Advertisement
Advertisement
People named Anne Meara
Below are 7 people with the first name Anne and the last name Meara. Try the Meara Family page if you can't find a particular Collaborative Biography in your family tree.
ADVERTISEMENT
BY ANCESTRY.COM
Find records of Anne Meara
Explore what's going on in the
AncientFaces Community
AncientFaces Community
7 Anne Meara Biographies
Sort:
Updated
Anne Meara, the wife of Jerry Stiller was the other half of the famous comedy couple Stiller and Meara and the mother of movie star, Ben Stiller.
Anne Meara, who was half of one of the most successful male-female comedy teams of all time and who went on to enjoy a long and diverse career as an actress and, late in life, a playwright, died on Saturday in Manhattan. She was 85.
Her death was confirmed by her husband and longtime comedy partner, Jerry Stiller, and her son, the actor and director Ben Stiller.
Ms. Meara was an experienced but relatively unknown stage actress when she joined forces with Jerry Stiller as members of the Compass Players, an improvisational theater troupe that evolved into Second City, and later on their own as Stiller and Meara. (Another male-female team, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, also got their start with the Compass Players.) Stiller and Meara began performing in New York nightclubs in 1961 and within a year had become a national phenomenon.
But even during the act’s heyday, Ms. Meara also pursued a separate career as an actress. She had already amassed an impressive list of stage credits before beginning her comedy career, including an Obie Award-winning performance in “Mädchen in Uniform” in 1955 and roles in several Shakespeare in the Park productions. (She was a witch in “Macbeth” in 1957.)
She later appeared both on and off Broadway, in films, and especially on television, where she was seen on a wide range of series, from “Rhoda” and “Archie Bunker’s Place” on CBS to “Sex and the City” and “Oz” on HBO.
A tall redhead with a brassy voice and a self-confident demeanor, Ms. Meara was a natural for comedy but frequently played dramatic parts as well. “Comedy, drama, it’s the same deal,” she said in an interview for the Archive of American Television in 2008. “You don’t really act differently; you just make adjustments.”
Anne Meara was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 1929, and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island. An only child, she was the daughter of Edward Meara, a lawyer, and the former Mary Dempsey. After studying for a year at the Dramatic Workshop at the New School in Manhattan, Anne began her career in summer stock in 1948.
She met Mr. Stiller in 1953 and married him soon after, but it would be some time before they began working as a team. The idea, they both agreed, was his; she did not think of herself as a comedian, but because work was scarce she reluctantly agreed.
“Jerry started us being a comedy team,” she said in 2008. “He always thought I would be a great comedy partner. At that time in my life, I disdained comedians.”
In the 1960s Stiller and Meara were regular guests on the variety and talk shows of Ed Sullivan and many others, and performed in nightclubs all over the country. In the 1970s their voices were heard on radio commercials for Blue Nun wine and other products.
Anne (Meara) Sommerville of Australia. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anne (Meara) Sommerville.
Anne (Meara) Purcell of Australia. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anne (Meara) Purcell.
Anne Anne (Meara) Kelly of Woodford Australia. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anne Meara Kelly.
Anne (Meara) Stiller of Manhattan, New York County, New York United States was born on September 20, 1929 in Brooklyn, Kings County to Edward Joseph Meara and Mary Theresa Meara. Anne Stiller died at age 85 years old on May 23, 2015 in Manhattan, New York County.
Anne (Hennessy) Meara of Bate, St Marys Geelong Parish County Australia. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anne Hennessy Meara.
ADVERTISEMENT
BY ANCESTRY.COM
Find records of Anne Meara
Advertisement
Similar Meara names
Meara biographies alphabetically beginning with Agnes and ending with Carroll Meara.
Agnes Meara
Alice Meara
Allsop O Meara
Andrew Meara (Sep 20, 1920 - Jan 19, 2003)
Ann Meara
Anna Meara
Annand O Meara
Anne Meara
Annie Meara
Arnell O Meara (Jan 18, 1945 - Feb 2, 2006)
Arthur Meara (Oct 5, 1907 - Aug 1984)
Barbara Meara (Jun 3, 1954 - Nov 9, 1993)
Beatrice Meara (Born 1887)
Bernice Meara (Jul 5, 1907 - Mar 1989)
Bertha Meara (Nov 29, 1906 - Dec 29, 2000)
Beryl Meara (Feb 27, 1906 - Jul 1, 1992)
Blanche O Meara
Bridget Meara
Carolyn Meara (Jun 6, 1892 - Jul 1981)
Carroll Meara (Born circa 1959)
More people with the last name Meara
Next >
Catharine - Dennis