Jerry Lewis was an American comedian, filmmaker, actor, humanitarian and singer. Nicknamed "The King of Comedy", he was widely known for his "kid" and "idiot" persona. He was one half of the highly famous Martin and Lewis with singer Dean Martin from 1946 to 1956.
Lewis appeared in 60 films and he was a director, producer and screenwriter. He helped to develop and popularize "video assist", the closed-circuit apparatus enabling film directors to see what had been shot without waiting for developed film footage.
Throughout his career and during his tenure as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, he raised awareness for muscular dystrophy.