Godspeed Richard Lewis

Comedian Richard Lewis died on February 27 2024 at the age of 76. The cause was a heart attack.

Richard Lewis was born on June 29 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood in 1965, and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio State University. After graduating from college, Richard Lewis wrote ad copy for an advertising agency in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. At night he would write jokes. He sold those jokes to Monty Gunty and other comedians. His success writing jokes led to his decision to develop his own act.

Eventually Richard Lewis was playing such New York clubs as The Impov and Pips Comedy Club. It was in 1974 that he made his first of many appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He made his acting debut in 1979 in the television movie Diary of a Young Comic on NBC. He played a fictionalized version of himself in the film. In the late Seventies he also appeared in the TV movie The 416th and guest starred on the sitcom House Calls.

In the Eighties he appeared on both The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. He guest starred on the TV shows Riptide and Tattingers. He had a regular role on the short-lived sitcom Harry and starred on the sitcom Anything But Love. He made his film debut in The Wrong Guys in 1988. He also appeared in the film That's Adequate (1989).

In the Nineties Richard Lewis continued to appear in the TV series Anything But Love. He starred on the short-lived sitcoms Daddy Dearest and Hiller and Diller. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Rude Awakening in its first season. He guest starred on the shows Tribeca, The Larry Sanders Show, Tales from the Crypt, A.J.'s Time Travelers, and V.I.P.. He was a guest voice on the animated shows Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist; Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child; and Hercules. He appeared in the movies Once Upon a Crime... (1992), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Wagons East!, Drunks (1995), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Elevator (1996), The Maze (1997), Hugo Pool (1997), and Game Day (1999). He also appeared in the TV movie Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm in 1999.

In the Naughts Richard Lewis began his 24 year run as a regular on the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He had a recurring role on the family drama 7th Heaven. He guest starred on the shows Presidio Med, Alias, Two and a Half Men, The Dead Zone, Las Vegas, George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chris, The Cleaner, and ' Til Death. He was a guest voice on The Simpsons. He appeared in the movie Sledge: The Untold Story (2005).

In the Teens he continued to appear on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Blunt Talk. He guest starred on the show Code Black and was a guest voice on the animated series BoJack Horseman. He appeared in the movies Vamps (2012), She's Funny That Way (2012), Bucky and the Squirrels (2015), and Sandy Wexler. In the 2020s he continued to appear on Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show is in its last season, and its final episode airs on April 7 2024.

Richard Lewis was an extremely funny man who could always take a neurosis and turn it into a comedy routine. During his act he was fidgety and would pace the floor, only adding to the humour he found in anxiety. His comedy was always self-deprecating. He was able to parlay his success as a comic into a successful acting career. He was the neurotic Prince John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Peter, the agent for screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Page) who tried helping Ben despite having his own issues to deal with. On the sitcom Anything but Love he played neurotic magazine columnist Marty Gold who finds himself attracted to co-worker Hannah Miller (Jamie Lee Curtis). Whether doing stand-up or acting, Richard Lewis could be very funny, but capable of playing more serious acting roles as well.