JERRY LEWIS BIO

Jerry Lewis is a legendary entertainer who began his career performing comedy on stage at age 5. He first appeared with Dean Martin in 1946; together they skyrocketed to fame on both stage and screen. During their 10-year partnership, they starred in 16 motion pictures together, continued to perform their live comedy act, and could be found on television and radio shows, as well as in the recording studio.

After his partnership with Dean Martin ended, Jerry continued his successful film career. He has appeared in over 60 films and directed 12. He also became involved in all aspects of the filmmaking process: screenwriting, directing and producing. As a professor at the University of Southern California, he taught Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis on his film-directing course.

Jerry fulfilled a lifelong Broadway dream in 1995 when he starred in “Damn Yankees,” becoming Broadway’s highest paid star. The following year he executively produced Eddie Murphy’s remake of the Lewis classic “The Nutty Professor.” The film was the hit of the summer – just as the original was in 1963. Over the course of his career, he has won numerous awards, and was a Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree at the American Comedy Awards. There’s scarcely a comedian in Hollywood today, from Jim Carey to Robin Williams, who doesn’t owe a tremendous amount to Jerry, who stands as a towering figure of 20th century comedy and one of the most successful performers in show business history.

Throughout his career, Jerry often performed physical comedy, The Original Nutty Professor including pratfalls. In 1965, one of these falls chipped his spine; Jerry subsequently lived with back pain for 37 years, pain so bad it almost drove him to suicide. Today, Jerry’s pain is under control for the first time in decades thanks to what he calls a “pain pacemaker,” a device that sends mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord to block pain signals as they travel to the brain.

In addition to being a legendary entertainer, Jerry is also a world-renowned philanthropist and pioneered the role of celebrity advocate. He is national chairman of the US Muscular Dystrophy Association and has hosted the organisation’s annual telethon since 1949 to fund research and raise awareness for people with neuromuscular diseases. The telethons have become an American institution and have raised over $1.8 billion. In 1977 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. He was also inducted into the French Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration, for his charity work.

In March 2004, Jerry celebrated his 78th birthday and is as busy as ever. In 2000, he signed a 20-year contract with a Las Vegas hotel to perform five times a year. He is currently working on remakes of six of his classic films. In addition, Jerry is writing a memoir on his years with Dean Martin and producing a show about their relationship. He is also the celebrity spokesperson for TAME the PAIN, where he is putting his star power and trademark passion to work by helping connect people who have chronic pain with pain management specialists.

www.tamethepain.co.uk - Tame the Pain – 00800 3280 8100