Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Jerry Lewis

Role / Field:

American comedian, actor, and filmmaker, known as "The King of Comedy"

Born:

1926-03-16

Died:

2017-08-20

Century / Era:

1926s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. Known as "The King of Comedy", "The Total Filmmaker" and in France as "Le Roi du Crazy" across his seven-decade career, Lewis was regarded as one of the greatest comedians of the 20th century. Rising to prominence with singer Dean Martin, billed as Martin and Lewis, in 1946, the two did a series of sixteen buddy-comedy films, their televised run on The Colgate Comedy Hour, live stage performances, guest spots on other shows and a radio series until their split in 1956. Lewis went into filmmaking while continuing on his own in thirty-five motion pictures from 1957 to 1984, guest hosted The Tonight Show a record fifty-two times, while helming his own nightly series and from 1950 to 1989, performed closely with Sammy Davis Jr.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

As its honorary national chairman and spokesman, Lewis raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) through his annual Labor Day telecast The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, a live event which raised $2.45 billion for MDA from its 1966 inception through 2009. As a singer, Lewis sang live, recorded numerous albums and did...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aaron Klug — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering biophysicist known for crystallographic electron microscopy and nucleic acid structure.
• Abdus Salam — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate.
• Alan Greenspan — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Influential American economist, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
• Adam West — Contemporary (Died in 2017) (2017): American actor best known for portraying Batman in the 1960s and extensive voice work.
• Adnan Khashoggi — Contemporary (Died in 2017) (2017): Saudi businessman and arms dealer, known as 'The Great Gatsby of the Middle East'
• Alexei Abrikosov (physicist) — Contemporary (Died in 2017) (2017): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for low-temperature condensed matter physics.
• Alexander S. Wiener — Shared historical date (03-16 · Born) (1907): Pioneering American biologist known for discoveries in serology and immunogenetics.
• Anna Atkins — Shared historical date (03-16 · Born) (1799): Pioneering botanist and photographer, credited with the first illustrated book using photos.
• Adolf von Baeyer — Shared historical date (08-20 · Died) (1917): Pioneering German chemist known for indigo synthesis and IUPAC nomenclature.
• Al-Juwayni — Shared historical date (08-20 · Died) (1085): Preeminent Sunni scholar, theologian, and jurist, foundational to the Shafi'i school.
• 1926 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1926
• March 16 (03-16) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on March 16
• 2017 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2017
• August 20 (08-20) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on August 20

Frequently Asked Questions about Jerry Lewis