Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis
Lewis in 1957
Born	Joseph Levitch (1926-03-16)March 16, 1926 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	August 20, 2017(2017-08-20) (aged 91) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Occupations	Comedian actor singer director humanitarian
Years active	1931–2017[1]
Spouses	Patti Palmer ​ ​ (m. 1944; div. 1980)​ SanDee Pitnick ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	7, including Gary
Website	jerrylewiscomedy.com
Signature

Jerry Lewis, born as Joseph Levitch, (March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, director and humanitarian. He was of Jewish descent. He was best known for acting in comedy movies in the 1950s and 1960s such as The Nutty Professor. He also helped to raise money for people with muscular dystrophy, through the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Lewis was born in Newark, New Jersey. He studied at Irvington High School though he dropped out in his sophomore year.

Lewis first became famous as part of Martin & Lewis, working with singer Dean Martin. They worked together for ten years. They appeared on stage, radio and television, and in movies. They stopped working together in 1956 and did not speak for years. They reunited a few times from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Lewis directed of many of his movies. He was the first director to use video cameras with movie cameras, to help with filming scenes. Film takes time to process, but videotape can be played back right away, saving time and work if a scene needs to be redone. Other directors soon started using his technique, and it is still used today.

During the 1970s, Lewis' movies became less popular. He moved away from acting and directing. In the 1990s, he returned to performing onstage. He continued to perform during the 2000s.

Lewis was a Republican though he was friends with President John F. Kennedy.^[2] He supported Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.^[3]

Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9:15 AM of cardiomyopathy on August 20, 2017 at the age of 91.^[4]

Jerry Lewis acted in many movies, including:

• The Stooge (1952)
• Hollywood or Bust (1956)
• The Bellboy (1960)
• The Errand Boy (1961)
• The Patsy (1964)
• The Disorderly Orderly (1964)
• Three on a Couch (1966)
• Way... Way Out (1966)
• Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1967)
• The Big Mouth (1967)
• Silent Treatment (1968)
• Hook, Line & Sinker (1969)

• Official Jerry Lewis website Archived 2006-08-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Jerry Lewis on IMDb
• Italian Jerry Lewis fansite Archived 2009-05-20 at the Wayback Machine