Ben Stiller may not be the most diverse comedy actor you will ever see - he is actually much more versatile than some give him credit for though - but there can be no doubting that he is one of the most consistent, successful comedy stars for many years. He has churned out so many classics. After amusing cameo roles in the Cable Guy and Happy Gilmore in the mid 1990s, and a hilarious performance as a man with anger issues in Friends, it was There's Something About Mary that sent Stiller into the A-list of comedy actors. He was superb in the lead role, playing a writer obsessed with Cameron Diaz's eponymous female lead, and the numerous gross-out scenes he stars in in the film - one including a zipper, the other masturbation - are legendary. From that point on, Stiller was a superstar. He was excellent in Meet The Parents, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet The Fockers and Dodgeball, playing awkward everyday guys or vein, egotistical fools. The 49-year-old is rarely disappointing in a role, and like the aforementioned Rudd, he is a very safe pair of hands. Starsky & Hutch and Tropic Thunder are further examples of his brilliance, and although he is not quite in demand like he once was, there can be no denying what a talented comedy star he is. He is the kind of actor the movie hipsters love to hate, because of his mainstream appeal, but they are not to be trusted.
