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Jerry Lewis Biography
Birth Name:
Joseph Levitch
Birth Place:
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Profession
Actor, comedian, director, writer, producer
Fast Facts
- Made his showbiz debut at age 5 with his vaudevillian parents in New York's Catskill Mountains, singing "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" Partnership with Dean Martin lasted from 1946 to '56; they starred together in 16 movies and numerous TV shows
- Taught a class in filmmaking at USC; students included Steven Spielberg and George Lucas
- Began hosting an annual Labor Day telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in 1966
- Invented the video assist, a video camera linked to a motion-picture lens, which allows directors to immediately view a take
- Received the Emmy Governors Award in 2005, and France's Legion of Honor award in 1984
Awards
- 1984BAFTA Film Awards-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
- 1966Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: nominated
Relationships
- Danielle Sara Lewis -- Daughter
- Patti Palmer -- Ex-wife
- Danny Levitch -- Father
- Rae Levitch -- Mother
- Anthony Lewis -- Son
- Christopher Lewis -- Son
- Gary Lewis -- Son
- Joseph Lewis -- Son
- Ronald Lewis -- Son
- Scott Lewis -- Son
- SanDee Pitnick Lewis -- Wife