Lewis, Jerry

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).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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