"I'm sad to say that my father passed away from natural causes," Ben wrote on Twitter, calling him "a great dad and grandfather" and "dedicated husband".

Born in New York in 1927, Stiller spent many years in a comedy team with his wife Anne Meara, who died in 2015.

His other roles included Arthur Spooner in TV sitcom The King of Queens.

Stiller appeared with son Ben in several film comedies, among them Zoolander, Zoolander 2 and The Heartbreak Kid.

He also had roles in both the original 1988 film of Hairspray and the musical adaptation that followed in 2007.

For many, though, he will be best remembered as Jason Alexander's on-screen father in Seinfeld, a role he played for six years.

His role as the volatile and cantankerous Frank Costanza saw him nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1997.

John Randolph was originally cast in the part but only made one appearance before Stiller replaced him.

Read MORE

BBC NEWS