Trivia

Directed one Oscar nominated performance: Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder (2008).

Was considered for the role of "Willy Wonka" in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), before Johnny Depp was cast.

His favorite actress of all time is Diane Keaton. He even wrote an article about her for Premiere magazine in 1997.

Is a member of, what the media refers to as, "The Frat Pack," along with Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carell, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson. The "Frat Pack" name is a reference to the film, Old School (2003), featuring Vaughn, Ferrell and Luke Wilson, due to the wide number of films featuring the seven actors. Stiller's "Frat Pack" films include Zoolander (2001), Envy (2004), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)..

Stiller's famous parents, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, and his sister Amy Stiller often made cameo appearances in his movies.

His father is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Austria and Poland). His mother, who was of Irish descent, was a convert to Judaism.

Is a major fan of his fellow Tropic Thunder (2008) co-star Tom Cruise and has impersonated Tom for many years. He even portrayed Tom Cruise's fictitious crazed stunt double, Tom Crooze, on 2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) on a segment called Mission: Improbable. (This segment is included on the Mission: Impossible II (2000) DVD.) Tom and Ben have been friends ever since 1996.

Holds a distinct Razzie Award record - nominated for most titles in one year. He was nominated in 2004 for Worst Actor in five of the six films in which he appeared: Along Came Polly (2004), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Envy (2004), and Starsky & Hutch (2004). The only film he was not nominated in for that year was Meet the Fockers (2004).

Revealed in "Medium" magazine in 2016, that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free.

One of his first showbiz jobs was working as an intern on the Alan Thicke show Thicke of the Night (1983).

According to "Jews Who Rock," a book by Guy Oseary, Stiller was once a drummer in a band called Capital Punishment that released an album titled "Roadkill".

Frequent co-star of Vince Vaughn, appearing with him in three movies in 2004 alone.

Ben and his wife Christine Taylor, have both guest starred on the TV-show Friends (1994), though not in the same episode.

Appeared in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1998) on May 9, 2001 and walked away with $32,000 for Project ALS. He phoned his mother, actress Anne Meara, for help but lost on the question worth $250,000.

Every so often he and his father enjoy getting together and going to Alaska to fish in the summer.

Helped Jenifer Estess raised millions of dollars to combat A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's disease).

Admitted in a Playboy Magazine interview that he auditioned for three or four years before he got a part.

2007 - Ranked #20 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

Is a big fan of Star Trek (1966). He named his production company "Red Hour Films" after an alien riot featured in the episode The Return of the Archons (1967). Has a humorous, You Tube website "gag" episode of "Star Trek" where he is imitating Shatner's Captain Kirk. He presented the franchise with its first Academy Award for Best Makeup for Star Trek (2009).

Auditioned for a part in Platoon (1986), even meeting with Oliver Stone.

In Shrink Wrap (2002) he played his own real-life father's father.

Produced a short film parody of The Color of Money (1986) entitled "The Hustler of Money" which got him noticed by Saturday Night Live (1975) who eventually offered him employment there.

Has played two very similar characters in the movies Heavyweights (1995) and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). In both films he plays an obnoxious, slightly insane and formerly overweight fitness instructor who's hell-bent on getting others into shape, and perhaps also on making other peoples' lives miserable.

His future wife, Christine Taylor, appeared in one episode of Seinfeld (1989) as Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend. His father, Jerry Stiller, had a recurring role on that series as George Costanza's father.

Along with Gerard Butler, Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon, and director Paul Haggis, he visited a camp for internally displaced persons managed by Sean Penn and his Jenkins-Penn Humanitarian Relief Organization in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (April 2010)

Has a Hollywood "clique" of close friends that have often appeared in his movies: Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Kyle Gass and Janeane Garofalo.

Became a father for the 1st time at age 36 when his wife Christine Taylor gave birth to their daughter Ella Olivia Stiller on April 10, 2002. Became a father for the 2nd time at age 39 when his wife Christine Taylor gave birth to their son Quinlin Dempsey Stiller on July 10, 2005.

Often casts/co-stars with Janeane Garofalo.

(May 10, 2010) Merited a position in Time magazine's - The 100 Most Influential People in the World ("Heroes" category) - with an homage contributed by friend Robert De Niro.

He and wife Christine Taylor have both guest-starred on the TV series Arrested Development (2003). She played "Sally Sitwell", the love interest of "Michael Bluth" (two episodes) and he played the incompetent magician "Tony Wonder" in the episode "The Sword of Destiny".

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $38 million.

Played the part of an arrogant director in Get Shorty (1995), but the scene was cut.

Attended UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Briefly appears in the film clip for the song "Tribute" by Tenacious D, a band that includes fellow actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass. He's one of the people walking past the studio booth in the shopping center.

Hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1996 along with Janeane Garofalo

Along with Kirk R. Thatcher, one of the few actors to give William Shatner the middle finger (jokingly) on screen.

Longtime friend of actor Anthony Barrile. They met at 12 years old as members of First All Children's Theatre Company in New York City, where they were among the 'Meri-Mini Players'.

Ranked #78 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #68 in 2002 and #80 in 2001.

Fractured his hand in a snowboarding accident on Sunday, December 21, 2008 and was taken to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.

As of 2018, he has never appeared in a film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

Born at 5:35 PM (EST).