Jerry Lewis Bio
Joseph Levitch, better known by his stage name Jerry Lewis, was an American comedian, actor, singer and filmmaker. Dubbed as The King of Comedy and The Total Filmmaker for eight decades.
Jerry Lewis Early Life
Reports as to his birth name are conflicting; in Lewis’ 1982 autobiography, he claimed his birth name was Joseph, after his maternal grandfather, but his birth certificate, the 1930 U. S. Census, and the 1940 U. S. Census all name him as Jerome.
Lewis said that he ceased using the names Joseph and Joey as an adult to avoid being confused with Joe E Lewis and Joe Louis.
Reports as to the hospital in which he was born conflict as well, with biographer Shawn Levy claiming he was born at Clinton Private Hospital and others claiming Newark Beth Israel Hospital.
Other claims of his early life also conflict with accounts made by family members, burial records, and vital records.
Jerry Lewis Career
Lewis appeared in more than 60 film and television productions performed his comedy routines at nightclubs and concerts and ventured into behind-the-scenes work, as a director, producer, and screenwriter.
Lewis released several albums as a singer, selling millions of records and throughout his career, he sought to raise awareness for muscular dystrophy.
Subsequently, he served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association from 1956 until 2011. Afterward, he landed a gig at a burlesque house in Buffalo, but his performance fell flat and was unable to book any more shows.
Jerry Lewis Age
Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, United States of America. He celebrated his birthday on March 16th every year.
Jerry Lewis Family
Parents
He was born to Daniel “Danny” Levitch, a master of ceremonies and vaudevillian, who performed under the stage name Danny Lewis, from New York.
Danny’s parents immigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire, and Rachael “Rae” Levitch a WOR pianist and Danny’s music director from Warsaw.
Jerry Lewis Pictures
Jerry Lewis Wife
Lewis was married to his lovely wife, Patti Palmer. The couple tied their knot on October 3, 1944 and together they were blessed with six children, 5 biological and one adopted.
His wife was an Italian-American singer with Ted Fio Rito. In 1980 Palmer filed for divorce from Lewis, after 35 years of marriage, citing Lewis’ extravagant spending and infidelity on his part, and it was finalized in 1983.
While married to Palmer, Lewis openly pursued relationships with other women and gave unapologetic interviews about his infidelity, revealing his affairs with Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich to People in 2011.
2nd wife
Lewis’ second wife was Sandra ‘SanDee Pitnick’, a stewardess who met Lewis after winning a part in his film, Hardly Working.
They tied the knot on February 13, 1983, in Key Biscayne, Florida and had one child together, an adopted daughter named Danielle who was born in 1992.
Also during his marriage to Palmer, Lewis had an affair with model Lynn Dixon, by whom he allegedly had an illegitimate daughter, Suzan Minoret.
Suzan Minoret was later adopted by her step-father, her mother’s second husband.He was a nightclub owner and restaurateur Hy Jason Uchitel.
Children
With his first wife, Lewis had six children namely, Gary Levitch, Scott, Christopher, Anthony, Joseph and one adopted, Ronald.
All of Lewis’ children and grandchildren from his marriage to Palmer were excluded from inheriting any part of his estate.
He also had an affair with model Lynn Dixon, by whom he allegedly had an illegitimate daughter, Suzan Minoret.
His eldest son, Gary, publicly called his father a “mean and evil person” and said that Lewis never showed him or his siblings any love or care. In his second marriage, he had one child and adopted a daughter named Danielle.
Jerry Lewis Body Measurements
- Height: Not Available
- Weight: Not Available
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Body Shape: Not Available
- Hair Colour: Not Available
Jerry Lewis Salary
His exact salary has not yet been revealed but the information will be updated as soon as it is available.
Jerry Lewis Net Worth
Lewis had an estimated net worth of $50 million which he earned through his successful career as a comedian-actor.
Jerry Lewis Movies
» The Nutty Professor
» The Bellboy
» Rock-A-Bye Baby
» The Ladies Man
» The Disorderly
» The King of Comedy
» Cinderfella
» The Day the Clown Cried
» The Errand Boy
» Who’s Minding the Store
» The Patsy
» The Geisha Boy
» Hollywood or Bust
» The Family Jewels
» Hardly Working
» The Stooge
» At War with the Army
» Artist and Models
» Sailor Beware
» The Delicate Delinquent
» The Caddy
» Three on a Couch
» You’re Never Too Young
» Cracking up
» Visit To a Small Planet
» Scared Stiff
» Max Rose
» Living It Up Funny Bones
» My Friend Irma
» Which Way to the Front
» Pardners
» The Big Mou
» Arizona Dream
» That’s My Boy
» Money from Home
» My Friend Irma Goes West
» Jumping Jacks
» Don’t Give Up the Ship
» 3 Ring Circus
» Its Only Money The Sad Sack
» It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Jerry Lewis Dean Martin
Lewis initially gained attention as part of a double act with singer Dean Martin, who served as a straight man to Lewis’ zany antics.
It was followed by a guest stint on The Milton Berle Show, then their appearance on NBC’s Welcome Aboard on October 3, 1948.
Lewis, a writer for the team’s nightclub act, hired Norman Lear and Ed Simmons as regular writers for their Comedy Hour material.
Their Comedy Hour shows consisted of stand-up dialogue, song and dance from their nightclub act and movies, backed by Dick Stabile’s big band, slapstick and satirical sketch comedy, Martin’s solo songs, and Lewis’ solo pantomimes or physical numbers.
Martin and Lewis often broke character, ad-libbing and breaking the fourth wall. While not completely capturing the orchestrated mayhem of their nightclub act, the Comedy Hour displayed charismatic energy between the team and established their popularity nationwide.
The duo began their film careers at Paramount Pictures as ensemble players, first in My Friend Irma in 1949, based on the radio series of the same name, and then its sequel My Friend Irma Goes West in 1950.
They also starred as cameos in Bing Crosby and Bob Hope’s film Road to Bali in 1952. Hope and Crosby would do the same in Lewis and Martin’s Scared Stiff a year later.
In 1954, the team appeared on episode 191 of What’s My Line? as mystery guests, appeared on the 27th annual Academy Awards in 1955 and then appeared on The Steve Allen Show and The Today Show in 1956.
The Martin and Lewis films were reliable financial successes for Paramount, and hugely popular with audiences.
In later years, both Lewis and Martin admitted frustration, and were critical of Wallis for his formulaic and trite film choices, restricting them to narrow repetitive roles.
As Martin’s roles in their films became less important over time, Lewis receiving the majority of critical acclaim, the partnership came under strain.
Martin’s participation became an embarrassment in 1954 when Look magazine published a publicity photo of the team for the magazine cover but cropped Martin out.
The partnership ended with their final nightclub act on July 24, 1956. Both Martin and Lewis went on to highly successful solo careers, and neither would comment on the split nor consider a reunion.
Jerry Lewis Will
Jerry Lewis had some strong words for his six oldest children in his final will and testament.
His estate went to his widow SanDee, a former Las Vegas dancer, and their daughter Danielle, who the couple adopted in 1992 after nine years of marriage.
Jerry Lewis Death
Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:15 a.m. He was pronounced dead on August 20, 2017. The cause was end-stage cardiac disease and peripheral artery disease.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jerry Lewis
Who is Lewis?
Lewis was one of the American best-known and loved comedian-actors.
How old is Lewis?
He died at the age of 91 and was born in 1926.
How tall is Lewis?
Not Available.
Is Lewis married?
He was married to his lovely wives, Patti Palmer and Sandra.
How much is Lewis worth?
Lewis was an accomplished comedian-actor with an estimated net worth of $50 million.
How much does Lewis make?
Not Available.
Where does Lewis live?
Not Available.
Is Lewis dead or alive?
Lewis died on August 20, 2017, of cardiac disease and peripheral artery disease.
Where is Lewis now?
The actor passed away and was burried.
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