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Actress, Comedian Anne Meara Dies At 85

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Actress and comedian Anne Meara, whose comic work with husband Jerry Stiller helped launch a 60-year career in film and TV, has died. She was 85.

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Jerry Stiller and son Ben Stiller say Meara died Saturday. No other details were provided.

The Stiller family released a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday describing Jerry Stiller as Meara's "husband and partner in life."

"The two were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long," the statement said.

The couple performed as Stiller & Meara on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and other programs in the 1960s and won awards for the radio and TV commercials they made together. Meara also appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, including a longtime role on "All My Children" and recurring appearances on "Rhoda," ''Alf," ''Sex and the City" and "The King of Queens." She shared the screen with her son in 2006's "Night at the Museum."

Stiller and Meara on their first sketch on "The Ed Sullivan Show" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG by FoundationINTERVIEWS on YouTube

Meara was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for her supporting role on "Archie Bunker's Place," along with three other Emmy nods, most recently in 1997 for her guest-starring role on "Homicide." She won a Writers Guild Award for co-writing the 1983 TV movie "The Other Woman."

Besides her husband and son, Meara is survived by her daughter, Amy, and several grandchildren.

The family statement said: "Anne's memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne."

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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