Jerry Lewis, born as JosephLevitch, (March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, director and humanitarian. He was of Jewish descent. He was best known for acting in comedymovies in the 1950s and 1960s such as The Nutty Professor. He also helped to raise money for people with muscular dystrophy, through the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Lewis first became famous as part of Martin & Lewis, working with singer Dean Martin. They worked together for ten years. They appeared on stage, radio and television, and in movies. They stopped working together in 1956 and did not speak for years. They reunited a few times from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Lewis directed of many of his movies. He was the first director to use video cameras with movie cameras, to help with filming scenes. Film takes time to process, but videotape can be played back right away, saving time and work if a scene needs to be redone. Other directors soon started using his technique, and it is still used today.
During the 1970s, Lewis' movies became less popular. He moved away from acting and directing. In the 1990s, he returned to performing onstage. He continued to perform during the 2000s.
.jpg)
