Actress and Comedian Anne Meara, Mom of Ben Stiller, Dead at 85

Meara was married to her husband Jerry Stiller for 61 years and “worked together almost as long,” he said

BEL AIR, CA- NOVEMBER 11: (l-r) Ben Stiller and mother Anne Meara pose for a photo at the Yves Saint Laurent Grand classics Screening of 'Sweet Smell of Sucess' hosted by Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor at the Playboy Mansion on November 11, 2004 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Actress and comedian Anne Meara has died. She was 85.

Meara’s husband, Jerry Stiller, and son Ben Stiller on Sunday released a statement to the Associated Press saying she died Saturday, but provided no other details. The statement described  Jerry Stiller as Meara’s “husband and partner in life” and said “the two were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long.”

The couple performed as Stiller & Meara on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (photo below) and other programs in the 1960s. Meara appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, including on “All My Children” from 1993-1998. She also had recurring roles in “Rhoda,” “Alf,” “Sex and the City” and appeared with her husband on CBS sitcom “The King of Queens.”

anne meara with jerry stillerMeara was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 1929. She was raised as a member of the Catholic Church, but later converted to Judaism after marrying Stiller.

Meara was nominated twice for an Emmy Award for her supporting role on “Archie Bunker’s Place,” along with three other Emmy nods, most recently in 1997 for her guest-starring role on “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

In addition to her acting work, Meara had a successful writing career. Her 1995 comedy “After-Play,” which the New York Times described as a “perfect New York comedy” in its review, ran Off Broadway. And her “Down the Garden Paths” had a brief Off Broadway run in 2000.

She also won a Writers Guild Award for the 1983 TV movie “The Other Woman.”

Meara is survived by her daughter, Amy, and several grandchildren in addition to Jerry Stiller and Ben Stiller.

Watch the video below of Meara, Jerry Stiller and Patton Oswalt on “The King of Queens.”

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