Ben Falcone Shares Stories About Parents and Always Appreciates Them

Ben Falcone, the accomplished writer, and actor, deeply appreciates his parents and often shares heartwarming stories about their bond. From their support during his college years, where his dad would make adventurous weekend visits, to their continued influence on his life and career, the actor cherishes his relationship with his parents.

Illinois native Ben Falcone was a comedy trouper at The Groundlings while working as a waiter before his onscreen career took off in the early 2000s. He would land brief roles in TV shows, including "Gilmore Girls," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Yes, Dear."

The actor also appeared in movies such as "Cheaper by the Dozen 2," "Confessions of Action Star," and "Garfield: A Tale of Two Cities." His first long-running role was in the comedy series "Joey," where he played Howard between 2004 and 2006.

In "Joey," he starred alongside Matt LeBlanc, Paul Costanzo, and Jennifer Coolidge. He continued acting while honing his talent for writing and producing several hit films, many of which starred his wife, Melissa McCarthy.

He's known for his cameos in those productions and has also co-written films such as "Tammy," "Life of the Party," "The Boss," co-starring Kristen Bell, and "Superintelligence" with his wife. The two are parents to daughters Georgette and Vivian Falcone.

Ben has often spoken fondly of his family, including his parents. The comedian has a particularly close bond with his dad, a writer and art lover. They stayed close even when Ben lived three hours away, studying in college, where his dad would visit every other weekend.

Ben Falcone's Open Display of Love for His Parents, Especially His Father

Ben's parents have frequently appeared on his social media pages in heartwarming tributes, often featuring photos from his childhood. One such post is from June 2017, when he wrote, "Happy Father's Day to my Pop and to all the great dads out there! Thanks for everything, Pop! Being a dad is weird and also the greatest thing in the world."

Ben penned the sweet caption alongside an old photo of his younger self and his father, Steve Falcone, as they shared a similar pose in color-coordinated outfits. He shared another Father's Day tribute in June 2022, featuring a throwback photo of himself accepting an award alongside Steve.

Ben promised his followers and Steve that he wasn't making the post about himself with that particular image, where he "was coincidentally winning an award in high school that was clearly a rather huge deal." But, "to be clear," he added:

"That's NOT why I'm sharing this photo, this is about YOU, and the fact that you're an awesome dad and I love you very much. (Also, I pretty clearly won some kinda major award. No biggee)."

In August 2021, Ben revealed that during the early stages of the pandemic, his father began writing one poem a day. As the pandemic stretched over into 2021, his collection grew, and he eventually had it turned into a book he titled "Home Poems."

In the caption, the actor wrote, "my Mom edits them for him, 'making sense of the madness,' he says. They’re still going strong, I just got poem number 483 today. It’s a wonderful feeling, to be inspired by your parents."

Ben started talking about his childhood, especially the moments that included his dad, long before he catapulted to fame. He would even share them at parties, which often made him the subject of ridicule among his peers.

"I would get laughs at parties for doing it," he recalled. As he grew older, though, he started to worry that he would forget those stories. One of them included an unlikely save from a "horrible beating" from school bullies when his dad showed up driving a less-than-ideal car.

One of the bullies held back when he saw it and took pity on Ben because he was poor. "I think the irony of this crappy, crappy car saving me from a for-sure horrible beating... has definitely colored who I am in some way," Ben said of the incident.

During a 2018 "Jimmy Kimmel Live" appearance, he opened up about his dad's part in "Life of the Party." Although brief, Steve was committed to the role and even proposed a backstory for his character, whom he felt was from New York.

But thanks to one of the film's stars, Maya Rudolph, he got more than that. As they began shooting his scene, he screamed, "Eh yo! What's going on over here?!" To which Maya responded, "You shut up, Vince!" And thus, Steve's character had a backstory and a name: Vince.

Steve also shared the screen with his son's father-in-law, who played Racquetball Old Guy #1 in the movie. His appearance in "Life of the Party" was his second onscreen role, as his first film credit was in the comedy short "Dracula XXI." There, Steve played God.

During the interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Ben also revealed that his father did community theater. At the time of writing, a third TV credit on his IMDb said he appeared in one episode of a series called "Knight's End." However, where his role description was meant to be, the website only stated "rumored" in brackets.

Before Steve and Ben collaborated artistically, the two were quite the party duo when Ben was in college. The filmmaker and his peers welcomed his dad with open arms because, as Ben put it, his dad was buying all the beer.

Ben's mother disapproved of this, but she let them have fun, which would go on into the wee hours of the morning. At one point, Steve got lost and fell asleep in a bathroom at another party, and Ben had to go looking for him.