Emmanuel Lewis

Emmanuel Lewis

Emmanuel Lewis in 1987
Born Emmanuel Lewis
March 9, 1971
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1976–present
Height (4'3) (1.30 m)

Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971) is an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the 1980s television sitcom Webster. He is 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) tall. Lewis graduated from Midwood High School in 1989 and then Clark Atlanta University in 1997. He is often compared to Gary Coleman, star of Diff'rent Strokes.[1]

Personal life

Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Margaret Lewis, was a computer programmer.[2]

Emmanuel Lewis is a Freemason and a member of W.C. Thomas Lodge No. 112 and Atlanta Consistory No. 24. PHA Jurisdiction of Georgia.

Career

When Diff'rent Strokes became a hit on NBC with Gary Coleman in the starring role, ABC tried, with some success, to duplicate that show's formula of depicting a small African-American boy being raised in a white family. The resulting show, Webster, made Lewis a star.

Lewis was nominated for four Young Artist Awards. In 1984, he was nominated for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series for Webster and lost to Rick Schroder of Silver Spoons. In 1985, he was nominated for the same award but it went to Billy Jayne of It's Not Easy.

In 1986, he was nominated for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series which Marc Price ended up winning for his performance in Family Ties. In 1987, he was nominated for Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series which Kirk Cameron of Growing Pains won. At the same time, Lewis also was the child spokesperson for the Burger King Whopper. He is a practitioner of taekwondo.[3]

He is mentioned as the Antichrist in the 1996 song "Fire Water Burn" by The Bloodhound Gang.[4]

On January 9, 2003, he and MC Hammer appeared on The Howard Stern Show to promote the show The Surreal Life. Lewis attempted to play down comparisons to Gary Coleman and questions about his height. He also spoke at length about his relationship with Michael Jackson.[5]

He had cameo appearances in the 2007 film Kickin' It Old Skool and a 2013 episode of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.[6]

In a 2009 episode of South Park he is the head editor of "Webster's Dictionary".[7]

In Japan, he is known as a singer. He has released two singles and his debut single "City Connection" reached No. 2 at Oricon chart.

On November 9, 2014 Lewis appeared on Ken Reid (comedian)'s TV Guidance Counselor Podcast. The episode was recorded live at the Davis Square Theater in Somerville, MA as part of the 2014 Boston Comedy Festival.

Filmography

Discography

"City Connection", a song performed by Lewis, was very popular in Japan in 1981 reaching number 2 on the Oricon chart.

References

  1. ↑ "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  2. ↑ "Emmanuel Lewis BIography (1971-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  3. ↑ "Emmanuel Lewis: As the Pint-Size Webster, He Reached New Heights". People (people.com). 28 November 1994. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  4. ↑ "The Roof is on Fire Lyrics". metrolyrics.com. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  5. ↑ "Thursday January 9, 2003". MarksFriggin.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  6. ↑ Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. February 12, 2013.
  7. ↑ Isler, Ramsey (November 5, 2009). "South Park: "The F Word" Review". IGN. Retrieved December 11, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emmanuel Lewis.