Jerry Lewis 1926-2017

Jerry Lewis (born Joseph or Jerome Levitch, March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director, screenwriter and humanitarian. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He and Dean Martin were partners as the hit popular comedy duo of Martin and Lewis. Following that success, he was a solo star in motion pictures, nightclubs, television shows, concerts, album recordings and musicals.
Lewis served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and hosted the live Labor Day broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 44 years. Lewis received several awards for lifetime achievements from the American Comedy Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Venice Film Festival, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Lewis started performing at age five and would often perform alongside his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. By 15, he had developed his "Record Act" in which he exaggeratedly mimed the lyrics to songs on a phonograph. He used the professional name Joey Lewis but soon changed it to Jerry Lewis to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. Lewis then dropped out of Irvington High School in the tenth grade. He was a "character" even in his teenage years, pulling pranks in his neighborhood including sneaking into kitchens to steal fried chicken and pies. During World War II, he was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur. Lewis initially gained attention as part of a double act with singer Dean Martin, who served as straight man to Lewis' zany antics in the Martin and Lewis comedy team. The performers were different from most other comedy acts of the time because they relied on their interaction instead of planned skits. After forming in 1946, they quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular nightclub act, next as stars of their own radio program. The two men made many appearances on early live television, their first on the June 20, 1948, debut broadcast of Toast of the Town on CBS (later officially renamed The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1955). The partnership ended on July 24, 1956 and both Martin and Lewis went on to successful solo careers. Lewis began performing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in late 1956 Lewis rose to stardom as a solo act in television and movies starting with the first of six appearances on What's My Line? from 1956 to 1966, then starred in "The Jazz Singer" episode of Startime. He went on to star in many films including The Delicate Delinquent, The Bellboy, and The Nutty Professor. Lewis hosted two different versions of The Jerry Lewis Show (a 1963 lavish, big-budget 13-week show for ABC and a 1967 one-hour variety show for NBC). Lewis made television appearances on Ben Casey, The Andy Williams Show and Hullabaloo. Lewis directed and made his first offscreen voice performance as a bandleader in One More Time (1970), which starred Sammy Davis Jr. (a friend of Lewis) and also produced, directed and starred in Which Way to the Front? (1970). He would then make and star in the unreleased The Day the Clown Cried (1972), a drama set in a Nazi concentration camp. Lewis rarely discusses the film, but once suggested that litigation over post-production finances prevented the film's completion and release.
Lewis appeared in a revival of Hellzapoppin' with Lynn Redgrave in 1976, but it closed on the road before reaching Broadway. In 1979, Lewis guest hosted (as ringmaster) in Circus of the Stars. After an absence of 11 years, Lewis returned to film in Hardly Working (1981), a movie in which he both directed and starred. Lewis next appeared in Martin Scorsese's film The King of Comedy (1983), in which he portrayed a late-night television host plagued by two obsessive fans, played by Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard.
Lewis starred in five episodes of Wiseguy, then appeared in Cookie (1989). Lewis had a cameo in Mr. Saturday Night (1992) then in 1993, guest appeared in an episode of Mad About You as an eccentric billionaire. Lewis made his Broadway debut, as a replacement cast member playing the devil in a revival of Damn Yankees. In 2003, Lewis did a guest voice as Professor Frink's dad in an episode of The Simpsons then in 2006, guest appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Lewis appeared in Till Luck Do Us Part 2 (2013). He then next starred in a small role in the crime drama The Trust (2016). Lewis made a comeback in a lead role in Max Rose (2016). Throughout his entire adult life and career, Lewis was a world-renowned humanitarian who supported fundraising for research into muscular dystrophy. Until 2011, he served as national chairman of and spokesman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Lewis passed away on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91.