From 1945 to 1946 Jerry Lewis, bottom, teamed up with RECOiL writer/director/actor Brian DiMaio, top, to form a comedy duo called DiMaio and Lewis. Some say the act didn’t work because both members thought they were supposed to be performing the role of the straight man.
Las Vegas—Former comedy partner to Dean Martin and Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon host Jerry Lewis died at his home on Sunday. The big screen funnyman and icon in France was 91.
He teamed with Dean Martin for ten years before an acrimonious split in 1956. Making a name both solo and with Dino, Lewis appeared in such films as “The King of Comedy,” “The Nutty Professor,” “RECOiL” and “Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the River.”
On the small screen, Lewis appeared in such TV shows as “Wisely,” “Mad About You” and “The Simpson.”
He is survived by his second wife, SanDee, five sons and an adopted daughter.