Anyone learning that Jerry Stiller at one point referred to himself a ‘decent actor’ might be able to feel their jaw drop since to many Jerry was one of the funniest men alive and one of the most perfect old and crotchety father figures on TV. There are a good many people that might not understand just who he is and will have to experience his genius through shows such as Seinfeld and King of Queens, but it’s also possible that once said people see these roles that they’ll understand just how great he was. One of the many who were old school before it was cool to be old school, Jerry made a career out of being a funny man and being the kind of guy that, in real life, you might think about dropping off at a retirement home just to avoid listening to him day in and day out. That was the genius of his act however, as he played the old man that people couldn’t stand so well that it felt as though he’d been born to play such a part in anything he did. Sadly Jerry passed on today, due to natural causes as his son, Ben Stiller, told the many upon many fans on Twitter. It’s no less saddening since the realization is that Jerry is still gone, though one can only hope that he’s reunited with his beloved wife Anne, who passed in 2015.
There are a great many roles to remember Jerry for, but Seinfeld and King of Queens are by far the funniest and most recent that a lot of people will remember. For those of us that remember though, his part in the movie Hairspray, the earlier version with Ricky Lake, Divine, and several other notable names, was absolute hilarity. Wilbur Turnblad had an odd job as he was the owner and operator of a novelty and joke shop, meaning he sold stuff like rubber vomit, itching powder, and anything else that could be used for a decent gag. The character was a loving father, not exactly doting but definitely someone that cared for his daughter Tracy and wanted the best for her, but he was also a bit aloof at times considering that he didn’t always take life that seriously. All in all though we didn’t get to see a whole lot of Wilbur, largely because it was Tracy’s story to begin with and he was a supporting player. Still, throughout the movie his every appearance was loud and as obnoxious as he needed to be since his character was a definite addition that was meant to be heard by the audience.
His time as the father figure later on in life was even better since he became the old man that people just didn’t want to deal with since he was cantankerous, argumentative, and simply had to be right in anything he did, which might describe a few of our fathers if we really think about it. But on the Seinfeld show and on King of Queens he was quite obviously one of the funnier characters since people often couldn’t see themselves living with such an individual, especially given that he would give his own family such a hard time that retirement homes had to be looking pretty good at one point or another. Be that as it may however it’s fair to say that said homes wouldn’t want him since his characters were known to create such unrest that it’s likely that they would have sent him home, or perhaps the writers would have come up with something even more insane had it not been a bit of controversy that a beloved show didn’t want to deal with. After all, no matter how bad a parent gets a lot of people wouldn’t stoop to shipping them off without good reason. When the cameras were off though it does sound as though Jerry was one of the nicest men that a person could ever meet, someone that was devoted to his work but also devoted to his family and a life spent making people laugh. That’s the kind of dedication that’s truly inspiring as it builds people up and reminds them that there’s something more important than being famous.
The one thing that can be said, among the many, is that Jerry did pass on from natural causes, meaning old age, his body wearing down, and not the COVID-19 virus or anything other than what many are being denied these days, which is about all a person can hope for. He had a long, full life that saw him grow in fame, meet the love of his life, watch his kids grow, and enjoy himself as the years rolled by. The lot of us could only hope for that much in our own time. Rest in peace sir.
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