Both Ben Stiller's parents have spoken about their therapy for depression, though neither mentioned manic-depression in sources found. However, possible signs of bipolar disorder do exist in his mother's history: Anne Meara's mother committed suicide when Anne was 11, and Meara also admits to problem drinking in the past. She entered therapy in about 1989, and continued at least until 1995.
Stiller's famous parents helped him get a start in show business. He began acting at 10 but had few film and TV roles until the late 1980s. In 1993 his short-lived television series, The Ben Stiller Show, won an Emmy Award for outstanding writing in a variety or music program in spite of having run for only 12 episodes before being cancelled.
His other acting, directing and writing credits are too numerous to mention. In 2000 he married actress Christine Taylor; they have a daughter, Ella Olivia, who was born in August of 2002.
