Lewis, Jerry (redirected from Joseph Levitch)

Lewis, Jerry, 1926–, American comedian, b. Newark, N.J. as Joseph Levitch. Known for his slapstick portrayals replete with facial mugging and sight gags, Lewis teamed (1946–56) with singer Dean Martin for a series of nightclub appearances and films. Among the films Lewis has starred in and directed are The Bell Boy (1960), The Ladies' Man (1961), and The Nutty Professor (1963). Enormously popular in France, he left film work in 1970 and concentrated his energies on his activities as chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy foundation. He made an unsuccessful comeback as director in the early 1980s, but won acclaim for his dramatic performance in Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1983).

Bibliography

See his memoir Dean and Me (with J. Kaplan, 2005).

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Lewis, Jerry

 orig. Joseph Levitch

(born March 16, 1926, Newark, N.J., U.S.) U.S. actor, director, and producer. In 1946 he developed a nightclub comedy routine with Dean Martin (1917–95), who played the suave crooner to Lewis's zany clown, and they appeared together in 16 movies, including My Friend Irma (1949) and Pardners (1956), before ending their partnership in 1956. Lewis then directed, produced, and acted in movies such as The Bellboy (1960) and The Nutty Professor (1963). These films, along with his collaborations with director Frank Tashlin, led many critics (especially in Europe) to regard Lewis as the comic heir to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Since 1966 Lewis has hosted the U.S. annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

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Lewis, Jerry (b. Joseph Levitch) (1926–  ) film actor, director, producer; born in Newark, N.J. A zany, mugging, sentimental comic, he worked as a one-night-stand entertainer until he met singer Dean Martin in 1946. The team made their first screen appearance in My Friend Irma (1949). After 16 more films, they split up. Lewis began producing and then directing his own movies, becoming a special favorite in France. A dedicated campaigner for charitable causes, he became closely identified with the annual fundraising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.