JERRY LEWIS BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Jerry Lewis was born on March 16th, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were both Russian Jews. His father was Daniel Levitch and he worked as a Master of Ceremonies and also worked as a vaudeville entertainer. His mother was also involved in performing arts working as a piano player for a radio station.
At the young age of five, Lewis was already involved in performing arts. Jerry would work alongside his father and often would travel and perform with his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York. By age fifteen he was miming the lyrics to songs and took on the stage name Jerry Lewis.
Upon completing High School at Irvington High School in Irvington New Jersey, he paired up with Dean Martin and the two formed the comedy group Martin and Lewis. They had a popular nightclub act followed by being the stars of their own radio program. The two appeared on television on June 20th, 1948 on "The Ed Sullivan Show", followed by an appearance on, "Welcome Aboard" (1948) and shortly thereafter the film "At War With the Army" (1950) with his partner Dean Martin again and Polly Bergen and Mike Kellin. They worked with Paramount in a variety of comedic films before deciding it was time to part ways.
On July 24th, 1956 the two ended their partnership, but both men continued to work in the industry going their separate ways and both having successful careers. Lewis remained working with Paramount and was a major comedic star. His first solo film was, "The Delicate Delinquent" (1957) with Darren McGavin, Frank Gorshin and Martha Hyer followed by an appearance in, "Li'l Abner" (1959) with Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish, Stella Stevens and Julie Newmar, Donna Douglas, Howard St. John, Valerie Harper and Stubby Kaye. Lewis also took a chance at recording his own music album titled, "Jerry Lewis Just Sings".
He also did his own production film, "Cinderfella" (1960) starring alongside Ed Wynn, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Robert Hutton, Henry Silva and Judith Anderson. He was responsible for developing the technique of using portable and affordable video equipment which became known as video assist. He continued to act and direct more films such as, "The Ladies Man" (1961) with Lillian Briggs, Helen Traubel, Kathleen Freeman, Buddy Lester, Pat Stanley and George Raft, "The Errand Boy" (1961) co-starring Brian Donlevy, Sig Ruman, Kathleen Freeman, Howard McNear, Dick Wesson, Doodles Weaver, Joe Besser and Stanley Andrews, "The Patsy" (1964) also starring Everett Sloane, Phil Harris, Keenan Wynn, Peter Lorre, Ina Balin and John Carradine with cameos by George Raft, Hedda Hopper, Ed Sullivan, Ed Wynn, Mel Torme, Rhonda Fleming, Scatman Crothers, Billy Beck, Hans Conried, Richard Deacon, Del Moore, Neil Hamilton, Buddy Lester, Nancy Kulp, Norman Alden, Jack Albertson, Richard Bakalyan, Jerry Dunphy, Kathleen Freeman, Norman Leavitt, Eddie Ryder, Lloyd Thaxton, Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Michael Landon and Dan Blocker and the "Nutty Professor" (1963) with Stella Stevens, Del Moore and Kathleen Freemanwhich was later remade by Eddie Murphy.
He also took a go at film writing alongside, Bill Richmond. The two wrote and directed a comedy film, "The Family Jewels" (1965) with Sebastian Cabot and Donna Butterworth, where not only did he play a part in writing and directing he also acted in the film in several roles.
Finally, Lewis made a career move, leaving his contract with Paramount and moving over to Columbia Records. He made a variety of comedy's under his new contract and also taught part time at the University of Southern California. Ironically, one of his students was Steven Spielberg, who later went on to be a very well known and famous director.
His career was at an all time high, working as a director, actor, writer, teacher, musician and still working as a stage actor as well. He appeared in a couple stage musicals such as, "Damn Yankees".
As he approached the 80's and 90's, Lewis went back to working in film on, "The King of Comedy" (1983) starring Robert De Niro, Shelley Hack, Sandra Bernhard, Ed Herlihy and Diahnne Abbott, "Arizona Dream" starring Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway and "Funny Bones" co-starring Oliver Platt, Lee Evans, Leslie Caron, Richard Griffiths, Sadie Corre, Oliver Reed, George Carl, Freddie Davies and Ian McNeice (both 1995). His television career consisted of a program called, "The Jerry Lewis Show". There were three varieties of his show from 1963 to 1970, however all three were short lived and not received well by the public.
In 2009, Jerry Lewis traveled to Cannes Film Festival and announced that he was going to make a return to the silver screen with the film, "Max Rose" (2011) and he is also planning to remake three of his old classics, "The Bellboy", "Cinderfella" and "The Family Jewels".
Throughout Jerry Lewis's lifetime he married twice. First to Patti Palmer, who was a former singer. The couple married on October 3rd, 1944 and divorced in September 1980. The couple had a total of six sons and one adpoted daughter. He then married SanDee Pitnick on February 13th, 1983 and they couple are still together.
He has suffered some heath ailments throughout his life. Many years of back pain due to an injury and then in 1982 he suffered a heart attack. 2006 was followed with a 2nd minor heart attack. Along with his heart ailments he has also suffered from prostate cancer, diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis.
Jerry Lewis has been honored with many awards such as, the winner of the special Photoplay Award in 1952, Winner for the Most Cooperative Actor, the Golden Apple Awards in 1954 and was nomitated for the nobel Peace Prize by US Presentative Lee Aspin in 1977. He also received a nomiation in 1983 for Best Actor in a supporting role for, "The King Comedy".
Even enterring into the 2000's, Lewis continued to recevie a variety of awards such as the 2004 Career Achievment Award, 2005 Winner Governors Award, 2006 Winner of the Satellite Award for Outstanding Guest Star on TV's Law and Order and in 2009 he was inducted into the New Jersey hall of fame. Jerry Lewis was also honored with two star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.
Jerry Lewis is also known for his charity fund raising telethons and he serves as national chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Filmography
2011 Max Rose
2009 Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!
2008 The Nutty Professor
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
2004 Miss Castaway and the Island Girls
2003 The Simpsons
1995 Funny Bones
1993 Mad About You
1993 Arizona Dream
1992 Mr. Saturday Night
1989 Cookie
1988-1989 Wiseguy
1987 Fight for Life
1984 How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave
1984 To Catch a Cop
1983 Cracking Up
1982 The King of Comedy
1982 Slapstick (Of Another Kind)
1980 Hardly Working
1972 The Day the Clown Cried
1970 The Red Skelton Hour
1970 Which Way to the Front?
1970 I One More Time
1969 Hook, Line and Sinker
1968 Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River
1967 The Big Mouth
1966 Way... Way Out
1966 Three on a Couch
1965 Boeing (707) Boeing (707)
1965 Red Line 7000
1965 The Family Jewels
1965 Ben Casey
1964 The Disorderly Orderly
1964 The Patsy
1963 Who's Minding the Store?
1963 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
1963 The Nutty Professor
1962 It'$ Only Money
1961 The Errand Boy
1961 The Ladies Man
1960 Cinderfella
1960 The Bellboy
1960 Visit to a Small Planet
1959 Li'l Abner
1959 Startime
1959 Don't Give Up the Ship
1958 The Geisha Boy
1958 Rock-a-Bye Baby
1957 The Sad Sack
1957 The Delicate Delinquent
1956 Hollywood or Bust
1956 Pardners
1955 Artists and Models
1955 You're Never Too Young
1954 3 Ring Circus
1954 Living It Up
1953 Money from Home
1953 The Caddy
1953 Scared Stiff
1952 The Stooge
1952 Road to Bali
1952 Jumping Jacks
1952 Sailor Beware
1951 That's My Boy
1950 At War with the Army
1950 My Friend Irma Goes West
1949 My Friend Irma
1949 How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border
1948 Welcome Aboard
