Jerry Lewis Biography

Synopsis

A Primetime Emmy Award winner, Jerry Lewis was one of America’s longest-serving comedians, film producers, screenwriters, film directors, and singers. He gained popularity after forming the hit comedy duo Martin and Lewis, along with his partner Dean Martin.

Lewis died of heart failure at the age of 91.

Early age and education

Born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, USA, Lewis is of white ethnicity and holds American citizenship. He was the son of Daniel Levitch and Rachel Levitch.

Lewis’s father, Daniel, was an emcee and vaudeville entertainer. His mother, Rachael, was a pianist for a radio station.

At the age of five, Lewis began acting alongside his parents in Cat. He dropped out of Irvington High School to pursue a full-time performing career and began using the stage name Jerry Lewis.

Race

Jerry Lewis developed a comedic routine called the ‘Record Act’ in which he imitated the lyrics to his favorite songs while a phonograph played the songs offstage. He was given the opportunity to act in a burlesque house that flopped. Unable to get more shows, he worked odd jobs to make ends meet.

Lewis’s father’s friend, Max Coleman, helped him book a performance at New York’s Brown’s Hotel. This time his program was a great success and motivated him to further his career in this field.

Lewis appearing in his first film titled ‘The Delicate Delinquent’ was a huge success and gave him the confidence to go ahead as a solo artist. He also directed the 1960 film ‘ The Bellboy. He wrote and starred in the movie.

Lewis has also made several appearances on stage. He made his Broadway debut replacing a cast member in the 1994 revival of the baseball musical ‘Damn Yankees’. Aside from the United States, he is also a highly regarded performer throughout Europe.

Personal life

Jerry Lewis was married twice in his life. His first wife’s name is Patti Palmer, former singer of Ted Fio Rito. The couple married on October 3, 1944. They had seven sons Gary Lewis, Ronald Steve, Scott Anthony Lewis, Christopher Lewis, Anthony Lewis, and Joseph Lewis.

His eldest son, Gary is an American musician who was the frontman for the 1960s pop group Gary Lewis & the Playboys. However, after living together for 36 years, they divorced in 1980.

Their son Josheph Lewis died of a narcotic overdose on October 24, 2009. After the divorce, he married SanDee Pitnick. They adopted a daughter named Danielle Sara Lewis.

Net worth

Lewis had huge earnings throughout his career. His film Hardly Working was a box office success grossing $25 million in Europe and South America. He has maintained a net worth of $50 million.

Death

Lewis had numerous illnesses and addictions related to aging and back injuries. He suffered a back injury after comically falling off a piano while performing at the Sands Hotel and Casino on March 20, 1965. He became addicted to the painkiller for thirteen years, as the accident left him paralyzed.

Lewis received a series of treatments and was also hospitalized. He was hospitalized at a Las Vegas hospital for a urinary tract infection in June 2017.

Lewis died on August 20, 2017 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was in the final stages of heart disease and peripheral arterial disease.

By his last will, he has excluded his six children and their descendants from his first wife, leaving his estate to his second wife, SanDee Pitnick.