Ben Stein

With an unmistakable monotone voice and surprisingly droll deadpan delivery, gray-haired and bespectacled former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein made a splash in the entertainment industry, becoming a well-known personality because of his numerous scene-stealing cameo appearances in film and television. The actor/lawyer/author/speechwriter/columnist/professor donned yet another hat in 1997, when he began working as a game show host and regular contestant on Comedy Central's popular "Win Ben Stein's Money".

Stein's unforgettable cameo as the sleep-inducing teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) made his face and voice readily familiar to moviegoers, and his mostly ad libbed scenes (painstakingly taking attendance and giving an amazingly boring economics lecture) would live on among the funniest movie moments of the recent past. This role, Stein's second feature appearance (following 1984's "The Wild Life") helped to jumpstart his acting career and led to dozens of memorable cameo performances in films like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987), "Soapdish" (1991) and "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992). He also earned a credit behind the scenes, as writer of "Ludes", the novel that inspired the 1988 drug-themed film "The Boost".

A 1989-91 recurring role on the ABC nostalgia comedy "The Wonder Years" was among Stein's more memorable TV performances, but he stayed active on the small screen with guest roles long after his turn on that series was over. Still, it took "Win Ben Stein's Money", a unique game show that pitted successful contestants against the titular host in the final rounds of play, that truly made him a household name. Slightly brainier than "Jeopardy!" and significantly less stuffy, the irreverent "Win Ben Stein's Money" was a hit for the cable network, and the popular Stein additionally hosted his own talk show "Turn Ben Stein On" (also Comedy Central), which enjoyed a run from 1999.

• Also Credited As:
  Benjamin J. Stein, Benjamin Jeremy Stein, Benjamin Stein, Lewis Force
• Born:
  November 25, 1944 in Washington, DC, USA
• Job Titles:
  TV host, Actor, Author, Columnist, Lawyer, Professor, Speechwriter

Family

• Father: Herbert Stein. died on September 8, 1999; chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under Presidents Nixon and Ford
• Mother: Mildred Stein. died in April 1997 at age 81
• Sister: Rachel Stein. older
• Son: Tommy Stein. born c. 1987; adopted by Stein and his wife Alexandra Denman; subject of Stein s book

Education

• Columbia University, New York, New York, economics, BS, 1966
• School of Law, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, law, 1970

Milestones

• 1973 Worked as a lawyer and speechwriter for US Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
• 1984 Appeared in the film The Wild Life as a salesman
• 1986 Had a memorable cameo as the monotone economics teacher in John Hughes Ferris Bueller s Day Off , making his face and voice recognizable to many moviegoers
• 1987 Contributed to the PBS documentary Hollywood s Favorite Heavy: Businessmen on Primetime TV
• 1987 Reteamed with Hughes, acting in Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• 1988 The Boost , a drug-themed drama based on his novel Ludes , was released
• 1989 Appeared in the features Ghostbusters II and Easy Wheels
• 1989 Wrote a bi-weekly diary for AMERICAN SPECTATOR
• 1991 Guest starred on ABC s adventure drama MacGyver
• 1991 Had a cameo in the comedy feature Soapdish
• 1992 Appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas
• 1992 Covered the Democratic and Republican National Conventions for Comedy Central s Indecision 92
• 1993 Acted in the children s feature Dennis the Menace
• 1993 Appeared on episodes of Melrose Place (Fox) and Full House (ABC)
• 1993 Played himself in a cameo in the White House-set comedy Dave
• 1994 Appeared in My Girl 2 and North
• 1994 Guest starred on episodes of Love & War (CBS)
• 1995 Appeared on the series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (ABC) and Live Shot (UPN)
• 1995 One of his stories was adapted into an episode of the ABC series The Marshal
• 1995 Was featured in Miami Rhapsody (as a rabbi) and Casper
• 1996 Acted in the comedy House Arrest
• 1997 Had a cameo in the sequel Casper: A Spirited Beginning and did voiceovers for the feature A Smile Like Yours
• 1997 Hosted the Comedy Central game show Win Ben Stein s Money
• 1998 Had a guest stint on The Hughleys playing a therapist
• 1999 Appeared on UPN s Shasta McNasty as himself in an episode taking place on Win Ben Stein s Money
• 1999 Hosted the interview series Turn Ben Stein On
• Following graduation from Yale Law School, worked as a poverty lawyer in New Haven, Connecticut
• Had a recurring role on The Wonder Years (ABC) as science teacher Mr. Cantwell
• Played a school principal in a two-episode recurring role on the comedy series Hearts Afire (CBS)
• Played recurring role on the syndicated sitcom Charles in Charge
• Provided voice of recurring character Dr. Ben on the anminated series Duckman
• Raised in Maryland
• Worked as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission investigating claims of fraud in advertising
• Wrote column on Hollywood for E! Online
• Wrote syndicated column for King Features Syndicate