Richard Lewis (comedian)

Richard Philip Lewis (June 29, 1947 – February 27, 2024) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Lewis came to prominence in the 1980s and became known for his dark, neurotic, and self-deprecating humor. As an actor, he was known for starring in the ABC sitcom Anything but Love from 1989 to 1992, and for playing the role of Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Lewis also had a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2000 to 2024.

Early life and education

Lewis was born on June 29, 1947,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Brooklyn, New York City. He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey.<ref name = Gross>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=NJMONTHLY>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was born into a Jewish family, but was not especially religious.<ref name=JUF>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His father, Bill (d. 1971), was co-owner of Ambassador Caterers in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and his mother, Blanche, was an actress in community theatre.<ref name=NJMONTHLY/><ref name=PHILLYINQ>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=JEWISHJOURNAL>Template:Cite news</ref> Lewis was the youngest of three siblings. His sister was older by 9 years, and his brother by 6.<ref name=NJMONTHLY/><ref name=WSJ>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=CHICAGOTRIB>Template:Cite news</ref> His father's catering business kept him very busy, and his siblings had both left home by the 1960s, leaving Lewis at home alone with his mother, with whom there was friction.<ref name=WSJ/> Lewis told The Washington Post in 2014 that he suspected that his birth had been a mistake.<ref name=WSJ/>

Lewis was known for being the class clown and causing trouble in school.<ref name=JUF/> He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1965 and attended Ohio State University where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing four years later in 1969.<ref name=NJMONTHLY/><ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> He was the recipient of the Fisher College of Business Alumni Achievement Award in November 2023.<ref>"Celebrating an anniversary of alumni excellence," Fisher College of Business (The Ohio State University), Thursday, October 12, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.</ref><ref>2023 Alumni Awards: 30 years of excellence – YouTube (via Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University). Retrieved February 29, 2024.</ref>

Career

Lewis first tried stand-up at an open mic in Greenwich Village in 1971.<ref name=PHILLYINQ/> He began writing and regularly performing stand-up comedy in 1972, while working as a copywriter for an advertising agency by day.<ref name=STARGAZETTE>Template:Cite news</ref> He was discovered by comedian David Brenner while performing in Greenwich Village. Brenner helped Lewis's career by introducing him to the comedy clubs in Los Angeles and getting Lewis his first appearance on The Tonight Show.<ref name=STARGAZETTE/> By the mid-1970s, Lewis had appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson<ref name=EW>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and publications, such as the New York Daily News and New York magazine, were naming him one of the "new breed" or "class" of comedians; this list containing names such as Robert Klein, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, and Elayne Boosler.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=NYMAG>Template:Cite magazine</ref> His influences were Richard Pryor, Buster Keaton, Woody Allen, and Lenny Bruce.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Lewis was known for dark comedy, self-deprecation, and for frank discussions regarding his many neuroses, as well as his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction.<ref name=OBSERVER>Template:Cite news</ref> He was noted for wearing all-black attire and for pacing and gesticulating wildly during his stand-up act.<ref name=OBSERVER/><ref name=LATIMES2001>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=WAPO>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=GQ>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In his early days, he was also known for bringing taped-together sheets from a legal pad to his performances; he would lay them across the floor in front of him to remind him of joke premises and topics he wished to cover during his performance.<ref name=OBSERVER/>

Lewis made his screen acting debut in Diary of a Young Comic, a 90-minute film that aired on NBC in 1979 in the timeslot normally reserved for episodes of Saturday Night Live.<ref name=MORNINGNEWS>Template:Cite news</ref> A satirical look at the Hollywood scene, Lewis stars in the film as Billy Gondola (born Gondolstein), a young Jewish comedian who leaves New York City to find fame in Los Angeles.<ref name=MORNINGNEWS/><ref name=LATIMESDIARY>Template:Cite news</ref> The film's script was co-written by Lewis and Bennett Tramer, and was adapted from a story written by Gary Weis, who also served as the film's director.<ref name=MORNINGNEWS/><ref name=LATIMESDIARY/> The film features Bill Macy as Billy's father, Michael Lerner as his agent, and Stacy Keach as a landlord.<ref name=LATIMESDIARY/> Performers George Jessel, Dom DeLuise, Nina van Pallandt, and Gary Mule Deer make appearances in the film as themselves.<ref name=LATIMESDIARY/>

Lewis gained much wider exposure in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show,<ref name=EW/> both Late Night and the Late Show with David Letterman,<ref name=STARGAZETTE/><ref name=LATIMES2001/> and The Howard Stern Show.<ref name=WAPO/> He also produced the comedy special I'm in Pain, which aired on Showtime in 1985,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> followed by the specials I'm Exhausted, I'm Doomed, and Richard Lewis: The Magical Misery Tour, all of which aired on HBO in 1988, 1990, and 1997 respectively.<ref name=WAPO/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From 1989 to 1992, he co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis on the sitcom Anything but Love.<ref name=LATIMES2001/> He also starred on the short-lived sitcoms Daddy Dearest with Don Rickles in 1993, and Hiller and Diller with Kevin Nealon in 1998.<ref name=LATIMES2001/> He played Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights,<ref name=VARIETY/> and starred as a struggling alcoholic and drug addict in the 1995 drama film Drunks. The latter film featured performances from Faye Dunaway, George Martin, Parker Posey, Howard Rollins, Spalding Gray, and Dianne Wiest, and was based on Gary Lennon's play Blackout.<ref name=PHILLYINQ2>Template:Cite news</ref> Lewis also appeared in the 1995 drama film Leaving Las Vegas, and the 1997 romantic comedy Hugo Pool.<ref name=WAPO/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Into the 2000s, Lewis had recurring roles as a B movie producer on the sitcom Rude Awakening,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and as Rabbi Richard Glass on the family drama series 7th Heaven.<ref name=WAPO/> He also had a recurring role on the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm as a semi-autobiographical version of himself.<ref name=VARIETY>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lewis first met the show's star and creator, Larry David, at summer camp in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, when they were 12 years old; Lewis claimed that, at the time, they hated each other.<ref name=WAPO/> The pair met again over a decade later while performing stand-up in New York and became friends.<ref name=WAPO/>

Recognition

GQ magazine included Lewis on their list of "The 20th Century's Most Influential Humorists",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Lewis was ranked Template:Abbr 45 on Comedy Central's list of "100 Greatest Standups of All Time" released in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2006, The Yale Book of Quotations included an entry for the expression "the ______ from hell" (as in "the night from hell", "the date from hell". etc.,) that was attributed to Lewis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lewis also petitioned the editors of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations to include the idiom, which was also worked into the plot of Curb Your Enthusiasm during the episode "The Nanny from Hell".<ref name=EW2>Template:Cite magazine</ref> His lawyer sent some video tapes to Bartlett's general editor Justin Kaplan showing Lewis using the phrase.<ref name=EW2/> Bartlett's declined, stating that the expression had predated Lewis's first taped broadcast.<ref name=EW2/> In response, Lewis told Entertainment Weekly that he traces popular usage of the line back to his early days on David Letterman's show.<ref name=EW2/>

Personal life

Marriage

Lewis met Joyce Lapinsky in 1998 at a Ringo Starr album release party, while Lapinsky was working in music publishing.<ref name=OBSERVER/><ref name=CHICAGOTRIB2>Template:Cite news</ref> The pair became engaged in 2004 and married the following year.<ref name=CHICAGOTRIB2/>

Substance abuse issues

Lewis was open about his recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, having been a user of both cocaine and crystal meth.<ref name=WAPO/> His addictions worsened into the 1990s, prompting Lewis to stop performing stand-up from 1991 to 1994.<ref name=LATIMES2001/> In a 1995 interview with the Santa Maria Times, Lewis discussed how John Candy's death the year prior had caused him to reflect upon his own life and career.<ref name=SANTAMARIA>Template:Cite news</ref> The two starred together in Candy's last film, the Western-themed comedy film Wagons East.<ref name=SANTAMARIA/> In later interviews, Lewis stated that he got sober in 1994 after winding up in a hospital emergency room due to a cocaine overdose.<ref name=JEWISHJOURNAL/><ref name=LATIMES2001/>

Lewis published his memoir in 2000, titled The Other Great Depression.<ref name="Reich">Template:Cite news</ref> The book was reissued in 2008 with an added afterword where Lewis reflected further on his continued struggles with addiction.<ref name=JEWISHJOURNAL/> In 2015, he released the book Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis' Guide on How Not to Live; it contains his commentary and observations in the form of one-liners and other comedic premises, interspersed with images created by artist Carl Nicholas Titolo.<ref name="Reich"/>

Health problems and death

Discussions of Lewis's battles with anxiety and depression, and his multiple therapy sessions, were a fixture of his comedy.<ref name=LATIMES2001/> He also stated in interviews that he suffered from an eating disorder due to body dysmorphia.<ref name=WAPO/><ref name=LATIMES2001/> Lewis struggled with health problems resulting in multiple surgeries. In 2016, he shattered his right hand after falling from his roof; in 2019, he had back surgery related to acute back pain; and in early 2020, he shattered his shoulder, resulting in another surgery.<ref name=CHICAGOTRIB/><ref name=CHICAGOTRIB2/> In the latter year, it was revealed that Lewis had battled multiple health problems and was in great pain during the shooting of Curb Your Enthusiasm.<ref name=CHICAGOTRIB2/> He announced that he would be appearing in only one episode of Season 11.<ref name=VARIETY/> Lewis returned in Season 12, the series' final season,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> most episodes of which premiered after his death.

In April 2023, Lewis announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease two years earlier. He said he would no longer perform stand-up comedy and was instead "focused on writing and acting".<ref name = Gross/>

Lewis died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on February 27, 2024, at the age of 76.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="obit2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="HR">Template:Cite news</ref> Friends and colleagues, including Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Cheryl Hines and the show's creator, Larry David, made statements regarding Lewis' death and paid homage to Lewis.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is buried at the Temple of Aaron Cemetery in Roseville, Minnesota.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

Film work by Richard Lewis

Year	Title	Role
1988	The Wrong Guys<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Richard
1989	That's Adequate<ref name="TVG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Pimples Lapedes
1992	Once Upon a Crime<ref name="TVG" />	Julian Peters
1993	Robin Hood: Men in Tights<ref name="TVG" />	Prince John
1994	Wagons East<ref name="TVG" />	Phil Taylor
1995	Drunks<ref name=WAPO/>	Jim
	Leaving Las Vegas<ref name=WAPO/>	Peter
1996	The Elevator<ref name="TVG" />	Phil Milowski
1997	Hugo Pool<ref name="TVG" />	Chick Chicalini
	The Maze<ref name="TVG" />	Markov
1999	Game Day<ref name=":0" />	Steve Adler
2005	Sledge: The Untold Story<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself
2012	Vamps<ref name=":0" />	Danny
2014	She's Funny That Way<ref name=":0" />	Al Finkelstein
2017	Sandy Wexler<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Testimonial
2018	The Great Buster: A Celebration<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Himself

Television

Television work by Richard Lewis

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974–1992	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	Himself – Guest	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1979	Diary of a Young Comic	Billy Goldstein	Television movie<ref name="TVG" />
1980	House Calls	Dr. Leon Prometheus	Episode: "The Phantom of Kensington"<ref name="TVG" />
1982–1993	Late Night with David Letterman	Himself – Guest	48 episodes<ref name=WAPO/>
1985	Temporary Insanity	Performer	Television movie
1986	Riptide	Andrew Fitzsimmons Carlton III	Episode: "The Wedding Bell Blues"
1987	Harry	Richard Breskin	7 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
	CBS Summer Playhouse	Joey	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1988	Tattingers	Longo	Episode : "Death and Taxis"
1989–1992	Anything but Love	Marty Gold	56 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
1992	The Danger of Love	Edward Sanders	Television movie<ref name="TVG" />
1993	Daddy Dearest	Steven Mitchell	13 episodes<ref name="HR" />
	TriBeCa	Joseph	Episode: "Stepping Back"
	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	Episode: "Life Behind Larry"<ref name="TVG" />
1993–2008	Late Show with David Letterman	Himself – Guest	9 episodes<ref name="ringer" />
1994	Tales from the Crypt	Vern	Episode: "Whirlpool"<ref name="TVG" />
1995–2008	Late Night with Conan O'Brien	Himself – Guest	12 episodes<ref name="ringer" />
1995	A.J.'s Time Travelers	Edgar Allan Poe	Episode: "Edgar Allan Poe"
1996	A Weekend in the Country	Bobby Stein	Television movie<ref name="TVG" />
	Nichols and May: Take Two	Himself	Documentary Special, PBS<ref name="TVG" />
1996–2015	The Daily Show	Himself	16 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
1997	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Old Beggar (voice)	Episode: "The Golden Goose"<ref name="TVG" />
	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Richard (voice)	Episode: "Undercover"
1997–1998	Hiller and Diller	Neil Diller	13 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
1998	Rude Awakening	Harve Schwartz	6 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
1999	Hercules	Neurosis (voice)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	V.I.P.	Ronald Zane	Episode: "Big Top Val"
	Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm	Himself	Television movie – Pilot<ref name="TVG" />
2000–2024	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Himself	45 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
2002	Presidio Med	Francis Weinod	Episode: "Once Upon a Family"<ref name="TVG" />
2002–2004	7th Heaven	Rabbi Richard Glass	9 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
2003	Alias	Mitchell Yaeger	Episode: "A Dark Turn"<ref name="TVG" />
2004	Two and a Half Men	Stan	Episode: "I Can't Afford Hyenas"<ref name="TVG" />
	The Dead Zone	Jack Jericho	Episode: "The Cold Hard Truth"<ref name="TVG" />
2005	Las Vegas	Stan	Episode: "Fake the Money and Run"<ref name="TVG" />
	George Lopez	Phillip Nickleson	Episode: "George Finds Therapy Benny-ficial"<ref name="TVG" />
2006	The Simpsons	Golem (voice)	Episode: "Treehouse of Horror XVII"<ref name="TVG" />
	Everybody Hates Chris	Kris	Episode: "Everybody Hates Kris"<ref name="TVG" />
2007	Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project	Himself	Documentary, PBS<ref name="TVG" />
2008	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Sportsman Larry (voice)	Episode: "Closet"
2009	The Cleaner	Henry	Episode: "Trick Candles"<ref name="TVG" />
2009–2010	'Til Death	Miles Tunnicliff	3 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
2010	Funny or Die Presents	Shades (voice)	Episode: #1.10
2011	Lewis on Film: The Oscar Edition	Performer	Short
	Pound Puppies	Buddy (voice)	Episode: "Rebel Without a Collar"<ref name="SMF" />
2013	Mel Brooks: Make Some Noise	Himself	Documentary Special, PBS
2015	Blunt Talk	Dr. Weiss	6 episodes<ref name="TVG" />
2016	Code Black	Stewart Gough	Episode: "Hero Complex"<ref name="TVG" />
2018	BoJack Horseman	Ziggy Abler (voice)	Episode: "Head in the Clouds"

Awards and nominations

Accolades for Richard Lewis

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbr
1989	CableACE Award	Writing a Comedy Special	The I'm Exhausted Concert	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1991	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actor – Quality Comedy Series	Anything but Love	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2006	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
  • Template:Cite book Includes added afterword.
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External links

• Template:Official website
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