R.I.P. Jerry Stiller

Darn. 

Actor/comedian Jerry Stiller died today, of natural causes (gotta put that in obits these days, so people don't think someone died of the 'rona). He was 92. Sad, but I guess that's a pretty good run.

In 1953, Stiller met fellow comedian Anne Meara. They were married in 1953, and in 1961 began performing together as "Stiller And Meara." Their act was incredibly popular, and they appeared in nightclubs and on every variety show on TV all through the 1960s and early 1970s.

Although their joint career eventually waned, their relationship never did. They were married for a whopping 62 years, until Anne Meara's death in 2015.

Stiller's career experienced a major resurgence when he was cast as Frank Costanza (father of George) on Seinfeld. He was paired with Estelle Harris (as George's shrill mother, also named Estelle) and together the two were comedy gold. Stiller's portrayal of the easily infuriated Frank was the highlight of the series, and he was nominated for an Emmy.

Amazingly, Stiller didn't join the series until its fifth season! His first appearance was in The Puffy Shirt, which was the second episode of Season 5.* That seems unbelievable to me, as it feels like he was there from the start.

Even more incredible, he was only in 29 of the show's 180 episodes! Again, that seems impossible. Such was the power of Stiller's portrayal, that it feels like he was in FAR more episodes than that.

After Seinfeld ended, Stiller planned on retiring but eventually joined the cast of The King Of Queens. Although it was nice to have Stiller back on TV, Queens' Arthur Spooner character couldn't hold a candle to Frank Costanza.

Stiller's survived by his two children, actor Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller.

SERENITY NOW!

*Frank Costanza first appeared in Season 4's The Handicap Spot. At that time he was played by actor John Randolph. After the episode aired, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David decided Randolph wasn't right for the part, and recast the role with Jerry Stiller. David then reshot all of Frank Costanza's scenes with Stiller, and edited them into The Handicap Spot episode when it was syndicated. So even though Stiller didn't join the cast until Season 5, technically his first appearance is in Season 4. Confused yet?