Richard Lewis (comedian)

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Richard Lewis
Lewis looking to the camera
Lewis in 2015
Birth nameRichard Philip Lewis
Born(1947-06-29)June 29, 1947
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 27, 2024(2024-02-27) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeTemple of Aaron Cemetery, Roseville, Minnesota, U.S.
MediumStand-up, television, film
Years active1971–2024
GenresDark comedy, surreal humor
Subject(s)Self-deprecation, neuroticism, psychotherapy, alcoholism, hypochondria, paranoia, depression, bipolar disorder, human sexuality, Jewish culture, pop culture, family, eating disorders, annoyance
Spouse
Joyce Lapinsky
​
(m. 2005)​
Notable works and rolesAnything but Love
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Websiterichardlewisonline.com

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 semi-fictionalized version of himself in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2000 to 2024.

Early life and education[edit]

Lewis was born on June 29, 1947,[1] in Brooklyn. He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey.[2][3] He was born into a Jewish family, but was not especially religious.[4] His father, Bill (d. 1971), was co-owner of Ambassador Caterers in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey,[5] and his mother, Blanche, was an actress in community theatre.[3][6][7] Lewis was the youngest of three siblings – his sister was older by 9 years, and his brother by 6.[3][8][9] 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.[8] Lewis told The Washington Post in 2014 that he suspected that his birth had been a mistake.[8]

Lewis was known for being the class clown and causing trouble in school.[4] 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.[3][10] He was the recipient of the Fisher College of Business Alumni Achievement Award in November 2023.[11][12]

Career[edit]

Lewis first tried stand-up at an open mic in Greenwich Village in 1971.[6] He began writing and regularly performing stand-up comedy in 1972, while working as a copywriter for an advertising agency by day.[13] 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.[13] By the mid-1970s, Lewis had appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson[14] 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.[15][16] His influences were Richard Pryor, Buster Keaton, Woody Allen, and Lenny Bruce.[17]

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.[18] He was noted for wearing all-black attire and for pacing and gesticulating wildly during his stand-up act.[18][19][20][21] 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.[18]

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.[22] 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.[22][23] 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.[22][23] The film features Bill Macy as Billy's father, Michael Lerner as his agent, and Stacy Keach as a landlord.[23] Performers George Jessel, Dom DeLuise, Nina van Pallandt, and Gary Mule Deer make appearances in the film as themselves.[23]

Lewis gained much wider exposure in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show,[14] both Late Night and the Late Show with David Letterman,[13][19] and The Howard Stern Show.[20] He also produced the comedy special I'm in Pain, which aired on Showtime in 1985,[24] 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.[20][25] From 1989 to 1992, he co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis on the sitcom Anything but Love.[19] He also starred on the short-lived sitcoms Daddy Dearest with Don Rickles in 1993, and Hiller and Diller with Kevin Nealon in 1998.[19] He played Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights,[26] 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.[27] Lewis also appeared in the 1995 drama film Leaving Las Vegas, and the 1997 romantic comedy Hugo Pool.[20][28]

Into the 2000s, Lewis had recurring roles as a B movie producer on the sitcom Rude Awakening,[29] and as Rabbi Richard Glass on the family drama series 7th Heaven.[20] He also had a recurring role on the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm as a semi-autobiographical version of himself.[26] 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 – the former claimed that at the time, they hated each other.[20] The two comedians also happened to be born three days apart in the same hospital.[3] The pair met again over a decade later while performing stand-up in New York and became friends.[20]

Recognition[edit]

GQ magazine included Lewis on their list of "The 20th Century's Most Influential Humorists",[30] and Lewis was ranked No. 45 on Comedy Central's list of "100 Greatest Standups of All Time" released in 2004.[31][32]

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.[33] 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."[34] His lawyer sent some video tapes to Bartlett's general editor Justin Kaplan showing Lewis using the phrase.[34] Bartlett's declined, stating that the expression had predated Lewis's first taped broadcast.[34] In response, Lewis told Entertainment Weekly that he traces popular usage of the line back to his early days on David Letterman's show.[34]

Personal life[edit]

Marriage[edit]

Lewis met Joyce Lapinsky in 1998 at a Ringo Starr album release party, while Lapinsky was working in music publishing.[18][35] The pair were engaged in 2004 and married the following year.[35]

Substance abuse issues[edit]

Lewis was open about his recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, having been a user of both cocaine and crystal meth.[20] His addictions worsened into the 1990s, prompting Lewis to stop performing stand-up from 1991 to 1994.[19] 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.[36] The two starred together in Candy's last film, the Western-themed comedy film Wagons East.[36] In later interviews, Lewis stated that he got sober in 1994 after winding up in a hospital emergency room due to a cocaine overdose.[7][19]

Lewis published his memoir in 2000, titled The Other Great Depression.[37] The book was reissued in 2008 with an added afterword where Lewis reflected further on his continued struggles with addiction.[7] 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.[37]

Health issues and death[edit]

Discussions of Lewis's battles with anxiety and depression, and his multiple therapy sessions, were a fixture of his comedy.[19] He also stated in interviews that he suffered from an eating disorder due to body dysmorphia.[20][19] Lewis struggled with health issues 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.[9][35] In the latter year, it was revealed that Lewis had battled multiple health issues and bore great pain during the shooting of Curb Your Enthusiasm.[35] He announced that he would be returning for only one episode of Season 11.[26] Lewis returned in Season 12, the series' final season.[38]

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".[2]

Lewis died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on February 27, 2024, at the age of 76.[39][40][41] Friends and colleagues, including Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Cheryl Hines and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David, made statements regarding Lewis' death and paid homage to Lewis.[42][43]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Film work by Richard Lewis
Year Title Role
1988 The Wrong Guys[44] Richard
1989 That's Adequate[45] Pimples Lapedes
1992 Once Upon a Crime[45] Julian Peters
1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights[45] Prince John
1994 Wagons East[45] Phil Taylor
1995 Drunks[20] Jim
Leaving Las Vegas[20] Peter
1996 The Elevator[45] Phil Milowski
1997 Hugo Pool[45] Chick Chicalini
The Maze[45] Markov
1999 Game Day[44] Steve Adler
2005 Sledge: The Untold Story[46] Himself
2012 Vamps[44] Danny
2014 She's Funny That Way[44] Al Finkelstein
2017 Sandy Wexler[47] Testimonial
2018 The Great Buster: A Celebration[48] Himself

Television[edit]

Television work by Richard Lewis
Year Title Role Notes
1974–1992 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Himself – Guest 22 episodes[49]
1979 Diary of a Young Comic Billy Goldstein Television movie[45]
1980 House Calls Dr. Leon Prometheus Episode: "The Phantom of Kensington"[45]
1982–1993 Late Night with David Letterman Himself – Guest 48 episodes[20]
1985 Temporary Insanity Performer Television movie
1986 Riptide Andrew Fitzsimmons Carlton III Episode: "The Wedding Bell Blues"
1987 Harry Richard Breskin 7 episodes[45]
CBS Summer Playhouse Joey Episode: "King of the Building"[50]
1988 Tattingers Longo Episode : "Death and Taxis"
1989–1992 Anything but Love Marty Gold 56 episodes[45]
1992 The Danger of Love Edward Sanders Television movie[45]
1993 Daddy Dearest Steven Mitchell 13 episodes[41]
TriBeCa Joseph Episode: "Stepping Back"
The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "Life Behind Larry"[45]
1993–2008 Late Show with David Letterman Himself – Guest 9 episodes[49]
1994 Tales from the Crypt Vern Episode: "Whirlpool"[45]
1995–2008 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Himself – Guest 12 episodes[49]
1995 A.J.'s Time Travelers Edgar Allan Poe Episode: "Edgar Allan Poe"
1996 A Weekend in the Country Bobby Stein Television movie[45]
Nichols and May: Take Two Himself Documentary Special, PBS[45]
1996–2015 The Daily Show Himself 16 episodes [45]
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Old Beggar (voice) Episode: "The Golden Goose"[45]
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Richard (voice) Episode: "Undercover"
1997–1998 Hiller and Diller Neil Diller 13 episodes[45]
1998 Rude Awakening Harve Schwartz 6 episodes[45]
1999 Hercules Neurosis (voice) Episode: "Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus"[51]
V.I.P. Ronald Zane Episode: "Big Top Val"
Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm Himself Television movie – Pilot [45]
2000–2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Himself 41 episodes[45]
2002 Presidio Med Francis Weinod Episode: "Once Upon a Family"[45]
2002–2004 7th Heaven Rabbi Richard Glass 9 episodes[45]
2003 Alias Mitchell Yaeger Episode: "A Dark Turn"[45]
2004 Two and a Half Men Stan Episode: "I Can't Afford Hyenas"[45]
The Dead Zone Jack Jericho Episode: "The Cold Hard Truth"[45]
2005 Las Vegas Stan Episode: "Fake the Money and Run"[45]
George Lopez Phillip Nickleson Episode: "George Finds Therapy Benny-ficial"[45]
2006 The Simpsons Golem (voice) Episode: "Treehouse of Horror XVII"[45]
Everybody Hates Chris Kris Episode: "Everybody Hates Kris"[45]
2007 Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project Himself Documentary, PBS[45]
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sportsman Larry (voice) Episode: "Closet"
2009 The Cleaner Henry Episode: "Trick Candles"[45]
2009–2010 'Til Death Miles Tunnicliff 3 episodes[45]
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"[51]
2013 Mel Brooks: Make Some Noise Himself Documentary Special, PBS
2015 Blunt Talk Dr. Weiss 6 episodes[45]
2016 Code Black Stewart Gough Episode: "Hero Complex"[45]
2018 BoJack Horseman Ziggy Abler (voice) Episode: "Head in the Clouds"

Awards and nominations[edit]

Accolades for Richard Lewis
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
1989 CableACE Award Writing a Comedy Special The I'm Exhausted Concert Nominated [52]
1991 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor – Quality Comedy Series Anything but Love Nominated [53]
2006 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm Nominated [54]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Lewis, Richard (December 26, 2000). The Other Great Depression: How I'm Overcoming on a Daily Basis at Least a Million Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-891620-93-5. OCLC 45065989.
    • —— (2008). The Other Great Depression: How I'm Overcoming on a Daily Basis at Least a Million Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life (Reissue ed.). New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586486044. OCLC 172980541. Includes added afterword.
  • —— (2015). Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis' Guide on How Not to Live. Illustrator: Carl Nicholas Titolo. powerHouse Books: Brooklyn, NY. ISBN 9781576877456. OCLC 886745435.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Born This Day". New York Daily News. p. 57. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Richard Lewis, June 29, 1947
  2. ^ a b Gross, Jenny (April 25, 2023). "Richard Lewis, Diagnosed With Parkinson's, Will Retire From Stand-Up Comedy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Richard Lewis: All Grown Up". New Jersey Monthly. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Sher, Cindy (October 4, 2012). "Veteran comics Susie Essman and Richard Lewis to bring the laughs to JUF's Vanguard Nov. 5". Jewish United Fund. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "Safe at Home". New Jersey Monthly. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Logan, John (November 30, 1995). "Richard Lewis full of angst – over his career". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. His childhood was lonely, with his mother, Blanche, in 'her own world' and his father, Bill, off 'turning a gymnasium into a winter wonderland for a wedding,' Lewis was often left to amuse himself. After earning a marketing degree from Ohio State, he returned to New Jersey, spent five years working two, sometimes three jobs as an advertising copywriter, a librarian and a sportings good clerk. Not until 1971, after his father died, did Lewis decide to tackle his dream – he showed up for open-mike night at a Greenwich Village club. He soon found himself driving 50 to 100 miles a night to work suburban comedy clubs. It was comic David Brenner, now a close friend, who really gave him his big break.
  7. ^ a b c Firestone, Jay (March 13, 2008). "Richard Lewis, comedian from heaven". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "Richard Lewis on what's so funny about growing up in Jersey". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022. My father was the food guy. He co-owned Ambassador Caterers in nearby Teaneck and was a big shot in the area. I rarely saw him because he was busy all the time, which was hard on me because my mother and I didn't really get along... I was the baby of the family, and I'm still convinced I was a mistake. My brother is six years older than me, and my sister is nine years older. She married in 1959 when I was 12 and my brother moved to Greenwich Village in the early '60s. With my dad always working and my brother and sister out of the house, my mother and I were the only ones home. We became a Neil Simon play without the jokes. The slightest things would upset her and we got on each other's nerves... My brother is six years older than me, and my sister is nine years older.
  9. ^ a b Reich, Howard (January 12, 2018). "At 70, comic Richard Lewis makes another comeback". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Comedian Richard Lewis Interview on Bloomberg Radio [Transcript] (Radio broadcast). Bloomberg Radio. January 31, 2014. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via ProQuest. And I have a degree in marketing from The Ohio State University, and I read the copy, thought the ad was great.
  11. ^ "Celebrating an anniversary of alumni excellence," Fisher College of Business (The Ohio State University), Thursday, October 12, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  12. ^ 2023 Alumni Awards: 30 years of excellence – YouTube (via Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University). Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Fine, Marshall (January 9, 1985). "Comic's dark humor finally in limelight". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. Gannett News Service. p. 10A. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Welcome to the world of Richard Lewis, one of the most blackly funny comedians working today ... But the light is shining on his dark humor, thanks to his old friend David Letterman. Since Late Night with David Letterman went on the air almost three years ago, he had made more appearances on the show than any other guest. 'It turned my whole career around,' says Lewis, 37, and Englewood, N.J., native. 'I'd been writing and performing since 1972 ... But until Letterman gave me a forum every month, I never had an audience.' ... He began as an advertising copywriter, writing jokes on the side, then began doing standup routines in Greenwich Village, where he was discovered by comedian David Brenner. He helped him make the move to comedy clubs in Los Angeles like the Improvisation and, eventually, to his first appearance on the Tonight show.
  14. ^ a b Lewis, Richard (December 23, 2005). "Richard Lewis remembers Johnny Carson". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Mason, Bryant (August 24, 1975). "The Comedians Who Have to Be Funny". New York Daily News. p. 5. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. For the new breed of comics, of whom [Robert] Klein, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Richard Lewis and Larry Ragland, and Ed Bluestone are examples, the success or failure of a comic is largely determined by his ability to write material.
  16. ^ Jacobson, Mark (March 22, 1976). "Funny Girl: New, Hot, Hip". New York. Vol. 9, no. 12. p. 32. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ Richard Lewis: Concerts from Hell: The Vintage Years: Interview with Bill Zehme (DVD). Image Entertainment. 2005.
  18. ^ a b c d Fine, Marshall (February 26, 2007). "Richard Lewis: The Metamorphosis". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Brownfield, Paul (February 8, 2001). "Still All Knotted Up, With a Twist". Los Angeles Times. p. 6. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Laurie Stone, writing about comedian Richard Lewis in The Village Voice in 1989, called his act 'secular davening, where self-disclosure substitutes for prayer.' At the time, Lewis was 42 and almost breathtaking (or painstaking) to watch, with his self-doubt and self-loathing and the relatives and the women and the therapists who had made him this way. His gestures were trademark—the hand pressed to the forehead, for instance—as trademark as the loose-fitting black clothes and the Converse sneakers... For those who have never seen him on stage or on one of his many appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman," Lewis is best- known for Anything but Love, the sitcom co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis that ran on ABC from 1989 to 1992 (Lewis, by the way, says that his drinking never spilled over into his work). There was the 1996 independent film Drunks, for which he received good notices, and stabs at sitcoms that failed (1990's Daddy Dearest, with Don Rickles, and 1997's Hiller and Diller, with Kevin Nealon). But stand-up, which he began in 1971, was where he made his mark. The steady build of Lewis' alcoholism caused him to quit stand-up between 1991 and 1994, he says. In '94, he checked himself into Hazelton, the famed drug and alcohol treatment center in Minnesota, but Lewis says he left after a day. His therapist termed his condition a kind of impotency—pain buried in booze, drugs and the hunt for orgasms. Sort of like Elvis, only without the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Lewis eventually found his rock bottom with a cocaine binge, he says.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Heller, Karen (March 2, 2020). "Richard Lewis is not as miserable as he appears. But he's still miserable". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  21. ^ Diamond, Jason (October 20, 2021). "Richard Lewis Is Still the Man in Black". GQ. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c O'Connor, John J. (February 3, 1979). "'Comic' very funny". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. New York Times Service. p. 20. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Diary of a Young Comic, tonight's replacement on NBC for Saturday Night Live at 11:30, is a struggling film about a struggling young comedian. Perhaps in a clever attempt to reflect its subject, it is childish, pointless, wildly uneven and, not infrequently, devastatingly funny. The subject, played with zany dedication by stand-up comedians Richard Lewis, is Billy Gondola (born Gondolstein), who is desperately boring audiences in a New York club. Billy decides to go do Los Angeles, which has already lured away such luminaries as Neil Simon and Orange Julius.
  23. ^ a b c d Rosenberg, Howard (February 3, 1979). "'Comic' Adds Laughs 'Co-Ed' Adds Little". Part II NAME. Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Maybe it's the full moon. Whatever reason, Saturday nights are when NBC lets the loonies out of their straitjackets and padded cells. Nowhere else on TV can one regularly encounter the wonderfully warped brand of comedy that NBC allows for the 90 minutes beginning at 11:30pm. Almost always the showcase is Saturday Night Live, but occasionally the network sneaks a surprise such as tonight's Diary of a Young Comic. ... What Diary of a Young Comic is, in fact, is a sloppy amorphous and undisciplined story that follows a callow stand-up comedian, Billy Gondola (Richard Lewis), from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and through his trials as a struggling performer ... it tells the heartaches of Billy (who has shortened his name from Gondolstein) while lampooning the excesses of the city and industry that have him in their grasp... We get a sample of [Richard Lewis's] monologues and we also see Bill Macy as his father, Michael Lerner as his flimflam agent, Stacy Keach as a landlord and George Jessel, Dom DeLuise, Gary Muledeer and Nina Van Pallandt as themselves.
  24. ^ Dawidziak, Mark (October 16, 1985). "8:00 p.m. Richard Lewis: I'm In Pain". Mark's Best Bets. The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio, United States. p. C8. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. The frenzied, neurotic stand-up comedian is featured in a wild hour-long special filmed at the Improv club in Los Angeles. Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and others are interviewed in the 'witness' style borrowed from Reds. Showtime.
  25. ^ Chapman, Francesca (July 6, 1990). "Lewis Special Has Too Many Friends". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 59. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Comedian Richard Lewis stars in I'm Doomed, an HBO special Saturday.
  26. ^ a b c Shafer, Ellise (January 25, 2021). "Richard Lewis Will Not Appear in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Season 11". Variety. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  27. ^ Rickey, Carrie (May 2, 1997). "Alcoholics on the wagon gather to do some soul-baring". Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 10. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. The characters: Jim (Richard Lewis), a tightly coiled recovering alcoholic and drug addict; Marty (George Martin), the meeting's haggard chairman; Rachel (Diane Wiest), a sleep-deprived doctor shaking the twin monkeys of Percodan and Scotch off her back; Joseph (Howard Rollins), whose driving while intoxicated cost him his marriage and much more; Debbie (Parker Posey), a recovering party girl now 'addicted' to the NFL; and Becky (Faye Dunaway), a society dame with the same fears of backsliding, insecurities and temptations of the rest of the crew... Lewis, who resembles a debauched Al Pacino (if that's not redundant), is impressive in a dramatic turn. Likewise Wiest, Rollins and Posey, and likewise Spalding Gray, as a souse who mistakes the A.A. meeting for his weekly choir practice and stays because he prefers these stories to his regular group's songs.
  28. ^ Leonard, John (September 29, 1997). "Running Jokes". New York. Vol. 30, no. 37. p. 62. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ Huff, Richard (August 8, 1998). "Breaching the comfort level". The San Francisco Examiner. New York Daily News. p. C1. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. In it, [Sherilyn Fenn] plays Billie Frank... Now working for a B-movie producer (Richard Lewis).
  30. ^ Sanello, Frank (June 20, 1990). "Comedian turns his 'problems' into laughter". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 5D. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. GQ magazine put him on its list of the 20th century's most influential humorists, along with Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker.
  31. ^ "Dishing Dirt". The Orlando Sentinel. April 11, 2004. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. A panel of stage veterans will dish dirt, talk trash and heap praise upon their best and brightest as they count down Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. Richard Lewis, Dom Irrera, Judy Gold, Mario Joyner, Richard Jeni and Phyllis Diller are amongh those to provide commentary during the five hour long clipfests that begin Monday and air through the week.
  32. ^ "Comedy Central top 100 comedians". IMDb. October 28, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  33. ^ "Yale Gives Richard Lewis Hell". Yale University Press. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  34. ^ a b c d Flamm, Matthew (November 1, 2002). "Between the Lines". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d Reich, Howard (March 3, 2020). "Richard Lewis looks in pain during 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' As it turns out, he is". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  36. ^ a b Beck, Marilyn (August 9, 1995). "Comedian Richard Lewis returns to the mic, screen". Santa Maria Times. p. C3. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. In a rare revelatory moment, comedian Richard Lewis takes a break from his usual hyperkinetic litany of humorous retorts to reflect on the loss of John Candy. 'I lost a best friend and that was a toughie,' says Lewis, who co-starred in Wagons East, the film Candy had almost finished shooting at the time of this death from a heart attack in 1994... The comedian, who recently turned 48, adds that his friend's untimely demise prompted him to re-evaluate his own life and career.
  37. ^ a b Reich, Howard (May 7, 2015). "'Reflections From Hell': Richard Lewis on how not to live". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  38. ^ Evans, Greg (November 28, 2022). "Richard Lewis Confirms Return To Larry David's 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' For Season 12". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  39. ^ Evans, Greg (February 28, 2024). "Richard Lewis Dies: Beloved Comic, 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Actor Was 76". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
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