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How Ben Stiller Achieved a Net Worth of $200 Million

Ben Stiller is one of the better-known comedians out there. For proof, look no further than the fact that his movies have earned $3 billion and counting at the box office on a worldwide basis. As such, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Stiller is estimated by some sources to have a current net worth of $200 million.

How Did Ben Stiller Reach His Current Net Worth?

For those who are unfamiliar, Stiller's full name is Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller. It is interesting to note that he is the son of a pair of veteran actors who doubled as comedians. Stiller's father is Jerry Stiller, who came from a Jewish family that had immigrated to the United States from Central Europe.

Meanwhile, Stiller's mother is Anne Meara, who came from a Catholic family that had immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Anne Meara converted to Reform Judaism upon getting married to Jerry Stiller, but since the family as a whole was never very religious in nature, they celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas with no issues whatsoever.

Regardless, Stiller received what he called a "show business upbringing." Essentially, this meant that he spent a lot of time traveling as well as a lot of late nights, which wasn't exactly what most people would consider to be a traditional upbringing.

However, while some people might have shied away from the entertainment industries because of this kind of background, Stiller came to realize that this was what he wanted to do with his life. Due to this, while Stiller spent some time studying film at the University of California, Los Angeles while performing as an opening act for the cabaret singer Jadin Wong, it wasn't too long before he headed home to New York City with the intent of becoming an actor in earnest.

His First Roles and MTV

In 1987, Stiller managed to get a short called The Hustler of Money featured on Saturday Night Live. In 1989, Stiller was invited on to the show as a writer, though he lasted for just four episodes because it turned out that the show didn't want him to do any more shorts.

As such, Stiller made the short called Elvis Stories, which was successful enough for him to make another short called Going Back to Brooklyn for MTV. This time, the short so impressed MTV that it gave Stiller a show called The Ben Stiller Show that existed for a single season but somewhat managed to convince Fox to give Stiller another show by the same name.

Amusingly, the second show didn't fare that much better from a commercial perspective, though it is interesting to note that it managed to further raise Stiller's profile because it proved to be a hit with the critics.

Directing Movies

From that point forward, Stiller continued to direct movies as well as perform in movies. Eventually, his roles became more and more prominent while his movies became more and more famous. One excellent example would be Stiller's appearance in Meet the Parents as Gaylord Focker, which was so successful that it earned $300 million at the box office before inspiring a full-fledged movie series that continued its story.

Another excellent example would be Zoolander, which was actually based on a couple of Stiller's previous shorts. Of course, he stumbled from time to time in this period. However, there can be no doubt about the fact that the 2000s were when Stiller made it very clear that he had managed to become one of the leading comedic actors of his generation.

In fact, it should be mentioned that he was considered to be the leader of the so-called Frat Pack of comedic actors, though it is interesting to note that he himself was less than fond of that particular label because he didn't consider it to be a thing that existed.

More recently

In more recent times, Stiller remains very much active. For example, he put out Zoolander 2 in 2016, which was followed by the animated Zoolander: Super Model soon afterwards. Likewise, it wasn't that long ago that Stiller showed up on Saturday Night Live for the purpose of playing Michael Cohen.

Interest individuals might recognize as the man who served as Donald Trump's lawyer from 2006 to May of 2018 when he was convicted for campaign finance violations, tax fraud, bank fraud, and other crimes connected to said role. Still, it does seem as though Stiller has slowed down somewhat compared to the 2000s.

One can't help but wonder whether this might be connected to him being diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2010 and then prostate cancer in 2014, but to be perfectly honest, there isn't much evidence support this particular line of speculation.

Further Thoughts

Regardless, the source of Stiller's current net worth isn't exactly mysterious. Over the course of his career, he has contributed in various ways to a number of very successful movies, which in turn, means that it is perfectly natural for him to have reaped the rewards of said success.

Presumably, this means that he has benefited much from endorsements as well as the other opportunities presented to him by his success in the entertainment industries, seeing as how fame is very much a wealth-generating asset in its own right.

For now, Stiller's net worth is estimated to be $200 million. Of course, this is an imprecise figure at best, seeing as how it wasn't calculated using the exact details from the relevant documents but rather estimated using bits and scraps of information collected from various sources. Still, if nothing else, it is useful as a rough indication of the kind of wealth that Stiller has earned.

Furthermore, it seems safe to say that it is an indication of the kind of wealth that Stiller will continue to earn in the times to come. Currently, he is in his early 50s, which isn't particularly old for a male actor. As a result, it seems reasonable to say that his career can continue for decades to come provided that he wants it to.

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Allen Lee

Written by Allen Lee

Allen Lee is a Toronto-based freelance writer who studied business in school but has since turned to other pursuits. He spends more time than is perhaps wise with his eyes fixed on a screen either reading history books, keeping up with international news, or playing the latest releases on the Steam platform, which serve as the subject matter for much of his writing output. Currently, Lee is practicing the smidgen of Chinese that he picked up while visiting the Chinese mainland in hopes of someday being able to read certain historical texts in their original language.

Read more posts by Allen Lee

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