Lewis, Jerry (1926)
From Astro-Databank
| Name |
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| Birthname | Levitch, Joseph | ||
| born on | 16 March 1926 at 12:15 (= 12:15 PM ) | ||
| Place | Newark NJ, USA, 40n44, 74w10 | ||
| Timezone | EST h5w (is standard time) | ||
| Data source |
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| Astrology data |   25°22'   00°41 Asc. 17°22'
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Biography
American comedian, director, writer, actor, producer and TV host. A successful duo-comedy team with Dean Martin 1950-1954, his variety shows, Vegas club acts and films have touched the hearts of millions. When his relationships with Martin ended bitterly, the two did not speak to each other for some 20 years. In 1976 they were reunited on Lewis' telethon, an event orchestrated by Frank Sinatra. Lewis said that he was delighted to see his old partner and was thinking, "Please let me think of something to say." When they came out of their bear hug, Lewis looked at Martin and said, "So. You working?"
After their split, Lewis became writer, director and actor in a score of films, which critics in Europe considered among the finest comedy movies ever made. But something was still lacking in his life, until he was persuaded to undertake his first Labor Day telethon, which brought in a million dollars. It wasn't the money, it was the care he was able to give and the help he was able to give to "Jerry's kids." Lewis has been the originating sponsor and continuing M.C. for the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association drive since 1966. In 1978 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and has won international honors such as the Commander Order of Arts and Letters.
Still, not everyone cares for his brand of cross-eyed, buck-toothed-goofy physical humor. Lewis cut his teeth on the burlesque and vaudeville kind of comedy, playing the Borscht Belt in New York with his parents. He made his pro debut at five, singing "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" With vaudevillian parents who never made the big time, he was shuttled among grandparents and aunts. He remembers vividly the loneliness, separated from parents who were always "on the road."
He still, 60 years later, gets exciting about performing. In 1995 he signed to do a five-year road tour of "Damn Yankees," in the U.S., London, Japan and Paris.
He and his first wife, Patti, had six sons and they divorced in 1980. In Patti's memoir, "I Laffed Til I Cried," she tells of her husband's blistering temper, emotional absences, addiction to painkillers, profligate spending and philandering that finally led to their divorce. Ex-wife Patti filed a lawsuit against Lewis for royalties he received off the remake of "The Nutty Professor" in 1996, claiming that she's owed half of the $1.4 million he was paid. Lewis is vehemently denying that she'll receive any of it. He and his second wife, SanDee Pitnick (born 1945) had an adopted daughter in 1992, Danielle, whom he adores.
After coronary bypass surgery in 1983, he stopped his four-pack a day smoking habit.
Lewis was hospitalized 7/31 thru 8/08/1999 for viral meningitis in Darwin, Australia; he recovered well. Ailing with the lung ailment pulmonary fibrosis, Jerry collapsed moments before a London charity performance on 9/08/2002. He refused to go to the hospital and recovered at his nearby London home.
The comedian suffered a mild heart attack on June 11, 2006 in San Diego, CA.
Relationships
- business associate/partner relationship with Martin, Dean (born 7 June 1917)
Events
- Relationship : Marriage 1980 (First marriage with Patti ended)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1992 (Daughter Danielle born)
- Work : Begin Major Project 1950 (Began duo-perfomance with Dean Martin)
- Work : New Job 1966 (M.C. for M.D. assoc. drive)
- Health : Medical procedure 1983 (Coronary by-pass surgery)
- Work : Gain social status 1978 (Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize)
- Work : Contracts, agreements 1995 (Five-year contract for "Damn Yankees")
- Relationship : Meet a significant person 1944 (Met Dean Martin)
- Health : Medical diagnosis 31 July 1999 at 12:00 noon in Darwin, Australia (Hospitalized for viral meningitis)
- Health : Chronic illness 8 September 2002 (Collapsed, pulmonary fibrosis)
- Health : Medical diagnosis 11 June 2006 (Mild heart attack in San Diego)
Source Notes
Gene Lockhart quotes B.C. in Constellations '77 (Same in Contemporary American Horoscopes, Gauquelin Book of Charts, Steinbrecher from B.C. in hand)
Categories
- Vocation : Entertainment : Actor/ Actress
- Family : Relationship : Marriage more than 15 Yrs (Two long term marriages)
- Diagnoses : Body Part Problems : Heart (By-pass)
- Vocation : Entertainment : Comedy
- Vocation : Entertain/Business : Director
- Lifestyle : Financial : Wealthy
- Notable : Book Collection : American Book
- Notable : Famous : Top 5% of Profession
- Family : Parenting : Kids more than 3 (Six boys with Patti, one daughter with SanDee)
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Drugs (Prescription medication)
- Notable : Awards : Vocational award (Commander Order of Arts and Letters)
- Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages (Two)
- Family : Childhood : Parent, Single or Step (Parents on-the-road, raised by kin)
- Vocation : Entertainment : Night Club/ Vaudeville (Night club, noted Vegas performer)
- Vocation : Politics : Activist/ social (Host. of M.D. drive annually)
- Traits : Personality : Attention seeking (Clowning in public, even off-camera)
- Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Heart disease/attack
