Ben Stein

Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944, in Washington, D.C.) is a fervently conservative (with strong libertarian economic impulses) pro-life former White House speechwriter (for the late Republican President Richard Nixon); he is/was also an attorney, (former) game show host, actor, commercial personality, screenwriter, law professor, economist, author, and columnist. He is the son of noted economist and writer Herbert Stein, and his wife, Mildred. Ben Stein has a sister, Rachel, a writer.

Work

Stein eventually became a Hollywood consultant, helping liberal writers portray a conservative family on television. He then moved into acting. Stein's film career received a boost from his famous role as the colorless and boring economics teacher in the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Stein holds a degree in economics, so in his class scene, he is giving a real economics lecture (the only part of his scenes that was scripted was when he called attendance). Stein excelled at playing these bland and unemotional characters, and was subsequently typecast into many roles, mainly as a nerd. He had a recurring role in the TV series The Wonder Years and played himself in Dave. He also did a series of commercials for Clear Eyes. Stein's deadpan, monotone deliveries stood in stark contrast to the more typical enthusiastic commercial personalities, making the Clear Eyes advertisements different and memorable.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Consultant - Liberal - Conservative - Family - Economics - 1986 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Nerd - The Wonder Years - Dave - Clear Eyes - Deadpan

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He was first a poverty lawyer in New Haven, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. before becoming a trial lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Stein's first teaching stint was as an adjunct professor, teaching political and social content of mass culture at American University in Washington, D.C, and then at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Additionally, he also held classes on political and civil rights from the United States Constitution at UCSC. At Pepperdine University in Southern California, Stein taught libel law and United States securities law and its ethical aspects. He remains an active law professor at its Malibu campus, having joined Pepperdine's faculty in the mid-1980s.

Related Topics:
Poverty - New Haven, Connecticut - Trial - Federal Trade Commission - Professor - American University - University of California, Santa Cruz - Civil rights - United States Constitution - Pepperdine University - Southern California - Libel - United States securities law - Malibu - 1980s

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Among his voice roles are The Pixies on the hit animated series The Fairly OddParents and Pip on Animaniacs.

Related Topics:
The Pixies - Animated series - The Fairly OddParents - Pip - Animaniacs

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In 1997 Stein was given his own game show by Comedy Central titled Win Ben Stein's Money. True to its name, the money that contestants won on the show was subtracted from the $5000 Ben earned (in addition to his salary). If any contestant dared to respond to a question in the "What is?" style of Jeopardy, Stein would force him or her to wear a dunce cap. The show won seven Emmy awards before ending its run in 2003. 2005, repeats air in the USA on Game Show Network.

Related Topics:
1997 - Game show - Comedy Central - Win Ben Stein's Money - Jeopardy - Emmy - 2003 - 2005 - Game Show Network

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In 2003, and also in 2004, he judged for Star Search. In 2005, he began his run as host of Game Show Moments Gone Bananas on VH1. Despite having appeared in many "Hollywood" movies, he is a noted critic of many attitudes found among film studio leaders, but not of the "rank and file" of the film industry itself.

Related Topics:
2003 - 2004 - Star Search - 2005 - Game Show Moments Gone Bananas - VH1 - Film studio - Rank and file

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Stein currently appears on Fox News Channel as a regular member of the Cavuto on Business panel.

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