Richard Lewis

RICHARD LEWIS BIOGRAPHY Perhaps Mel Brooks put it best when he said, "Richard Lewis may just be the Franz Kafka of modern day comedy." Lewis has taken his life-long therapy fodder and carved it into a commanding and compelling art form. His early career as a stand-up brought him to the top of his ranks and over time he broadened the scope of opportunities so others could share in his brilliantly warped world. The NY Post recently said; “Richard Lewis built the strongest stand-up comedy career on a blazing trail of neuroses since Woody Allen.” Lewis has wrapped up work on the 6th season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and is on his “Misery Loves Company Tour.” He’s featured in two books; one an upcoming, high profile book on comedy, “I'm Dying Up Here,” which chronicles the collective coming of age of the standup comedians who defined American humor during the past three decades: Letterman, Leno, Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis and Garry Shandling among others, by author William Knoedelseder. The other is a behind the scenes look at the making of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Additionally, in the fall of ’06, Yale Book of Quotations attributed the now-common phrase, “the ____ from hell” to him in that fresh edition. SAG nominated Lewis for his work in the ensemble category for his recurring guest star role, playing true-to-life as one of Larry David’s closest friends in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the Seinfeld co-creator’s hit HBO series. Now into its sixth season, the show has garnered many awards to include five Emmy nominations and high praise, as wherein Vanity Fair it stated, "The supporting cast of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is a murderer's row of stand-up comedians-Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Richard Lewis, Cheryl Hines, Shelley Berman--cutting loose in character roles with killer instinct." Curb's 5th season DVD came out August 1, 2006. And, after his excruciating CYE “kidney ordeal,” Lewis kicked off his 2006 stand-up tour at the Borgata in Atlantic City. A DVD boxed set of his "Concerts from Hell" (The Vintage Years) is available from Image Entertainment containing three comedy specials: HBO originally aired "I'm Exhausted," earning him an ACE nomination for Best Stand-Up Comedy Special and I'm Doomed, his second for HBO, also earned an Ace nomination. His cable-special debut, "I'm In Pain" had aired on Showtime. Playboy says, "Kvetching is elevated to surreal art in these great comedy performances. The titles say it all. Don't miss." In 2000, Lewis added author to his credits with his highly acclaimed, autobiographical, “The OTHER Great Depression.” In the memoir he is brave, insightful and forthcoming as he is in his comedy. He disrobes his substance abuse and recovery, skewing it his unique way. First published by the prestigious Perseus/ Public Affairs Books, the book is a collection of fearless, essay style riffs featuring Lewis' dark stream-of-consciousness personal observations. In 2002 it appeared in paperback on Plume Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. Some book review quotes: “Behind the Music meets Portnoy’s Complaint. . . Lewis’s standard of total honesty [has] allowed him to unearth neuroses he'd never even touch onstage—or on the couch.” --New York Magazine… [An] urgent, nervous, heartfelt book . . . Lewis writes with an addict’s jumpy restlessness, staggering from hurt to hurt, from tensely jokey confession to confession, from twitchy spiritual discovery to discovery.” --Entertainment Weekly…….“Candid and inspirational” --USA Today.com…………“Brims with anecdotes and…funny self-analysis….Lewis…has narrative gifts few celebrity authors exhibit.” --Cleveland Plain Dealer Lewis continues stand-up appearances and Howard Reich, of the Chicago Tribune reflected on his history with Lewis. "Nearly 20 years ago… I headed for Zanie's and witnessed the most audacious comic wordsmith this side of Lenny Bruce: a young neurotic comedian named Richard Lewis. Ever since that revelatory evening I've followed Richard's ascent as perhaps the most gifted comedian of his generation." Indeed others agree. The Baltimore Jewish Times said, "Lewis is oftentimes compared to the late Lenny Bruce, the prolific, dissenting comedic voice of the '60's. And the two share many things in common--Judaism, an uncommon intelligence and irreverence for topics considered untouchable. Like Bruce, Mr. Lewis lays his soul bare on the stage, with fearlessness and many times, recklessness..." Comedy Central has recognized Mr. Lewis as one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he was charted on GQ Magazine’s list of the '20th Century's Most Influential Humorists'. Philadelphia’s City Paper says, “Indeed, he is the Jimi Hendrix of monologists, whose virtuoso free-form riffs on ex-girlfriends, family and other antagonistic denizens from hell are delivered in a mesmerizing, stream-of-consciousness frenzy, a piss-yourself-laughing assault on the senses. Not only is he one of the undisputed masters of postmodern comedy, but also to incurable, self-loathing neurotics he is a patron saint who deserves to be canonized”. In continuing to redefine himself, he has always expanded on his acting career by making unexpected choices. Lewis took on his first dramatic role in the theatrical release, “Drunks”, co-starring Dianne Weist, Faye Dunaway and Amanda Plummer. Built around an AA meeting, he received rave reviews as the central character, Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life. Lewis also got excellent notices for his cameo appearance as an agent in another film that dealt with alcoholism, “Leaving Las Vegas” and was also featured in film “Game Day” and “Hugo Pool”, a dark comedy from Robert Downey, Sr. With scores of other guest acting appearances recently and TV series under his belt (Alias, The Dead Zone, 2 ½ Men, The George Lopez Show, Vegas) and close to his heart was his four year run in ABC’s critically-acclaimed series "Anything But Love," co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis, now out on DVD with Volume One of the four year situation comedy. "Diary of a Young Comic," which he starred in and co-wrote, first aired on NBC in the "Saturday Night Live" time slot and is considered a cult classic. Late night T.V. viewers and media junkies in general are familiar with his frequent guest appearances. He may hold title to having the most late night appearances, chalking up well over 100 appearances with Dave, Jay, Conan, Jon and Maher. Regarded by his peers as a 'comic's comic', Lewis' neuroses have become a part of our language as in the now infamous, "I had a date from Hell!" In July '95 Lewis performed live stand-up comedy for the first time in over two years with his "Magical Misery Tour." Shot at New York's historic Bottom Line HBO aired the one-hour special in December '96, making it a rare accomplishment in completing his fourth full hour-long cable special. In December of 1989, Lewis achieved a very personal goal...he performed at Carnegie Hall to a standing room only audience. To close, in his own words--"I go on a long tour and make people happy that they're not me and go home."