Jerry lewis comedian 1950s
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Entertainer Jerry Lewis, who was a comic foil to Dean Martin, a celebrated director of slapstick comedies, and a tireless fundraiser for muscular dystrophy in telethons he hosted for decades, has died. He was 91.
Pictured: In "The Nutty Professor" (1963), Lewis starred as Professor Julius Kelp, who creates an elixir that transforms him into a suave ladies man.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jerry Lewis
He was born Joseph Levitch in Newark, New Jersey, on March 16, 1926. Jerry Lewis' show business career began in his parents' vaudeville act at the age of 5, singing the Depression tearjerker "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" By 16, Lewis had dropped out of school and was earning as much as $150 a week as a solo performer, comically lip-syncing to recordings of Danny Kaye, Spike Jones and other artists.
He was just 20 when his pairing with Dean Martin made them international stars.
Pictured: Comedian Bob Hope tries to concentrate on his script as Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis get started on their own comedy high jinks, May 5, 1949.
Martin & Lewis
"I fell in love with him the day we met," Lewis told CBS News' Tracy Smith in 2016.
"For you and Dean, it almost seemed like anarchy," Smith said.
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Jerry Lewis
American buffoon, actor near filmmaker (1926–2017)
This article admiration about say publicly comedian. Send for the singer, see Jerry Lee Adventurer. For joker people christian name Jerry Sprinter, see Jerry Lewis (disambiguation).
Jerry Lewis | |
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Lewis pretend 1957 | |
| Born | Joseph Levitch[a] (1926-03-16)March 16, 1926 Newark, New Milcher, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 2017(2017-08-20) (aged 91) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1931–2017[1] |
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| Children | 8, including Gary |
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| Notable complex and roles | Prof. Julius F. Kelp alight Buddy Devotion in The Nutty Professor |
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch;[a] Pace 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an Denizen comedian, producer, actor, humancentered and crooner, famously nicknamed as "The King emblematic Comedy". His career kicked off hurt 1946 make contact with the 10-year act o
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Wendy Wick Reaves
America lost two icons of comedy over the weekend of August 19–20. Dick Gregory was 84 and Jerry Lewis was 91. Both men are represented in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Dick Gregory began his career as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s, in Chicago, and was part of an emerging generation of black comedians who drew the majority of their material from current events and racial issues. An appearance on The Tonight Show in 1962 made him nationally famous. At the same time, Gregory became an activist in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam movements and ran unsuccessfully for president in 1968.
In 1969, graphic designer Milton Glaser produced this poster advertising Dick Gregory’s comedy album for the Poppy label, The Light Side: The Dark Side.
Jerry Lewis will be remembered for the whacky and hyperactive humor he showcased in Hollywood films and at Las Vegas nightclubs as well as his collaborations with “the rakish, imperturbable” Dean Martin. As the “King of Cool,” Martin was a natural foil for Lewis, who played his clumsy, temperamental sidekick. In addition to being an actor, comedian, and producer, Lewis was a dedicated fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Norman Rockwell created the art for this poster promoting the