Hi everyone and thank you for tuning in to the 293rd episode of Awards Chatter, the Hollywood Reporters Awards Podcast.

I'm the host Scott Feinberg,

and my guest today is one of the funniest actors

and also one of the most talented directors in Hollywood.

And he has been for some 30 years.

Ben Stiller.

The 53 year old son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Mira, one of the great comedy teams of all time,

got his first gigs as a performer but always

aspire to be a director. The Ben Stiller show a half-hour variety sketch

program that had a couple of incarnations in the late 80s and early 90s was short-lived but allowed him the chance to do both as

well as writing for which he received an Emmy in 1993 and then a host of other

opportunities.

He directed and played supporting parts in 1994's

reality bites and indie sensation and in 1996's The Cable Guy, a big budget flop.

In 1996 he also played a small part in Happy Gilmore opposite Adam Sandler and a big part in David

O Russell's flirting with disaster. And then he was cast with great reluctance on the part of 20th century Fox as the lead of the movie that made him a star.

The Farley Brothers There's Something About Mary, which came out in 1998 and became a global sensation. Ever since, Stiller has had conflicted feelings about

his career. He is best known and most often wanted for broad comedies, having starred in many,

including Meet the Parents in 2000, Zoolander in 2001,

along came Polly in 2004, Dodgeball a true underdog story, also in 2004, Starski and Hutch,

also in 2004, Tropic Thunder in 2008, and Tower Hiced in 2011.

Plus, a couple of Tid Friendly franchises, which originated with Madagascar in 2005 and Night at the Museum in 2006.

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