As the son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, one of the greatest comedy duos of the 20th century, it is probably tempting for people who can't spot genuine talent to write off Ben Stiller as a nepo baby. But he was always so much more than that. A 22-year-old Stiller left an impression on media-savvy folks in 1987 when he turned in small, but memorable performances in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun," an "American Playhouse" broadcast of John Guare's Tony Award-winning masterpiece "The House of Blue Leaves," and a hilariously high-energy performance on a season 4 episode of "Miami Vice."

When the episode in question, "Amen... Send Money," aired on NBC on October 2, 1987, "Miami Vice" was struggling in the Nielsen ratings. The writing, performances, and directing were still miles ab

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