The incredible Jerry Stiller has sadly died at the age of 92 of natural causes. Stiller was a giant of American comedy and tributes have poured in from across the world of entertainment. He appeared on King of Queens and Zoolander among other shows and films, but he was most famous for playing Frank Costanza on Seinfeld. Simply put, Frank Costanza was one of the greatest supporting characters in the history of television. He's the man who invented Festivus, an alternative Christmas celebration, and declared 'Serenity Now' whenever the world was proving too maddening.
One particular clip of Jerry Stiller Seinfeld clip of Stiller being his most Stiller is being shared generously on social media this morning and it truly captures his wild genius. It's a scene where Stiller essentially challenges Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Elaine) to a fight. JLD simply cannot control herself as a Stiller readies himself to declare 'You want a piece of me?'. Over and over and over again, she bursts out laughing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2LdHH0hmHY
Here's the Seinfeld production team explaining what it was like trying to capture that scene.
Serenity now to Jerry Stiller, gone at 92. pic.twitter.com/6j2Fb0QJPV
— Marshall Julius 🇺🇦 (@MarshallJulius) May 11, 2020
Think of Robert DeNiro staring into a mirror in Taxi Driver muttering to himself 'You talking to me?'.
It makes you wonder: how could anyone act beside this (hilarious) raving lunatic? 'You want a piece of me' would become something of a Frank Costanza catchphrase. But it's only one of thousands of bizarre and amazing lines that Frank Costanza would utter over the course of the show. Here are some of the best Jerry Stiller Seinfeld moments:
Jerry Stiller is also, of course, the father of Ben Stiller. Ben confirmed the news on Twitter this morning:
I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.
RIP Jerry Stiller. Seinfeld would not have been Seinfeld without him.
