Jerry Stiller death: Seinfeld, King of Queens and Zoolander star dies aged 92

Stiller’s son, the actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller, confirmed the news on Twitter

Jerry Stiller, the Seinfeld and The King of Queens actor and father of Ben Stiller, has died at the age of 92.

Stiller confirmed his father died of natural causes.

In a statement posted to his Twitter, Stiller wrote: “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes.”

He continued: “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

Stiller’s wife, Anne Meara, an actor and comedian, died in 2015 at the age of 85.

The pair came to fame as part of a comedy double act, appearing regularly on Ed Sullivan’s US talk show, before launching their own short-lived sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in 1986.

Stiller would go on to be best known for his role as Frank Costanza, quick-tempered father of Jason Alexander’s George, on the iconic 1990s sitcom Seinfeld. His character’s exclamation of the phrase “Serenity now!”, one designed to quell inner rage, became a line of dialogue synonymous with the show.

Stiller also played Leah Remini’s father on all nine seasons of the Kevin James sitcom The King of Queens, and worked alongside his son on films including Zoolander, The Heartbreak Kid and Heavyweights.

His final acting role came in 2016, where he reprised his Zoolander role in its belated sequel.