Ben Stiller reveals how his late dad Jerry was different as a father than his ‘Seinfeld’ character

Jerry Stiller, who passed away back in May at the age of 92, was known for playing a brash and unsupportive father on the hilarious sitcom “Seinfeld.”

Now, his son Ben Stiller is speaking out to reveal that Jerry could not have been a more different dad than his character was in real life.

Jerry was beloved by fans for playing the mean father of Jason Alexander’s character of George Costanza on “Seinfeld.”

In a new interview, Ben was asked if he ever felt jealous of Alexander for essentially taking over his role as Jerry’s son, but he said that he never did because his father’s parenting style was so much different in real life. “I never felt that,” Ben replied.

“His character on the show, my dad’s character, was so not like my dad. That’s the thing. He was so not like that as a father. I mean literally the opposite.”

Ben went on to recall writing a letter to his father right before he dropped out of UCLA in which he told him how much he hated being in school.

Jerry sent him a touching letter in response that he recently uncovered, and it reminded him how kind his dad really was. “He wrote me this long letter just about life and about why it’s important to stick things out,” Ben explained.

“It was really…it got very philosophical and just reading it now, I’m like ‘oh my god!’ It was a beautiful thing. He really cared. So he wasn’t that crazy guy at home.”

Alexander himself then popped up to surprise Ben and his sister during the interview, providing his own memories of Jerry. “Heaven, heaven,” Alexander said of what it was like to work with him.

“He was exactly who Ben and Amy are describing. He was generous and grateful and charming and collaborative and so happy to be there.”

Jerry had a decades-long career in Hollywood before he passed away back in May. “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Ben tweeted at the time.

“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.”

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