Al Lewis
Biography
Al Lewis was an American character actor. Born on April 30, 1923, in New York City, New York, USA, he began his acting career in burlesque and vaudeville theaters. He later appeared on Broadway in the dramas The Night Circus and One More River, and as the character Moe Shtarker in the musical comedy Do Re Mi. His earliest television work includes appearances on the Beverly Garland crime drama Decoy and The. He is best known for his role as Grandpa in the CBS television series The Munsters and its subsequent film versions. Lewis earned a Ph.D. in child psychology from Columbia University, but details of his academic career precede his acting work.
Career overview
Al Lewis began his acting career in burlesque and vaudeville theaters. He later transitioned to Broadway, where he appeared in several productions including The Night Circus in 1958 and One More River in 1960. Lewis also played the character Moe Shtarker in the musical comedy Do Re Mi in 1962.
Lewis's earliest television work includes appearances on the Beverly Garland crime drama Decoy. He is perhaps best known for his role as Grandpa in the CBS television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. This marked a significant portion of his acting career, with Lewis working in the entertainment industry for over a decade.
Throughout his acting career, Lewis accumulated a notable number of credits, with a total of 66 known credits. His work in film and television showcased his versatility as a character actor, with a range of roles that demonstrated his ability to adapt to different genres and characters.
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Career timeline
Full filmography
- Auto-Tune the Munsters: A Rock Opera (2015) as Grandpa Munster (archive footage)
- The Munsters: Family Portrait (2008) as Grandpa
- Goodbye, America (2007) as Himself
- Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition (2006) as Self (archive footage)
- Midnight Blue: Vol. 5: Porn King (2006)
- Porn King: The Trials Of Al Goldstein (2005)
- Ramones: Raw (2004) as Self
- The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright (2004) as self
- Night Terror (2002) as Father Hanlon
- Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2001) as Self
- Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa (2000) as Self
- South Beach Academy (1996) as Uncle Gene
- Fast Money (1996) as Poon
- Here Come the Munsters (1995) as Restaurant Guest
- Baseball (1994) as Various (voice)
- Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) as Leo Schnauzer
- Al Lewis in the Flesh (1993)
- My Grandpa Is a Vampire (1992) as Vernon Cooger
- Hi Honey, I'm Home! (1991)
- Coney Island (1991) as Self - Actor
- Fright House (1989) as Captain Levi
- Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores (1989) as Himself
- Grampa's Sci-Fi Hits (1989) as Grampa
- Grampa's More Silly Scaries (1989) as Grampa
- American Experience (1988) as Self
- Married to the Mob (1988) as Joe Russo
- Bum Rap (1988) as Mr. Wolfstadt
- Save the Dog! (1988)
- Grampa's Silly Scaries (1988) as Grampa
- Grampa Presents Carnival Of Souls (1988) as Grampa
- Grampa’s Monster Movies (1988) as Grampa
- Super Scary Saturday (1988) as Grampa / Host
- Comic Cabby (1987)
- Best of the West (1981)
- The Munsters' Revenge (1981) as Grandpa
- Used Cars (1980) as Judge Harrison
- Taxi (1978) as Security Guard
- Ring of Passion (1978) as Mike Jacobs
- Coonskin (1975) as The Godfather (voice) (uncredited)
- White House Madness (1975) as Judge Cirrhosis
- Death Wish (1974) as Guard at Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
- Black Starlet (1974) as Sam Sharp
- The Night Strangler (1973) as Tramp
- The Mini-Munsters (1973) as Grandpa
- They Might Be Giants (1971) as Messenger
- Night Gallery (1970) as Mishkin (segment "Make Me Laugh")
- The Boatniks (1970) as Bert
- Love, American Style (1969)
- They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) as Turkey
- Here's Lucy (1968) as Mr. Barker
- Munster, Go Home! (1966) as Grandpa Munster
- Green Acres (1965) as Charlie
- Lost in Space (1965) as Zalto
- Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland (1965) as Grandpa Munster
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964) as Harry Whipple
- The Munsters (1964) as Grandpa
- The World of Henry Orient (1964) as Store Owner
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) as Officer Leo Schnauser
- Route 66 (1960)
- Pretty Boy Floyd (1960) as Machine Gun Manny
- Naked City (1958) as Mr. Pike
- Naked City (1958) as Gus
- Naked City (1958) as Mr. Tanner
- Naked City (1958) as Mr. Carrari
- Decoy (1957) as Chi Chi
- Lust of the Vampire (1957) as Assistant (uncredited)
- The Phil Silvers Show (1955)
- The Phil Silvers Show (1955) as Bruno the Mobster
- The United States Steel Hour (1953)