Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, writer and humanitarian. Nicknamed "The King of Comedy", Lewis is regarded as one of the most significant American cultural figures of the 20th century. 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. 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.
By 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. In addition to starring in sixty films, Lewis directed 13 movies. He was also national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and host of The Jerry Lewis Telethon each Labor Day weekend for many years.
Source: Wikidata , May 2022
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