Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#172
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Ben Stiller represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 39 years in, and Ben is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Ben Stiller appears in 58 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Ben. Beastie Boys Story is the clearest case: a film rated 7.5 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for romance, comedy, documentary. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with John Hamburg, Josh Greenbaum, Kyle Newacheck and others, Ben Stiller helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Beastie Boys Story (2020) as Self · The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) as Chas Tenenbaum · Submarine (2011) as Soap Opera Star (uncredited)
Career snapshot
Ranked #172 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
58
1987–2026
Career length
39 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.5
Beastie Boys Story
Average Nutevio score
6.0
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.5
Empire of the Sun
Most frequent director
Ben Stiller
7 films together
Longest collaboration
7×
With Ben Stiller
Most common genre
Comedy
52 titles
Average runtime
1h 37m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.5
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1980s
7.4 average MV
The 1980s are where the work and the material meet. Empire of the Sun — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1980s
7.4
Across 1 catalogue film in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1980s
7.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Empire of the Sun.
Most productive era
2000s
21 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 7.41 film | 6.32 films | 6.82 films | 6.57 films | 5.91 film |
| Action | — | 5.91 film | 6.52 films | 5.94 films | — |
| Thriller | — | 6.01 film | — | — | — |
| Comedy | — | 6.36 films | 6.320 films | 6.314 films | 5.112 films |
| Crime | — | — | 5.81 film | — | 5.21 film |
| Romance | — | 6.62 films | 6.16 films | 6.33 films | 3.93 films |
| Horror | — | — | — | — | 5.91 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Dainty.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
7.5 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026The Dink
The current state of the argument, as Dr. Stone.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
58 of 58 films
as Walter Mitty
Directed by Ben Stiller
as Alex (voice)
Directed by Eric Darnell
as Alex (voice)
Directed by Eric Darnell
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Walter Mitty
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Performance score7.8
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Walter Mitty gives Ben Stiller a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Chas Tenenbaum
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Performance score7.8
The Royal Tenenbaums asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Chas Tenenbaum is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Alex (voice)
Madagascar (2005)
Performance score7.7
Madagascar asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Alex (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Self
Beastie Boys Story (2020)
Performance score7.6
Beastie Boys Story asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Walter Mitty
Start here. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the clearest statement of what Ben Stiller does — accessible, 114 minutes, and rated 7.2 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Ben at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Keeps the comedy register of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty but asks for a colder reading of it.
Madagascar (2005)
Keeps the comedy register of The Royal Tenenbaums but asks for a colder reading of it.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Same director as Madagascar, different problem to solve. Watching them in order shows how much of the effect was the collaboration.
Beastie Boys Story (2020)
A deliberate change of key after Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Ben Stiller
Director
7 films together
Notably The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Eric Darnell
Director
3 films together
Notably Madagascar
Shawn Levy
Director
3 films together
Notably Night at the Museum
Noah Baumbach
Director
3 films together
Notably The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Bobby Farrelly
Director
3 films together
Notably There's Something About Mary
Jay Roach
Director
2 films together
Notably Meet the Parents
Todd Phillips
Director
2 films together
Notably Starsky & Hutch
John Hamburg
Director
2 films together
Notably Along Came Polly
Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together
Notably Empire of the Sun
David O. Russell
Director
1 film together
Notably Flirting with Disaster
Dennis Dugan
Director
1 film together
Notably Happy Gilmore
Edward Norton
Director
1 film together
Notably Keeping the Faith
Wes Anderson
Director
1 film together
Notably The Royal Tenenbaums
Jake Kasdan
Director
1 film together
Notably Orange County
Danny DeVito
Director
1 film together
Notably Duplex
Barry Levinson
Director
1 film together
Notably Envy
Adam McKay
Director
1 film together
Notably Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Casey Affleck
Director
1 film together
Notably I'm Still Here
Paul Weitz
Director
1 film together
Notably Little Fockers
Tom McGrath
Director
1 film together
Notably Megamind
Richard Ayoade
Director
1 film together
Notably Submarine
Brett Ratner
Director
1 film together
Notably Tower Heist
Akiva Schaffer
Director
1 film together
Notably The Watch
Mike White
Director
1 film together
Notably Brad's Status
Donick Cary
Director
1 film together
Notably Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
Steven Brill
Director
1 film together
Notably Hubie Halloween
Spike Jonze
Director
1 film together
Notably Beastie Boys Story
Natasha Lyonne
Director
1 film together
Notably Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine
Doug Liman
Director
1 film together
Notably Locked Down
Nicholas Stoller
Director
1 film together
Notably Bros
Rob Reiner
Director
1 film together
Notably Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
David Gordon Green
Director
1 film together
Notably Nutcrackers
Brent Hodge
Director
1 film together
Notably Downey Wrote That
Kyle Newacheck
Director
1 film together
Notably Happy Gilmore 2
Josh Greenbaum
Director
1 film together
Notably The Dink
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Ben Stiller
Director
7 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 7 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Secret Life of Walter MittyEric Darnell
Director
3 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
MadagascarShawn Levy
Director
3 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Night at the MuseumBobby Farrelly
Director
3 films together · 6.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
There's Something About MaryNoah Baumbach
Director
3 films together · 6.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)Jay Roach
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Meet the ParentsTodd Phillips
Director
2 films together · 5.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Starsky & HutchJohn Hamburg
Director
2 films together · 3.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Along Came PollySpike Jonze
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Beastie Boys StoryWes Anderson
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Royal TenenbaumsRichard Ayoade
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SubmarineSteven Spielberg
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Empire of the SunRob Reiner
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Albert Brooks: Defending My LifeTom McGrath
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MegamindAdam McKay
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron BurgundyDennis Dugan
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Happy GilmoreNicholas Stoller
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BrosDonick Cary
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in PsychedelicsJosh Greenbaum
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The DinkKyle Newacheck
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Happy Gilmore 2Mike White
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Brad's StatusDavid O. Russell
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Flirting with DisasterBrett Ratner
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tower HeistDanny DeVito
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DuplexEdward Norton
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Keeping the FaithCasey Affleck
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I'm Still HereJake Kasdan
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Orange CountyDavid Gordon Green
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
NutcrackersSteven Brill
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hubie HalloweenPaul Weitz
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Little FockersAkiva Schaffer
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The WatchNatasha Lyonne
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sarah Cooper: Everything's FineDoug Liman
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Locked DownBarry Levinson
Director
1 film together · 4.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
EnvyBrent Hodge
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Downey Wrote ThatSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Beastie Boys Story
as Self
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Submarine
as Soap Opera Star (uncredited)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Empire of the Sun
as Dainty
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Happy Gilmore
as Hal L. (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Walter Mitty
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Ben Stiller has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
39 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
52 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Walter Mitty
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Megamind
as Bernard (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Submarine
as Soap Opera Star (uncredited)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Celebrity Escape Room
as Self
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Megamind
as Bernard (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
as Larry Daley
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Walter Mitty
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Dink
as Dr. Stone
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Edward Norton
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Harvey Keitel
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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