Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch;[a] March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer and humanitarian who was famously nicknamed "The King of Comedy", as well as headliner and entertainer. Lewis has appeared in more than 59 motion pictures, including the first sixteen films with his partner, singer Dean Martin, during their act as Martin and Lewis.
As a solo leading star, he acted in Cinderfella (1960), The Bellboy (1960), The Errand Boy (1961), The Ladies Man (1961), It's Only Money (1962), The Nutty Professor (1963), Who's Minding the Store? (1963), The Patsy (1964), The Disorderly Orderly (1964) and The Family Jewels (1965). Lewis portrayed Jerry Langford in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1982) earning a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.
He was also an early and prominent user of video assist, while as film director, producer and screenwriter.[3] For television, Lewis co-hosted The Colgate Comedy Hour with Martin, then was emcee of the live annual Jerry Lewis Telethon, part of his philanthropy on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). His work won him several accolades, including two stars on the Walk of Fame. Lewis performed in concert stages, nightclubs and audio recordings.
Lewis appeared in at least 117 film and television productions. France bestowed on Lewis the Legion of Honor. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is described as one of the greatest comedians of the 20th century.
Early life
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Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family.[4][5] His parents were Daniel "Danny" Levitch (1902-1980), a master of ceremonies and vaudevillian who performed under the stage name Danny Lewis, whose parents immigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire to New York, and Rachael "Rae" Levitch (née Brodsky; 1904-1982), a WOR radio pianist and Danny's music director, from Warsaw.
In 1945, Lewis was 19 when he met 27-year-old singer Dean Martin at the Glass Hat Club in New York City, where the two performed until they debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club as Martin and Lewis on July 25, 1946. The duo gained attention as a double act with Martin serving as the straight man to Lewis's zany antics. The inclusion of ad-libbed improvisational segments in their planned routines added a unique quality to their act and separated them from previous comedy duos.[25] Martin and Lewis quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular nightclub act, then as stars of their radio program The Martin and Lewis Show.[26] The two made their television debut on CBS' Toast of the Town (later renamed as The Ed Sullivan Show) June 20, 1948.
In 1976, producer Alexander H. Cohen signed Lewis to star in a revival of Olsen and Johnson's musical-comedy revue Hellzapoppin. "I do think that to succeed today, a comedy revue requires a larger-than-life comic," Cohen told syndicated columnist Jack O'Brian. "That is why I have engaged Jerry Lewis to star in the new production of Hellzapoppin, which I'm preparing for the coming season."[50] Cohen had revived Hellzapoppin as a TV special in 1972, and was impressed by the contributions of Lynn Redgrave; he signed her to appear opposite Lewis. This was Lewis's first Broadway show, and was so eagerly awaited that NBC-TV promised Cohen $1,000,000 for the rights to broadcast the opening night live on national television.
Out-of-town tryouts were staged in Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Boston to excellent business but mixed reviews. There was turmoil behind the scenes, as comedy star Lewis dominated the production and had serious arguments with producer Cohen, co-star Redgrave, and writer-adaptor Abe Burrows. "Lewis and Miss Redgrave had been having a much publicized feud," according to an account in the Pittsburgh Press. "He would neither rehearse nor perform any songs with her, reports said."[51] The backstage chaos extended to several sudden cast changes during the Boston run.
On January 18, 1977, NBC executives flew to Boston to see the show, and their reactions were so negative that Cohen closed the show immediately and canceled both the Broadway engagement and the TV spectacular, forfeiting the million-dollar payment from NBC. "It's not ready for Broadway and cannot be made so in three remaining weeks before the opening," Cohen said. Cohen's spokesman subsequently announced that the stars would be replaced: "Recasting means recasting, and that's it."[52]
1979-2018: Later roles and final work
Lewis guest-hosted as ringmaster of the annual CBS special Circus of the Stars in 1979, and appeared on NBC's short-lived variety show Pink Lady and Jeff in 1980. Lewis made a comeback to the silver screen in Hardly Working (1981), after an 11-year absence from film and despite being panned by critics, it eventually earned $50 million.