Award winner for his television show, The Ben Stiller Show . Stiller

2325-674: 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 . After nine months, Stiller left school to move back to New York City. He made his way through acting classes, auditioning and trying to find an agent. When he

Meet the Parents (film series) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-421: The Fockers . While the critical flop Envy only grossed $ 14.5 million, the most successful film of these was Meet the Fockers , which grossed over $ 516.6 million worldwide. He also made extended guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development in the same year. In 2005, Stiller appeared in Madagascar , which was his first experience as a voice actor in an animated film. Madagascar

2475-677: The Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals . According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment. In 2011 he was awarded the BAFTA Britannia – Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy by BAFTA Los Angeles . In 2014, Stiller was nominated for Best Actor at

2550-593: The Museum films (2006–2014). His performances in independent films include Flirting with Disaster (1996); The Royal Tenenbaums (2001); and the Noah Baumbach films Greenberg (2010), While We're Young (2014), and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). Since the mid-2010s, Stiller has primarily worked as a television showrunner. In 2018 he directed the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora earning himself

2625-521: The Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian , sequel to Night at the Museum . In 2010, Stiller made a brief cameo in Joaquin Phoenix 's mockumentary I'm Still Here and played the lead role in the comedy-drama Greenberg . He again portrayed Greg Focker in the critically panned but financially successful Little Fockers , the second sequel to Meet the Parents . He originally had planned to voice

2700-560: The Music Video awards, for which he developed a parody of the Backstreet Boys and performed a sketch with his father, commenting on his current career. In 1999, he starred in three films, including Mystery Men , where he played a superhero wannabe called Mr. Furious. He appeared in a segment on the July 26 episode of WWF RAW is WAR to promote the then-upcoming movie and found himself on

2775-548: The Parents , opposite Robert De Niro . The film was well received by critics, grossed over $ 330 million worldwide, and spawned two sequels. Also in 2000, MTV again invited Stiller to make another short film, and he developed Mission: Improbable , a spoof of Tom Cruise 's role in Mission: Impossible II and other films. In 2001, Stiller directed his third feature film, Zoolander , in which he also starred as Derek Zoolander. The film featured multiple cameos from

2850-685: The Parents , and "Best Villain" in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story . He received the MTV Movie Awards' MTV Generation Award , the ceremony's top honor, in 2009. On March 31, 2007, Stiller received the "Wannabe Award" (given to a celebrity whom children "want to be" like) at the Kids' Choice Awards . Princeton University 's Class of 2005 inducted Stiller as an honorary member of the class during its "Senior Week" in April 2005. On February 23, 2007, Stiller received

2925-693: The President Day opening weekend and received mixed reviews. Stiller joined his parents in the family film Heavyweights (1995), in which he played two roles. Following Heavyweights, he had a brief uncredited role in Adam Sandler 's Happy Gilmore (1996) where he played Hal L., the sadistic orderly running the nursing home. Next, he had lead roles in If Lucy Fell and Flirting with Disaster , before tackling his next directorial effort with The Cable Guy , which starred Jim Carrey . Stiller once again

3000-416: The airport, convinces airport security to release Greg, and brings him back to the Byrnes household. Greg proposes to Pam. She accepts, and her parents agree that they should now meet Greg's parents. After Debbie's wedding, Jack views footage of Greg recorded by hidden cameras that he had placed strategically around their house. As Jack watches Greg and hears what Greg has to say, Jack gets furious at Greg for

3075-530: The attention of Saturday Night Live , which aired it in 1987 and two years later offered Stiller a spot as a writer. In the meantime, he had a bit role in Steven Spielberg 's Empire of the Sun . In 1989 Stiller wrote and appeared on Saturday Night Live as a featured performer. However, since the show did not want him to make more short films, he left after four episodes. He then put together Elvis Stories ,

Meet the Parents (film series) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3150-483: The bottom of the ratings, even as it garnered critical acclaim and eventually won an Emmy Award for " Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program " posthumously. In the early 1990s, Stiller had minor roles in films such as Stella and Highway to Hell as well as a cameo in The Nutt House . In 1992, Stiller was approached to direct Reality Bites , based on a script by Helen Childress. Stiller devoted

3225-560: The comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara . Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack . His films have grossed more than $ 2.6 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $ 79 million per film. Throughout his career, he has received various awards and honors , including an Emmy Award , a Directors Guild of America Award ,

3300-408: The family to Miami to meet the Fockers in his new RV. Once they arrive, they are greeted by Greg's eccentric but fun-loving and amiable father, Bernie (Hoffman), and mother, Roz (Streisand), who is a sex therapist for elder couples. Worried that Jack may be put off by the Fockers' lifestyle, Greg convinces Roz to pretend that she is a yoga instructor for the weekend. Though Jack and Bernie get off to

3375-453: The family, Greg's inadvertent actions make him an easy target for ridicule and anger. He accidentally gives Pam's sister a black eye during a pool volleyball mishap, uses a malfunctioning toilet that floods the Byrnes's backyard with sewage, spills Jack's mother's ashes while trying to open a champagne bottle, sets the wedding altar on fire, and unwittingly leads Jack to think he is a marijuana user. Later, Greg loses Mr. Jinx and replaces him with

3450-852: The game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire . He won $ 32,000 for his charity Project ALS , after incorrectly answering his $ 250,000 question in an attempt to equal Edie Falco 's $ 250,000 win. Stiller supports such charities as Declare Yourself , the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation , and the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. He was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR on July 2, 2018. Stiller frequently impersonates such performers as Bono , Tom Cruise , Bruce Springsteen , and David Blaine . In an interview with Parade , he commented that Robert Klein , George Carlin , and Jimmie Walker were inspirations for his comedy career. Stiller

3525-442: The house and sees, through the window, what he believes to be Greg and Andi having sex while Greg is trying to rebuff Andi's advances. Disgusted, Jack merely leaves, but tells Dina and Pam that he was unable to find Greg. At the twins' birthday party, Greg's parents, Bernie (Hoffman) and Roz (Streisand) rejoin the family, but Jack, enraged at Greg's apparent infidelity, engages Greg in a physical fight, despite Greg insisting that Andi

3600-413: The idea. The success of Meet the Parents was initially responsible for a 2002 NBC reality television show entitled Meet My Folks in which a young woman's love interest, vying for her family's approval, is interrogated by the woman's overprotective father with the help of a lie detector machine . In September 2002, NBC also aired a situation comedy entitled In-Laws . During the development of

3675-419: The insults toward Jack and Jack's son, Denny. Gaylord "Greg" Focker ( Ben Stiller ) and his fiancée Pam Byrnes (Polo) decide to introduce their parents to each other. They first fly to Oyster Bay , Long Island , to pick up Pam's father, retired CIA operative Jack Byrnes (De Niro), her mother Dina (Danner) and one-year-old nephew Little Jack. But rather than going to the airport as planned, Jack decides to drive

3750-464: The latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. Having previously acted in television, he began acting in films. He made his directorial debut with Reality Bites and continued directing films and often starring in them, such as with The Cable Guy (1996), Zoolander (2001), Tropic Thunder (2008), and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). During this time he also starred in

3825-444: The leader of the group because of his multiple cameos and for his consistent use of the other members in roles in films which he produces and directs. He has appeared the most with Owen Wilson (in 12 films). Of the 35 primary films that are considered Frat Pack films, Stiller has been involved with 20, in some capacity. Stiller is also the only member of this group to have appeared in a Brat Pack film ( Fresh Horses ). He rejects

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3900-477: The movie remains in pre-production. In 1998, Stiller put aside his directing ambitions to star in the Farrelly Brothers' There's Something About Mary , alongside Cameron Diaz , which became a surprise hit with a long-lasting cult following. That year, he starred in several dramas, including Zero Effect , Your Friends & Neighbors , and Permanent Midnight . He was invited to take part in hosting

3975-817: The next two years, Stiller continued with the lackluster box office film Duplex , and cameos in Orange County and Nobody Knows Anything! He has guest-starred on several television shows, including an appearance in an episode of the television series The King of Queens , in a flashback as the father of the character Arthur (played by Jerry Stiller). He also made a guest appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment 's WWE Raw . In 2004, Stiller appeared in six different films, all of which were comedies, and include some of his highest-grossing films: Starsky & Hutch , Envy , Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story , Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (in which he had an uncredited cameo), Along Came Polly , and Meet

4050-422: The next year and a half to rewriting the script with Childress, fundraising, and recruiting cast members for the film. It was eventually released in early 1994, directed by Stiller and featuring him as a co-star. The film was produced by Danny DeVito , who would later direct Stiller's 2003 film Duplex and produce his 2004 film Along Came Polly . Reality Bites debuted as the fifth highest-grossing film over

4125-402: The party, Jack asks Roz for some sex tips and sneaks into the RV with Dina. Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Stiller) is preparing to celebrate his twins' fifth birthday party. Things seem to go awry when Greg's father-in-law Jack Byrnes (De Niro) visits. Recently, Jack has been diagnosed with a heart condition and become embittered by his daughter Debbie's divorce from her husband, Bob (whose marriage was

4200-498: The possibility of divorcing Greg and renewing her relationship with her ex-fiancée, Kevin Rawley (Wilson). Eventually, following a row at a clinic, Greg runs away from home to his and Pam's unfinished new house, where he is paid a visit by Andi, who tries to cheer him up with takeout and wine, but Andi soon becomes so drunk that she makes an aggressive sexual pass at Greg. While looking for Greg to apologise and bring him home, Jack pulls up to

4275-651: The presence of Sustengo erection pills in Greg's house, which prompts Jack to think Greg is no longer sexually attracted to his wife, Pam (Polo). Furthermore, Jack starts to doubt Greg's ability to provide for his family when he appears reluctant to send his children to a private school. During a medical conference promoting Sustengo, Greg meets Bob at a bar. Bob tells Greg of Jack's original intention to name him as successor, "The Bobfather", and expresses relief and happiness at leaving Jack's family, which makes Greg slightly uncomfortable. Jack, for his part, starts to speak with Pam about

4350-555: The process, Irv attempts to shoot him but accidentally kills Kay and Pam before dying of a heart attack. Several years after the film's release, Universal Pictures purchased the rights to the independent film. After hiring screenwriter Jim Herzfeld to expand the script, a new version of Meet the Parents was filmed and released in October 2000. Gaylord "Greg" Focker ( Ben Stiller ) is a nurse living in Chicago . He intends to propose to his girlfriend Pam Byrnes ( Teri Polo ), but his plan

4425-469: The romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid . The film earned over $ 100 million worldwide despite receiving mostly negative reviews. In 2008, Stiller directed, co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the film Tropic Thunder , with Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black ; Stiller had originally conceived of the film's premise while filming Empire of the Sun in 1987. In 2009, he starred with Amy Adams in Night at

4500-512: The same trip Stiller visited Lviv , Irpin and Makariv to bring attention to the humanitarian need of refugees in Poland and Ukraine. Russia sanctioned Ben Stiller over his Ukraine support. Stiller is a supporter of the Democratic Party and donated money to John Kerry 's 2004 U.S. presidential campaign. In February 2007, Stiller attended a fundraiser for Barack Obama and later donated to

4575-552: The sitcom, NBC called it "a Meet the Parents project" which prompted an investigation by Universal into whether NBC was infringing on Universal's copyright. Universal did not pursue any action against NBC, but neither show lasted more than one season. NBC and Universal merged on a corporate level two years later in 2004. On July 18, 2005, a regularly scheduled American Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to San Juan, Puerto Rico , had to be diverted back to Fort Lauderdale shortly after take-off due to

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4650-480: The social event in Meet the Parents and how Jack was introduced to Greg), for cheating on her with a nurse. Jack's plan was originally to name Bob as his successor of the Byrnes family, but he decides to pass the role on to Greg, naming him "The Godfocker". Despite Greg begrudgingly accepting the role, Jack begins to suspect Greg of infidelity when he sees him with a drug rep, Andi Garcia (Alba), who openly flirts with him, and

4725-618: The supermarket was his travel agent, and that he was receiving Debbie and her fiancé's visas. By now, the entire Byrnes family, including Pam, agrees that it is best for Greg to leave. Unwillingly, Greg goes to the airport and is detained by airport security for refusing to check in his recently returned luggage. Back at the Byrnes household, Jack tries to convince Dina and Pam that Greg would have been an unsuitable husband for Pam. Upon receiving admonishment from both Dina and Pam over his picking apart of Greg and any other man whom Pam brings home, Jack realizes that Pam truly loves Greg. Jack rushes to

4800-604: The titular protagonist of Megamind along with Robert Downey Jr. , but later dropped out and was replaced by Will Ferrell while still remaining an executive producer and voicing a minor character in the film, a museum curator named Bernard. In 2011, Stiller starred with Eddie Murphy and Alan Alda in Tower Heist , about a group of maintenance workers planning a heist in a residential skyscraper. He produced, directed, and starred in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , which

4875-457: The toilet, but is disturbed by Jorge's striking resemblance to Greg and begins to suspect he may be Greg's son with Isabel. Meanwhile, Roz, Bernie and Dina realize Pam is pregnant, but promise not to tell Jack. Growing envious of Bernie and Roz' active sex life, Dina consults Roz on sex tips in order to seduce Jack, but none of them work. Things eventually come to a crunch when Greg is left alone to babysit Little Jack, whom Jack has been raising via

4950-445: The wrong end of Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett 's Figure-4 Leg Lock. He returned to directing with a new spoof television series for Fox titled Heat Vision and Jack , starring Jack Black. However, the show was not picked up by Fox after its pilot episode and the series was cancelled. In 2000, Stiller starred in three more films, including one of his most recognizable roles, a male nurse named Gaylord "Greg" Focker in Meet

5025-591: Was a massive worldwide hit, and spawned the sequels Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in 2008 and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012. In 2006, Stiller had cameo roles in School for Scoundrels and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny ; he was executive producer of the latter. In December 2006, he had the lead role in Night at the Museum . Although not a critical favorite, it earned over $ 115 million in ten days. In 2007, Stiller starred alongside Malin Åkerman in

5100-502: 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. The band reunited in 2018 to release a new EP, titled This is Capital Punishment, for Record Store Day . The current status of the band is unknown. Stiller attended The Cathedral School of St. John

5175-439: Was approximately 15, Stiller obtained a small part with one line on the television soap opera Guiding Light , although in an interview he characterized his performance as poor. He was later cast in a role in the 1986 Broadway revival of John Guare 's The House of Blue Leaves , alongside John Mahoney ; the production would garner four Tony Awards . During its run, Stiller produced a satirical mockumentary whose principal

5250-611: Was awarded an Emmy Award for " Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program " for his work on The Ben Stiller Show . He has been nominated twelve times for the Teen Choice Awards , and won once, for "Choice Hissy Fit" for his work in Zoolander . He has been nominated for the MTV Movie Awards thirteen times, and has won three times: for "Best Fight" in There's Something About Mary , "Best Comedic Performance" in Meet

5325-519: Was born on November 30, 1965, in New York City and raised on the Upper West Side . His father, comedian and actor Jerry Stiller , was from a Jewish family that emigrated from Poland and Galicia in Central Europe. His mother, actress and comedian Anne Meara , who was from an Irish Catholic background, converted to Reform Judaism after marrying his father. While they "were never

5400-441: Was drunk and he was rebuffing her. The fight culminates with Jack having a heart attack and collapsing. As he is taken away by paramedics, Jack quietly admits that he now believes Greg after feeling his carotid artery, which remained stable while Greg was claiming his innocence. Four months later on Christmas Day, Greg and Pam's parents come to spend Christmas with them in their new house. Greg's parents (who are Jewish ) give Jack

5475-490: Was featured in his own film, as twins. The film received mixed reviews, but was noted for paying the highest salary for an actor up to that point, as Carrey received $ 20 million for his work in the film. The film also connected Stiller with future Frat Pack members Jack Black and Owen Wilson . Also in 1996, MTV invited Stiller to host the VH1 Fashion Awards. Along with SNL writer Drake Sather, Stiller developed

5550-527: Was fellow actor Mahoney. Stiller's comedic work was well received by the cast and crew of the play, and he followed up with a 10-minute short titled The Hustler of Money , a parody of the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money . The film featured him in a send-up of Tom Cruise 's character and Mahoney in the Paul Newman role, only this time as a bowling hustler instead of a pool shark . The short got

5625-422: Was released in 2013. In 2018 and 2019, Stiller played Michael Cohen on Saturday Night Live for 6 episodes. Stiller has been described as the "acknowledged leader" of the Frat Pack , a core group of actors who have worked together in multiple films. The group includes Jack Black , Will Ferrell , Vince Vaughn , Owen Wilson , Luke Wilson , Steve Carell and Paul Rudd . Stiller has been acknowledged as

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