Author, actor and political commentator Ben Stein will be coming to the University of Massachusetts to deliver a lecture Wednesday.

Stein is perhaps best known for his career in film and television. He broke into the world of entertainment with his iconic role as the attendance-reading economics professor in “Ferris Buelller’s Day Off,” and has had a presence in Hollywood ever since.

Stein starred as himself in a Comedy Central game show “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” which ran for five years and won seven Emmy Awards. He has appeared in dozens of other programs, both in person and as a voice actor. The actor has lent his famously monotonous tones to such cartoon programs as “Rugrats,” “The Fairly Oddparents” and “Pinky & The Brain.”

Less well-known among the general populace is Stein’s long history as an academic. Labeled a modern Renaissance man by some, Stein has been active in the fields of politics, law, economics and social activism.

After graduating as valedictorian of Yale Law School in 1970, Stein soon entered into the field of politics. By 1973 he was working directly for the president of the United States, writing speeches for Richard Nixon and his successor Gerald Ford.

Stein at various times has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, American University and Pepperdine University.

Stein’s appearance at UMass is being hosted by the UMass Republican Club, and cosponsored by the Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College Republicans. His views have been voiced not only through speaking engagements and lectures, but through books and newspaper columns as well. Stein has contributed regularly over the years to the New York Times, The New Yorker and The American Spectator, as well as writing occasional features for many other publications.

Stein has authored or published 30 books, ranging from fictional novels to legal histories and self-help parodies. In his latest work, “The Little Book of Alternative Investments” Stein is joined by author Phil DeMuth, walking readers through the ups and downs of putting their savings into more unusual investment vehicles.

Wednesday’s event will take place at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center auditorium. Admission is free to all who attend.

Andrew Sheridan can be reached at [email protected].