Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Iconic TV role: Al Lewis

Born Albert Meister in Brooklyn, Al Lewis worked in vaudeville, burlesque, and Broadway and had small parts in TV shows before landing the job that brought him his celebrity: Grandpa Munster on "The Munsters." That zany show ran from 1964 to 1966, and then went into re-runs.

Lewis's prominent honker and wide, goofy smile made him look just right for his Grandpa role in the goofily ghoulish Munster family.

His pre-Munster comedic TV work included appearances on "The Phil Silvers Show" and "Car 54, Where Are You?"

Lewis also did some radio work, owned a Greenwich Village restaurant, and dabbled in politics. He died in 2006 three years after having had bypass surgery.

No comments:

Post a Comment