Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis Joseph Levitch (March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017), known worldwide as Jerry Lewis, was an American comedian, director, actor, producer, singer, screenwriter and humanitarian, whose career spanned eight decades and was nicknamed "The King of Comedy". He was known for his partnership with Dean Martin as the groundbreaking act of Martin and Lewis. Lewis went on to star in, write, produce and direct many motion pictures, such as "The Delicate Delinquent", "The Sad Sack", "Rock-A-Bye Baby", "The Geisha Boy", "Don't Give Up The Ship", "Visit to a Small Planet", "Cinderfella", "The Bellboy", "The Ladies' Man", "The Errand
Jerry Lester 1969 production of "South Pacific". Afflicted with Alzheimer's disease in 1985, he retired from show business. He died in Miami, Florida, in 1995. His brother was actor and comedian Buddy Lester. Jerry Lester Jerry Lester (February 16, 1910 – March 23, 1995) was an American comedian, singer and performer on radio, television and the stage, who hosted the first network late night television program as host of "Broadway Open House" on NBC, a vaudeville-esque combination of comedy and music, whose success demonstrated the potential for late-night television and led to the creation of the "Tonight Show". Jerry Lester was born