Richard Philip Lewis is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He came to prominence as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s and became known for his dark, neurotic and self-deprecating humour.
As an actor, he is known for co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in the sitcom Anything but Love, and for playing the role of Prince John in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Lewis gained much wider exposure in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show, both Late Night and the Late Show with David Letterman, and The Howard Stern Show.
He also produced the comedy specials I’m in Pain, which aired on Showtime in 1985, followed by I’m Exhausted, I’m Doomed and Richard Lewis: The Magical Misery Tour, which all aired on HBO in 1988, 1990 and 1997 respectively.
GQ magazine included Lewis on their list of “The 20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists”, and Lewis was ranked #45 on Comedy Central’s list of “100 Greatest Standups of All Time” released in 2004.
Richard Lewis Family
His family is Jewish, but not especially religious. His father, Bill (d. 1971), was co-owner of Ambassador Caterers in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey and his mother, Blanche, was an actress in community theatre.
Lewis is the youngest of three siblings – his brother was older than him by 6 years, and his sister by 9.
Lewis’s father’s catering business kept his father very busy, and his siblings had both left home by the 1960s, leaving Lewis at home alone with his mother, with whom he did not get along. Lewis told The Washington Post in 2014 that he suspected that his birth had been a mistake.
Richard Lewis Young
Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Englewood, New Jersey. Lewis was known for being the class clown and causing trouble in school.
He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1965 and attended The Ohio State University where he attained a degree in marketing.
Lewis first tried stand-up at an open-mic in Greenwich Village in 1971. He began writing and regularly performing stand-up comedy in 1972, while working as a copywriter for an advertising agency by day. He was discovered by comedian David Brenner, while performing in Greenwich Village.
Richard Lewis Movies And TV Shows
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Wrong Guys | Himself | |
| 1989 | That’s Adequate | Pimples Lapedes | |
| 1992 | Once Upon a Crime | Julian Peters | |
| 1993 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Prince John | |
| 1994 | Wagons East | Phil Taylor | |
| 1995 | Drunks | Jim | |
| Leaving Las Vegas | Peter | ||
| 1996 | The Elevator | Phil Milowski | |
| 1997 | Hugo Pool | Chick Chicalini | |
| The Maze | Markov | ||
| 1999 | Game Day | Steve Adler | |
| 2005 | Sledge: The Untold Story | Himself | Mockumentary |
| 2012 | Vamps | Danny Horowitz | |
| 2014 | She’s Funny That Way | Al Finkelstein | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Testimonial | |
| 2018 | The Great Buster: A Celebration | Himself | Documentary |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–1992 | The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson | Himself – Guest | 22 episodes |
| 1977 | Diary of a Young Comic | Billy Goldstein | Television movie |
| 1980 | House Calls | Dr. Leon Prometheus | Episode: “The Phantom of Kensington” |
| 1982–1993 | Late Night with David Letterman | Himself – Guest | 44 episodes |
| 1985 | Temporary Insanity | Performer | Television movie |
| 1986 | Riptide | Andrew Fitzsimmons Carlton III | Episode: “The Wedding Bell Blues” |
| 1987 | Harry | Richard Breskin | 7 episodes |
| CBS Summer Playhouse | Joey | Episode: “King of the Building” | |
| 1988 | Tattingers | Longo | Episode : “Death and Taxis” |
| 1989–1992 | Anything But Love | Marty Gold | 56 episodes |
| 1992 | The Danger of Love | Edward Sanders | Television movie |
| 1993 | Daddy Dearest | Steven Mitchell | 13 episodes |
| TriBeCa | Joseph | Episode: “Stepping Back” | |
| The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: “Life Behind Larry” | |
| 1993–2008 | Late Show with David Letterman | Himself – Guest | 9 episodes |
| 1994 | Tales from the Crypt | Vern | Episode: “Whirlpool” |
| 1995–2008 | Late Night with Conan O’Brien | Himself – Guest | 12 episodes |
| 1995 | A.J.’s Time Travelers | Edgar Allan Poe | Episode: “Edgar Allan Poe” |
| 1996 | A Weekend in the Country | Bobby Stein | Television movie |
| Nichols and May: Take Two | Himself | Documentary Special, PBS | |
| 1996–2015 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Himself | 16 episodes |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Old Beggar (voice) | Episode: “The Golden Goose” |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Richard (voice) | Episode: “Undercover” | |
| 1997–98 | Hiller and Diller | Neil Diller | 13 episodes |
| 1998 | Rude Awakening | Harve Schwartz | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Hercules | Neurosis (voice) | Episode: “Hercules and the Tiff on Olympus” |
| V.I.P. | Ronald Zane | Episode: “Big Top Val” | |
| Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | Television movie – Pilot | |
| 2000–present | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | 40 episodes |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | Francis Weinod | Episode: “Once Upon a Family” |
| 2002–2004 | 7th Heaven | Rabbi Richard Glass | 9 episodes |
| 2003 | Alias | Mitchell Yaeger | Episode: “A Dark Turn” |
| 2004 | Two and a Half Men | Stan | Episode: “I Can’t Afford Hyenas” |
| The Dead Zone | Jack Jericho | Episode: “The Cold Hard Truth” | |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Stan | Episode: “Fake the Money and Run” |
| George Lopez | Phillip Nickleson | Episode: “George Finds Therapy Benny-ficial” | |
| 2006 | The Simpsons | Golem (voice) | Episode: “Treehouse of Horror XVII” |
| Everybody Hates Chris | Kris | Episode: “Everybody Hates Kris” | |
| 2007 | Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project | Himself | Documentary, PBS |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sportsman Larry (voice) | Episode: “Closet” |
| 2009 | The Cleaner | Henry | Episode: “Trick Candles” |
| 2010 | Funny or Die Presents | Shades (voice) | Episode: #1.10 |
| ‘Til Death | Miles Tunnicliff | 3 episodes | |
| 2011 | Lewis on Film: The Oscar Edition | Performer | Short |
| Pound Puppies | Buddy (voice) | Episode: “Rebel Without a Collar” | |
| 2013 | Mel Brooks: Make Some Noise | Himself | Documentary Special, PBS |
| 2015 | Blunt Talk | Dr. Weiss | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Code Black | Stewart Gough | Episode: “Hero Complex” |
| 2018 | BoJack Horseman | Ziggy Abler (voice) | Episode: “Head in the Clouds” |
Richard Lewis Kidney Transplant
In 2004, doctors diagnosed Richard with kidney disease and told him that he needed a transplant to survive. His sister, Keyia, got tested and was found to be a perfect match. In February 2005, Richard received his new kidney from his life-saving sister.
Richard returned to full health until 2014, when the kidney he got from his sister began to fail. He began four-hour dialysis treatments three times a week, while once again adding his name to the organ transplant waiting list.
In July 2017, a local mother who tragically lost her son made the selfless decision to donate his organs. Her son was the match Richard was looking for. Richard underwent his second successful kidney transplant, as he and the spirit of his donor live on through the miracle of organ donation.
“It’s a blessing. I hope to continue to give my donor’s life purpose,” says Richard. “I think that everybody should be an organ donor. You can definitely make a difference in somebody’s life.”
Richard Lewis Twitter
Richard Lewis’ Twitter is @TheRichardLewis. He has 230.4K Followers.
Richard Lewis Net Worth
Richard Lewis is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $7 million.
Lewis is most widely recognized for his work as a stand-up comedian and for his roles on ABC’s “Anything But Love” (1989–1992) and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000–present). He began his performing career as a stand-up comedian in the ’70s while working for an ad agency by day.
Richard has starred in the comedy specials “The Richard Lewis ‘I’m in Pain’ Concert” (1985), “The I’m Exhausted Concert” (1988), “I’m Doomed” (1990), and “The Magical Misery Tour” (1996).
He has 55+ acting credits to his name, including the films “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993) and “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995) and the television series “Daddy Dearest” (1993), “Hiller and Diller” (1997–1998) and “7th Heaven” (2002–2004).