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Claims he was thrown out of high school for punching out his principal who had offended him with an anti-Semitic remark, and then went directly into vaudeville. An episode of "Seinfeld" (1990) makes use of plot point based on Lewis' (alleged) real-life stratagem of secretly leaving an audiotape recorder running in a briefcase he intentionally leaves behind him in meetings to see what some people may be saying about him. Had open heart surgery in 1983. Jerry took his last name from his actor-father's stage name. He was presented the French Legion of Honor in 1984 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. In 1995, he became the highest paid performer in Broadway history for his role as the Devil in "Damn Yankees". Oldest son Gary Lewis and his soft-rock group The Playboys had several pop hits in the 1960s, including "This Diamond Ring".At the height of his recording career Gary Lewis and Jerry appeared together on NBC TV's Hullabaloo". Nominated for Nobel Prize for his 50 years raising money to fight muscular dystrophy. Wrote 10 scripts in 10 years. In Italy, Lewis has been given the nickname 'Picchiatello' (which means something like "nut" or "crazy"). At least three of his movies use the word in their Italian title: You're Never Too Young (1955) which became "Il Nipote Picchiatello" ("The Crazy Nephew"), Hardly Working (1980) ("Bentornato Picchiatello", or "Welcome Back Crazy") and Smorgasbord (1983)("Qua La Mano Picchiatello". pr "Shake My Hand, Crazy"). Suffers from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis. In 1969, Lewis announced an ambitious project of franchising a chain of Jerry Lewis Cinemas. A firm believer in family entertainment, he said that the one inviolate rule of the chain would be that nothing other than family-oriented films would be shown. The theaters were to be state-of-the-art, easy to operate, and franchised to individuals who could meet the chain's investment requirements. However, changing taste in popular entertainment and management problems caused the project to collapse within just a few years. Several lawsuits between Lewis and his associates were settled out of court. Starred with Dean Martin on NBC Radio's "The Martin and Lewis Show" (1949-1953). They first appeared together in the films My Friend Irma (1949) and My Friend Irma Goes West (1950). The Martin & Lewis comedy team were one of a series of rotating hosts of TV's "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1950). Wrote, produced, and acted in the film The Day the Clown Cried (1972) which, because of legal difficulties, has not been released as of this date (March 2009). The film is a tale of a clown in Auschwitz during WWII. Was teamed up with Dean Martin from 1946-56. Sammy Davis Jr. called him the "greatest white faker" as a dancer. Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 586-593. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988. His recording "Jerry Lewis Just Sings" (American Decca: 1956) was a best-seller, securing a place in the Top 20 on the Billboard Album Charts, launching a Top 10 single and a recording career. Biographer Arthur Marx once likened his singing to "the croaking of a parched parrot"; however, it is believed that this referred only to the singing voice of his many comic characters. Although critics usually referred to him as "the little guy" throughout his career, Lewis was about the same height or slightly shorter than Dean Martin (both were a little under 6 feet tall). To try to make himself look more diminutive next to his partner, Lewis frequently hunched and also shaved a few inches off the heels of his shoes and added them to Martin's. Claims to have never seen Hollywood or Bust (1956), the last film he made with his partner, Dean Martin, saying it's much too painful for him to watch. Encouraged Christopher Walken to act. Walken met Lewis while he was on "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (1950) and Lewis suggested to the young boy that he pursue a career in show business. Says his favorite Martin & Lewis film is The Stooge (1952) because "...it came closest to capturing what Dean and I had as a team". Was best friends with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. They starred in Lewis' home movies after Curtis complained about the parts he was being offered by his studio. Was offered the role of Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot (1959), directed by his friend Billy Wilder. He declined because he didn't want to dress in drag. The part, of course, eventually went to Jack Lemmon and he received an Oscar nomination for his performance. Lewis says that Lemmon would send him chocolates every year to thank him and he now regrets not taking the role. Pronounced clinically dead from a massive heart attack in December 1982, after completing The King of Comedy (1982) with Robert De Niro. Society of Operating Cameramen, (SOC) Honorary Member(1981) Lewis was honored for his contribution and development the first "Video Assist" for the motion picture camera in 1966. This allowed him to view his performance while directing himself in his films. This is used extensively today in filmmaking, known as "Video Village." Is portrayed by Sean Hayes in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV) For his 80th birthday in 2006, he was given a medal and induction into the Legion of Honor by France, given the honorary title of "Legion Commander." He apologized for not speaking French at the ceremony but said that "even if the French people cannot hear my language, they have always heard my heart." Jerry suffered a minor heart attack on June 11, 2006 which caused him to postpone his comeback in Las Vegas Appointed Honorary Ambassador of Peace for the Harvey Ball Foundation along with Brooke Shields, Jackie Chan, A.V.T. Shankardass, Prince Albert of Monaco, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Phil Collins, Jimmy Buffett, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Heather Mills, Yoko Ono, Patch Adams, Sergei Khrushchev and Winnie Mandela. His idol is Al Jolson. Was one of the co-hosts of what may have been the only Academy Awards ceremony that actually ended earlier than expected, by almost twenty minutes - The 31st Annual Academy Awards (1959) (TV). He and several other celebrities gallantly tried everything they could to improvise and fill the extra time. NBC mercifully cut the broadcast short to air a short film about target shooting until the next scheduled program began, which in most cases was the local news. Patti Lewis (aka Patti Palmer) was his first wife's stage name. Her birth name was Esther Calonico. When Jerry Lewis first met her in Detroit in August 1944, she was a singer with Ted Fio Rito and his Orchestra. Shortly thereafter, she joined Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra. As a young Catskill comic recorded "I Love A Murder Mystery", a speaking novelty record, in the early 1940s. He once played first base in an exhibition game for 5 innings for the Houston Astros .