Ben Stein

Ben Stein’s multi-faceted career began with significant achievements in law and public service, graduating valedictorian from Yale Law School in 1970 and with honors in economics from Columbia University in 1966. Early in his career, he served as a poverty lawyer and a trial lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission. Stein then transitioned to highly influential roles in government, notably as a speechwriter for U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon in 1973 and Gerald Ford during the 1970s, contributing to significant policy discussions.

He further established his academic credentials as an adjunct professor of law and economics at American University, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Pepperdine University from 1990 to 1997. Stein also co-created the television series Fernwood Tonight in 1977 and maintained a prolific writing career, contributing columns to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The American Spectator, in addition to authoring 16 books. His transition into entertainment solidified with his iconic role as the economics teacher in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Following this breakthrough, Stein took on diverse character roles in film, including Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), The Boost (1988)—based on his book Ludes—and The Mask (1994), later reprising a role in Son of the Mask (2005).

Demonstrating his ongoing expertise in finance, Stein published How to Really Ruin Your Financial Life and Portfolio in 2012, adding to his extensive bibliography that includes writing the article ‘Murder in Mississippi’ for a 1990 TV movie. Stein’s career reflects a unique and diverse engagement across the legal, academic, political, and entertainment sectors, making him a recognizable and versatile media personality with broad appeal.