Lewis said that he ceased using the names Joseph and Joey as an adult to avoid being confused with Joe E. Reports as to his birth name are conflicting in Lewis's 1982 autobiography, he claimed his birth name was Joseph, after his maternal grandfather, but his birth certificate, the 1930 U. His parents were Daniel "Danny" Levitch (1902–1980), a master of ceremonies and vaudevillian who performed under the stage name Danny Lewis, whose parents immigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire to New York, and Rachael "Rae" Levitch (née Brodsky 1903–1983), a WOR radio pianist and Danny's music director, from Warsaw. Lewis was born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family.
He professionally debuted in 1946 as part of the famous Martin and Lewis with singer Dean Martin and performed with him until 1956, then went solo after the split.īy becoming the highest grossing movie star and innovative filmmaker, he helped to develop and popularize " video assist", the closed-circuit apparatus enabling film directors to see what had been shot without waiting for developed film footage.
Widely known for his "kid" and "idiot" persona, his contributions to comedy and charity, along with his publicized personal life made him a global figure in pop culture over an eight-decade career. Nicknamed "The King of Comedy", Lewis is regarded as one of the most significant American cultural figures of the 20th century. Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, writer and humanitarian.