Though he's something of a pop culture icon, with his hangdog countenance and monotone delivery, there's a lot more to Ben Stein than his memorable turn as the boring economics teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and his tenure as host of the Comedy Central quiz show Win Ben Stein's Money. Stein's resume also boasts his work as a lawyer, economist, professor, Hollywood scriptwriter, actor, journalist, author and speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, so it's safe to say that his varied background will inform his talk at USF on Wednesday. While Stein can be a humorous and engaging speaker as he expresses his conservative opinions, he's not afraid to criticize his fellow Republicans, particularly on the issues of taxes, as evidenced by the many articles his written for publications like The New York Times, American Spectator and Forbes. "Ben Stein on Life," Wed., Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Marshall Center Ballroom at USF, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, $10 general/$5 alumni and faculty (free for students with valid ID), uls.usf.edu.
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2008.