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Al Lewis

Al Lewis

Biography

An American character actor best known for his role as Count Dracula lookalike "Grandpa", opposite Fred Gwynne's and Yvonne De Carlo's characters on the CBS television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. Later in life, he was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster. His acting career begins the well-documented portion of his life. He worked in burlesque and vaudeville theaters, then on Broadway in the dramas The Night Circus (1958) and One More River (1960) and as the character Moe Shtarker in the musical comedy Do Re Mi (1962). His earliest television work includes appearances on the Beverly Garland crime drama Decoy and The Phil Silvers Show. From 1959–63, he appeared in four episodes of Naked City. Lewis' first well-known television role was as Officer Leo Schnauser on the NBC sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? from 1961–63, also starring Fred Gwynne (Lewis reprised the role in the 1994 movie of the same name). In the series, Lewis first played Al Spencer the Auto Body Man in two early first-season episodes before landing the more familiar role of Officer Schnauser. But he is best remembered as "Grandpa" on The Munsters, which ran on CBS from 1964–66. In 1967, Lewis played the part of Zalto the wizard in the Lost in Space episode, Rocket to Earth. His first role in a movie was as Machine Gun Manny in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). He had small roles in The World of Henry Orient (1964), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), They Might Be Giants (1971). He appeared as Hanging Judge Harrison in Used Cars (1980) and had a minor role in Married to the Mob (1988). His last film role was in Night Terror (2002). Lewis was a recurring guest on The Howard Stern Show. In 1987, during a "Howard Stern Freedom Rally" against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that was broadcast live, Lewis repeatedly shouted "F*** the FCC!" until Stern was able to take the microphone away from him. Stern and the station were not punished for Lewis' comments. Unlike some actors, Lewis did not mind being typecast. He enjoyed acting out his "Grandpa" character—in the original costume—and got a surprising amount of mileage from such a short-lived role. "Why not?" he said. "It pays the bills." In 1991, he appeared as Grandpa Munster in an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home on ABC. In 1991, he appeared in a low-budget New Zealand family movie called Grampire (My Grandpa Is a Vampire in the U.S. version), wearing much the same costume as he did in The Munsters. From 1987–89, Lewis hosted Super Scary Saturday on TBS in his Grandpa Munster outfit. This would later be parodied in Gremlins 2: The New Batch with the character of "Grandpa Fred" (Robert Prosky). [Biography from Wikipedia]

Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1923-04-30

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Cast


Crew

    Ring of Passion

    Ring of Passion

    19787.0 / 10

    The Munsters' Revenge

    The Munsters' Revenge

    19816.2 / 10

    The Night Strangler

    The Night Strangler

    19736.7 / 10

    Goodbye, America

    Goodbye, America

    20075.8 / 10

    The Mini-Munsters

    The Mini-Munsters

    19730.0 / 10

    They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

    They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

    19697.6 / 10

    Munster, Go Home!

    Munster, Go Home!

    19666.4 / 10

    Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

    Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

    20015.9 / 10

    My Grandpa Is a Vampire

    My Grandpa Is a Vampire

    19925.3 / 10

    Comic Cabby

    Comic Cabby

    19870.0 / 10

    Married to the Mob

    Married to the Mob

    19886.0 / 10

    They Might Be Giants

    They Might Be Giants

    19717.0 / 10

    The World of Henry Orient

    The World of Henry Orient

    19645.8 / 10

    Car 54, Where Are You?

    Car 54, Where Are You?

    19943.3 / 10

    Here Come the Munsters

    Here Come the Munsters

    19955.2 / 10

    Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition

    Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition

    20060.0 / 10

    Fast Money

    Fast Money

    19965.0 / 10

    Death Wish

    Death Wish

    19746.9 / 10

    Auto-Tune the Munsters: A Rock Opera

    Auto-Tune the Munsters: A Rock Opera

    20150.0 / 10

    Save the Dog!

    Save the Dog!

    19880.0 / 10

    Fright House

    Fright House

    19892.0 / 10

    Used Cars

    Used Cars

    19806.4 / 10

    Coney Island

    Coney Island

    19916.0 / 10

    White House Madness

    White House Madness

    19750.0 / 10

    Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores

    Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores

    19890.0 / 10

    Black Starlet

    Black Starlet

    19743.2 / 10

    Grampa's Silly Scaries

    Grampa's Silly Scaries

    19880.0 / 10

    Grampa’s Monster Movies

    Grampa’s Monster Movies

    19880.0 / 10

    Grampa's More Silly Scaries

    Grampa's More Silly Scaries

    19890.0 / 10

    Grampa's Sci-Fi Hits

    Grampa's Sci-Fi Hits

    19890.0 / 10

    South Beach Academy

    South Beach Academy

    19962.9 / 10

    Ramones: Raw

    Ramones: Raw

    20046.3 / 10

    Pretty Boy Floyd

    Pretty Boy Floyd

    19606.3 / 10

    Midnight Blue: Vol. 5: Porn King

    Midnight Blue: Vol. 5: Porn King

    20060.0 / 10

    Bum Rap

    Bum Rap

    19883.5 / 10

    The Boatniks

    The Boatniks

    19705.4 / 10

    Lust of the Vampire

    Lust of the Vampire

    19576.4 / 10

    Porn King: The Trials Of Al Goldstein

    Porn King: The Trials Of Al Goldstein

    20055.0 / 10

    Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland

    Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland

    19650.0 / 10

    Al Lewis in the Flesh

    Al Lewis in the Flesh

    19930.0 / 10

    Coonskin

    Coonskin

    19756.0 / 10

    Night Terror

    Night Terror

    20023.0 / 10

    Grampa Presents Carnival Of Souls

    Grampa Presents Carnival Of Souls

    19880.0 / 10

    The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright

    The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright

    20048.0 / 10

    The Munsters - Family Portrait

    The Munsters - Family Portrait

    20088.0 / 10

    Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa

    Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa

    20000.0 / 10