Archie Bunker's Place

Background:

Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominated American actress, comedian and playwright Anne Meara first gaining success with the popular comedy duo Stiller and Meara, which she co founded with husband Jerry Stiller in 1962. They performed in a number of TV shows, including CBS' hit “The Ed Sullivan Show” (30 episodes, 1963-1971), cabarets, as well as wrote, produced and record numerous TV and radio advertisements through their own production company. They won a 1975 Clio Award for a Blue Nun Wine radio ad called “Dining Alone.” On her own right, Meara received her Emmy nominations for her starring role in the short lived TV series “Kate McShane” (1975, as the title role), a supporting role in the Carroll O'Connor comedy vehicle “Archie Bunker's Place” (1979-1982, as cook Veronica Rooney) and a guest stint in “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1996), and her Golden Globe nomination in the spin off sitcom “Rhoda” (1976-1977, as stewardess Sally Gallagher). In a more recent time, she is known to TV audiences for having recurring roles in the TV series “Sex and the City” (2002-2004, as Mary Brady) and “The King of Queens” (2003-2007, as Veronica) and guest starring in popular series like “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Oz” and “Will & Grace.” The mother of comic actor Ben Stiller and actress Amy Stiller has also acted in countless motion pictures, among them “Fame” (1980), “My Little Girl” (1986), “Reality Bites” (1994), “Heavyweights” (1995), “The Daytrippers” (1996), “A Fish in the Bathtub” (1999), “The Independent” (2000), “Zoolander” (2001), “Night at the Museum” (2006) and “Another Harvest Moon” (2009). She took home an Obie award for “Mädchen in Uniform” (1955) and a Tony nomination in a revival of “Anna Christie” (1993). On the writing front, Meara won a Writers Guild of America Award for her work in the TV film “The Other Woman” (1983). She is also known as the writer of the successful Off Broadway play “After-Play” (1994-1995).

Along with her husband, Meara has received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her TV star was at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard. She was named Queen of Brooklyn at the 2000 Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival. Stiller was named “King of Brooklyn” at the same festival.

Ben Stiller's Mom

Childhood and Family:

Anne Meara was born on September 20, 1929, in New York City, New York. Her parents, Mary (née Dempsey) and Edward Joseph Meara, were both immigrants from Ireland. When she was 11 years old, she faced a great loss when her mother died of committing suicide. She has since undergone therapy. Anne enrolled at Herbert Berghof Studio in New York.

On September 14, 1954, Anne married comedian and actor Jerry Stiller (born on June 8, 1927). They have two children, actor and comedian Ben Stiller (born on November 30, 1965) and actress Amy Stiller (born on August 9, 1961). Anne is the grandmother of two (both of them from her son Ben with actress Christine Taylor).

Raised Catholic, Anne converted to Judaism six years after marrying her Jewish-born husband Stiller. She considered the shift seriously and studied the faith profoundly. Stiller commented, “Being married to Anne has made me more Jewish.”

After-Play

Career:

Anne Meara kicked off her career in summer stock on Long Island and Woodstock, New York in 1950. Making her off Broadway debut in “A Month in the Country” in 1954, she won an Obie for her overwhelmingly dramatic performance in the production of “Maedchen in Uniform,” the next year. She also played the Nurse in the 1957 New York Shakespeare Festival's production of “Romeo and Juliet,” a role she reprised later in a 1988 production, and appeared in the successful off Broadway production of “Ulysses in Nighttown” (1958), starring Zero Mostel. Meara branched out to the small screen in 1954 when she landed a regular role on the short lived NBC soap “The Greatest Gift,” playing Harriet. It was followed by guest appearances in the anthology series “The Philco Television Playhouse” (1954) and the drama/comedy “The DuPont Show of the Month” (1959).

In 1959, Meara and husband Jerry Stiller joined the improvisational theater The Compass Players (which later became The Second City), but the couple did not hit the big time until they formed the comedy team “Stiller and Meara” in 1962. Bringing numerous of their real life relationship mannerisms to bear on their frequently improvised comedy acts, the comedy unit became famous in the 1960s and the 1970s thanks largely to steady appearances on television variety shows such as “The Ed Sullivan Show.” They formed their own production company, and wrote and performed together in many radio and TV commercials. In 1975, they picked up a Clio Award for “Dining Alone,” a Blue Nun Wine radio ad. The pair's popularity, however, gradually dropped when the variety shows became scarce in the late 1970s.

Meara made her Broadway debut in the award winning play “The House of Blue Leaves” in 1970 and her her feature film acting debut in that same year in Neil Simon's “The Out-Of-Towners,” starring Jack Lemmon. She continued to have roles in “Lovers and Other Strangers” (1970, starred Bea Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia and Michael Brandon), the indie drama “Irish Whiskey Rebellion” (1972, as Goldie Fain), “Nasty Habits” (1977, played a nun named Geraldine) and the Gregory Peck/Laurence Olivier engaging mystery/thriller “The Boys from Brazil” (1978, as Mrs. Curry).

During the 1970s, Meara also did a number of TV projects. Apart from appearances with husband Stiller in episodes of “The Courtship of Eddie's Father,” “The Paul Lynde Show” and “Love, American Style,” she costarred as Jennifer in the short lived comedy “The Corner Bar” (1973) and had the title role in the drama series “Kate McShane” (1975), which became the first network dramatic series to feature a woman lawyer. For her bright acting in the latter, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Meara joined the cast of the sitcom “Rhoda,” a spin off from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” during the 1976-1977 season in the role of divorced airline stewardess Sally Gallagher, one of Rhoda's best friends. The role brought her a 1977 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Television.

In 1979, Meara landed the regular role of Veronica Rooney, the alcoholic and acid-tongued cook, on the CBS sitcom “Archie Bunker's Place,” led by Carroll O'Connor. She appeared periodically throughout the show's third season and departed the show in 1982 before the fourth and final season. Meara collected two Emmy nominations (1981 and 1982) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series for her work in the series.

Back to film after nearly two years hiatus, Meara offered a memorable supporting portrayal of a spirited teacher, Mrs. Sherwood, in the Academy Award winning drama “Fame” (1980), directed by Alan Parker. Three years later, she co wrote (with Lila Garrett) and starred as Peg Gilford in the made-for TV film “The Other Woman” (1983), where husband Stiller also played the supporting role of Mel Binns. She was handed a Writers Guild of America for Original/Adapted Comedy Anthology for her outstanding writing.

In 1986, Meara was reunited with her husband to star in the sitcom “The Stiller and Meara Show,” where Stiller played the deputy mayor of New York and Meara as his wife, a TV commercial actress. The show, however, was canceled within a few weeks. The same year, Meara worked herself in three independent comedies named “The Longshot,” “The Perils of P.K.” (starred Naura Hayden) and “My Little Girl” (costarred with James Earl Jones, Geraldine Page, Mary Stuart Masterson). She reunited with husband for the 1989 comedy “That's Adequate,” playing the Lane spouse. Meara played the notable recurring role of grandmother Dorothy Halligan in the NBC sitcom “ALF,” created and starred by Paul Fusco, from 1987 to 1989. She also wrote the episode “Break Up to Make Up,” braodcast on November 20, 1989.

Meara was cast along side Robert De Niro and Robin Williams in the Penny Marshall-helmed moving psychodrama “Awakenings” (1990), which amassed three Oscars nominations for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, appeared together with her husband and children in the adventure/comedy “Highway to Hell” (1991) and was directed by son Ben in his feature directororial debut, “Reality Bites” (1994). In the Judd Apatow-produced “Heavyweights” (1995), which starred Ben Stiller as a fitness guru named Tony Perkis, she and her husband were cast as the original owners of Camp Hope Alice and Harvey Bushkin, respectively. She also appeared in the films “Kiss of Death” (1995), “The Daytrippers” (1996, played the mother of Hope Davis), “The Thin Pink Line” (1998), “Southie” (1998), Eric Mendelsohn's acclaimed indie “Judy Berlin” (1999), “Brooklyn Thrill Killers” (1999), “The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man” (1999) and “A Fish in the Bathtub” (1999, starred with husband Jerry as Molly).

The decade also saw the sixty something actress work in a string television programs. She joined the ABC soap “All My Children” in the role of Peggy Moody from 1992 to 1999, played Robert Pastorelli's mother, Reena Bernecky, in two episodes of the CBS long running but now defunct comedy series “Murphy Brown” (1994) and received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for playing Donna DiGrazi in the episode “Hostage: part 2” (1996) of “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Other TV credits included a performance in the TV films “Jitters” (1997) and guest spots in such shows as “American Playhouse” (1991) and “Murder, She Wrote” (1993).

Meanwhile, on the stage, Meara gained recognition as Marthy in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's “Anna Christie” (1993), where she was handed a Tony nomination in the category of Best Actress (Featured Role – Play) for her performance. She also made her off Broadway debut as a playwright with the hit comedy/drama “ After-Play” (1994-1995), where she also took the lead. Her next effort, “Down the Garden Paths,” premiered at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey in 1999. The was produced off Broadway in the following year with Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson in the cast. Unfortunately, it was not well received by the critics.

Meara continued to play in such films as Stephen Kessler's “The Independent” (2000, starred husband Jerry Stiller), Steven Burrows' “Chump Change” (2000), “What Makes a Family (2001, TV), Ben Stiller's “Zoolander” (2001), Justin McCarthy's “Get Well Soon” (2001, starred Vincent Gallo and Courteney Cox), John Schultz's “Like Mike” (2002, starred Bow Wow), “The Yard Sale” (2002), “Crooked Lines” (2003), Ben's “Night at the Museum” (2006, as Debbie) and “The Shallow End of the Ocean” (2007, voiced Ellen). She played Mary Brady in four episodes of “Sex and the City,” a role she portrayed during 2002 to 2004, and Veronica in several episodes of “The King of Queens” from 2003 to 2007. She also guested in TV shows such as “Ed,” “Will & Grace” (both 2001), “Oz” (as Aunt Brenda O'Reily, 2002) , “Good Morning, Miami” (2003) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2004, as Ida Becker).

Recently, in 2009, Meara played Ella in the drama film “Another Harvest Moon,” which won the Grand Prize for Audience Choice Award and Best Original Score at the 2009 Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Violet Arlotta in the 13 minute comedy “The Queen of Greenwich Village,” opposite daughter Amy. She portrayed Estelle Thalberg in an episode of the NBC drama “Mercy” called “The Last Thing I Said Was.” Her husband also appeared with her in the episode playing Joe Thalberg. She will play Marion Corrado in the drama film “When the Evening Comes” (2009), directed by Craig Geraghty and written by Leo Marinello.

Awards:

• Writers Guild of America: Original/Adapted Comedy Anthology, “The Other Woman,” 1984 (shared with Lila Garrett)

• Obie: “Mädchen in Uniform,” 1955