Jerry Lewis | |
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![]() Lewis in 1957 | |
Born | Joseph Levitch[a] March 16, 1926 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | August 20, 2017 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | (aged 91)
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Years active | 1931–2017[1] |
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Children | 8, including Gary |
Comedy career | |
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Notable works and roles | Prof. Julius F. Kelp and Buddy Love in The Nutty Professor |
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Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch;[a] March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, filmmaker, actor, humanitarian and singer, who was famously nicknamed "The King of Comedy" throughout the United States. Lewis 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.
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), has portrayed Jerry Langford in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1982) earning a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination and was an early and prominent user of video assist.[3]
From star of The Colgate Comedy Hour to host of The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon (benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association), his work won him several accolades, including two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lewis performed in concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings and appeared in at least 117 film and television productions.
France honored him with the Legion of Honor and he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is described as one of the greatest comedians of the 20th century.
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Most sources, including his 1982 autobiography, Jerry Lewis: In Person, give his birth name as Joseph Levitch. But Shawn Levy, author of the exhaustive 1996 biography King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis, unearthed a birth record that gave his first name as Jerome.