Jerry Stiller, ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘The King of Queens’ actor, dead at 92

Jerry Stiller, pictured in Astoria in 2010 at the house that was used for exterior shots for the Costanza's home in the show "Seinfeld."(Julia Xanthos)

Jerry Stiller, the beloved “Seinfeld” and “The King of Queens” star whose hilariously excitable characters earned big laughs, has died.

He was 92.

His death was announced early Monday by his son, fellow comedian Ben Stiller.

"I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes," Ben Stiller tweeted. "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."

The Brooklyn-born actor appeared in more than 100 TV and movie roles over the course of a career that spanned seven decades. Among his most recognizable film performances include 1974′s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” 1987′s “Hot Pursuit,” and two iterations of “Hairspray,” first in 1988 and then again in 2007.

His longtime comedy partner was his wife, Anne Meara, with whom he made dozens of appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” performed at nightclubs and starred in prominent television and radio ads. Meara died in 2015 at age 85.

Stiller for years delighted audiences with his lively portrayal of the mercurial Frank Costanza, the father of Jason Alexander’s George, on “Seinfeld." Among his character’s claims to fame on that show was creating the fictional holiday Festivus in place of Christmas, which Frank viewed as too commercialized.

He played Frank on the famed sitcom that also starred Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards from 1993 to 1998.

Then from 1998 through 2007, Stiller starred as one of the leads on “The King of Queens” alongside Kevin James and Leah Remini.

On that show, Stiller portrayed Arthur Spooner, the father of Remini’s Carrie Heffernan and father-in-law of James’ Doug Heffernan. His character caused daily mayhem after moving in with Doug and Carrie at their home in Queens during his later years.

Over the years, Stiller worked on a number of projects with his son, including 1987′s Oscar-nominated short “Shoeshine” and the 2007 comedy flick “The Heartbreak Kid.” Stiller also played Maury in the 2001 modeling comedy “Zoolander” — in which Ben portrayed the titular character — and returned in the role in 2016′s sequel.

In addition to Ben, Stiller is survived by his daughter, Amy.