Hollywood star Ben Stiller rose to fame in the early 1990s and ever since then he's been a staple in the industry — especially when it comes to comedy projects. Throughout his career, the actor has starred in numerous blockbusters, but what many may not know is that apart from acting, Ben Stiller also loves directing, writing, and producing.
Today, we're taking a closer look at just which television projects the Hollywood star has directed so far. From The Ben Stiller Show to his newest project Severance — keep on scrolling to see on which projects Ben Stiller also worked behind the scenes!
6 Ben Stiller Directed 'The Ben Stiller Show' Between 1990 And 1993
Kicking the list off is the project that helped Ben Stiller rise to fame — the sketch comedy show The Ben Stiller Show. It premiered on MTV in 1990 but after only one season it got canceled. Luckily, the show got picked up by Fox where it aired between 1992 and 1993. The show was created by Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow, and it was the first Fox sketch comedy program that didn't use a laugh track. After it got canceled in 1993, the show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program. Currently, The Ben Stiller Show has a 7.0 rating on IMDb. Ben Stiller also served as an executive producer on the project.
5 In 1999 Ben Stiller Directed The Pilot 'Heat Vision And Jack'
Next up is the 1999 comedy science fiction television pilot Heat Vision and Jack. The pilot was written by Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon and directed by Ben Stiller (who was also an executive producer on the project).
Heat Vision and Jack stars Jack Black and Ron Silver but unfortunately, the show never got picked up by Fox. However, its pilot has gained cult status since its premiere. Today, Heat Vision and Jack has a 7.8 rating on IMDb.
4 In 2018 Ben Stiller Directed The Limited Series 'Escape At Dannemora'
The next television project that Ben Stiller directed is the limited series Escape at Dannemora which premiered on Showtime in November 2018. The thriller drama is based on the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape, and it stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Bonnie Hunt, Eric Lange, and David Morse. The limited series was directed by Ben Stiller who also served as an executive producer on the show. Escape at Dannemora currently has an 8.0 rating on IMDb.
3 Over The Years Ben Stiller Also Produced Numerous Shows
Apart from directing shows, Ben Stiller has also produced numerous television projects over the years. In 2013, he produced the sketch comedy show The Birthday Boys, and between 2014 and 2016 he produced the stand-up comedy show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail.
In 2015, he produced the television projects Another Period and Big Time in Hollywood, FL, and a year later he produced the animated comedy movie Zoolander: Super Model. Since 2019 the actor has been producing the drama show In The Dark, as well as the French comedy show La Flamme.
2 And Ben Stiller Directed Quite A Few Movies Throughout His Career
Besides having plenty of experience in directing television projects, the actor has also directed numerous big-screen movies throughout his career. In 1989, he directed the short movie Elvis Stories, and in 1994 he directed the rom-com Reality Bites. Two years later he directed the comedy The Cable Guy, and in 2001 he also directed perhaps his most famous project — the blockbuster Zoolander. In 2008 Stiller directed the comedy Tropic Thunder, and in 2013 he directed the comedy-drama The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In 2016 the actor directed the Zoolander sequel — Zoolander 2, which marks his most recent big-screen directorial project.
1 This Year Ben Stiller Directed The Sci-Fi Thriller Show 'Severance'
And finally, this year the sci-fi psychological thriller show Severence premiered on Apple TV+. The show is created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle. Ben Stiller is also an executive producer on the project. Severance stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette — and it shows a world in which people can have their non-work memories separated from their work memories. Severance currently has an 8.6 rating on IMDb and in April 2022, the show got renewed for a second season.
Here's what Ben Stiller revealed about why working on the project is important to him: "People do ask me, 'Why were you drawn to this? You’re not a guy who does these kinds of things' I get asked that about Severance, I heard it a lot about Dannemora. 'You’re funny. Be funny.' I get it. But I don’t analyze it. In my mind it made total sense. Maybe it’s something ingrained in me from the movies I watched as a kid that had a big effect on me, and there was a wide range. There were the crazy disaster movies, like The Poseidon Adventure. Or Jaws. Or sci-fi movies in a weird dystopia, like Planet of the Apes. All of those I loved. There was a human quality about all of them, but in a disconnected world. There are human desires and human emotions that are there no matter what, and people figure out a way to fight through barriers. People figure out a way to connect."