News

He was the anarchic funnyman who went from comedies with Dean Martin to inspired cinematic brilliance with The Nutty Professor. Martin Scorsese pays tribute to his King of Comedy star

The first time I saw Jerry Lewis, it was on television with his partner Dean Martin. This was in the late 40s when TV was just beginning – the medium was new and so were Martin and Lewis. We were used to comedy “teams” such as Abbott and Costello, the straight man who fed the lines to the comedian, which grew out of vaudeville. Martin and Lewis took it all to another level. Martin himself was funny, and he was also smooth, romantic, and he sang. They got into a groove and Lewis would take off into pure anarchy. Pretty soon, they were stars of the big screen as well – they started in the My Friend Irma pictures and then they...

Tony Sokol Aug 21, 2017

Versatile, innovative and controversial, Jerry Lewis leaves a legacy of laughs and charity work.

Jerry Lewis, the legendary comedian, actor, singer and philanthropist, has died at the age of 91.

Lewis is as well known for starring and directing films like The Nutty Professor, Cinderfella, and The Bellboy as he is for his marathon fundraising telethons on Us TV for Muscular Dystrophy. He first found fame with his legendary ten-year partnership with Dean Martin.

Lewis paired with Dean Martin in 1946. Starting in nightclubs, Martin and Lewis moved their way through almost countless radio shows and made 16 movies. The pair costarred in such films as My Friend Irma (1949), At War With the Army (1950), Sailor Beware (1952), The Caddy (1953), Living It Up (1954), You’re Never Too Young (1955), and Artists And Models (1955). The last movie they made together was Hollywood Or Bust (1956).

After the partnership ended, Lewis teamed with director Frank Tashlin...

Jerry Lewis, who became a household name as one-half of legendary duo Martin & Lewis, has died at the age of 91.

In a statement attributed to Lewis’ family, the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s John Katsilometes reports that Lewis died of natural causes on Sunday morning, surrounded by loved ones at his Las Vegas, Nev. home.

Lewis, an iconic comedian in his own right, first teamed with Dean Martin in 1946, becoming one of the most successful acts in the country before their highly publicized split in 1956. They appeared together in such films as My Friend Irma, The Caddy, The Stooge, Artists and Models and Pardners.

Jerry Lewis, an actor and auteur who was one of the most influential forces in American comedy, died Sunday morning at his Las Vegas. He was 91.

"Legendary entertainer Jerry Lewis passed away peacefully today of natural causes at 91 at his home with family by his side," his family said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal writer John Katsilometes. No cause of death was announced.

In a career that spanned vaudeville, radio, television, film and philanthropy, Lewis established the persona of a manic, juvenile jokester, which belied darker, more self-lacerating elements below the surface,...

Jerry Lewis, one of Hollywood’s most famous comedians, died Sunday at the age of 91. His death was first reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John Katsilometes and confirmed by his publicist, Candi Cazau. A class clown from an early age, Lewis got his big break as one-half of a legendary comedy duo with Dean Martin, entertaining the crowd with his slapstick antics that often spilled out into the audience while Martin reacted as the straight man of the pair. From 1948 to 1956, Martin and Lewis appeared together in 16 comedy films produced by Paramount, including “My Friend Irma,” “At...

7:15 Pm Pt -- The White House has issued a statement on the death of Jerry Lewis, saying ... "Jerry Lewis kept us all laughing for over half a century, and his incredible charity work touched the lives of millions. Jerry lived the American Dream -- he truly loved his country, and his country loved him back. Our thoughts are with his family today as we remember the extraordinary life of one our greatest entertainers and humanitarians.

1916 Happy Centennial to Best Actor winner Peter Finch (Network), one of only two posthumous acting winners in Oscar history. The other is Heath Ledger. (Curiously they were both Australian)

1924 Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita, 8½) is born in Italy. Becomes one of the all time great movie stars by his mid 30s. His career spans over 50 years of cinema.

1933 Greer Garson weds Edward Snelson, first of three husbands, though the cohabitation is brief. Ten years later she famously marries her screen son in Mrs Miniver.

1934 ...And God Created Brigitte Bardot in Paris

1945 Mildred Pierce opens. Joan Crawford will win Best Actress for this fabulous noir melodrama

1949 Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis first film together My Friend Irma

1950 American indie icon John Sayles is born in New York. Among his most famous films: Return of the Secaucus 7, Passion Fish, and Lone Star

1951 Franchot Tone marries Barbara Payton, his third wife, a disastrous marriage for both.

The Warner Bros. publicity team that worked on Gravity and the FX team behind American Horror Story took top honors at the annual Publicist Guild Awards in Beverly Hills on Friday. A highlight of the annual luncheon on the Friday before the Oscars was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to actor, comedian, writer, producer and director Jerry Lewis by comedienne Carol Burnett. Burnett said Lewis had inspired her love of comedy when she first saw him on the big screen as a teenager while attending Hollywood High School in 1949 in the movie My Friend Irma, which also

read more...

Comedy film icon Jerry Lewis was greeted with a standing ovation when he took the Kodak Theatre stage to accept a special Oscar for his longtime charitable endeavors.

Never nominated for an Oscar, the prolific multihyphenate was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Lewis said he was deeply touched by the honor.

"For most of my life, I've thought that doing good for someone didn't mean you would receive any commendation for an act of kindness -- until now," said Lewis, who has battled health problems in recent years and spoke in slow but strong voice. "This award touches me in the very depths of my soul."

Eddie Murphy presented the honorary Oscar to Lewis, whom he dubbed a "famous overgrown kid" who has drawn inspiration from children.

Jerry Lewis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 81st Academy Awards, report the trades. The actor and comedian will receive the honorary Oscar statuette at the February 22 ceremony. Lewis, who made his screen debut with nightclub-act partner Dean Martin in 1949's My Friend Irma, began making local and national televised appeals on behalf of the newly founded Muscular Dystrophy Association during the early 1950s. He has been the organization's national chairman since 1952 and has spearheaded the annual Jerry Lewis Mda Labor Day Telethon, which has raised more than $2 billion, since 1966. Lewis starred alongside Martin in 16 films before establishing a solo career as a screen performer, director and producer with such films as The Bellboy, The Nutty Professor, The Disorderly Orderly and Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy. "Jerry is a legendary comedian who has not only brought laughter to millions around the world but has also...

Jerry Lewis finally is getting some respect from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose board of governors has voted to honor him with its Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Although the prolific filmmaker never has been nominated for an Oscar, he will receive an Oscar statuette in recognition of his humanitarian efforts Feb. 22 during the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony.

"Jerry is a legendary comedian who has not only brought laughter to millions around the world but has also helped thousands upon thousands by raising funds and awareness for those suffering from muscular dystrophy," Academy president Sid Ganis said.

Lewis, who made his screen debut with nightclub-act partner Dean Martin in 1949's "My Friend Irma," began making local and national televised appeals on behalf of the newly founded Muscular Dystrophy Assn. during the early 1950s. He has been the organization's national chairman since 1952 and has spearheaded the annual...