"Tribute to Al Lewis
~Grandpa Munster~
Died: Friday, February 3, 2006
At age 82
Al Lewis was born on 23 April 1923. Not in 1910 as first reported ... This has been documented on his birth certificate and college application. These documents were shown on an episode of "A&E Biography" in 2000. I know, he claims to have been in the circus in the 1920s and in the merchant marine in the 1930s, but he wasn't really. He lied about his age to get the part of Grandpa, and he's been lying about it ever since.
~ TVLand.com ~
Al Lewis was born on April 23, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents of Polish and German descent.
Al first appeared in "Car 54 Where Are You." After that, in early 1964, Lewis began playing Grandpa Munster, and will always be remembered forever for his portrayal of the petulant third-rate wizard of the Munster clan. "Fans treat me like an icon," he says.
He enjoys the smiles he gives people as Grandpa, but for all the recognition he receives, there is one particular actor he reveres: "In my humble opinion, and nothing about me is humble," he says, "Chaplin was the only genius who ever worked in Hollywood. No question about it. In fact, I got to meet him at John Garfield's house once."
After "The Munsters," Lewis made countless appearances in television and motion pictures, performed on the dinner theater circuit around the country and even owned a brokerage firm in Los Angeles for a time.
Lewis pulled up stakes and moved to New York shortly after his divorce from his wife, Marge. He opened a restaurant, appropriately called Grampa's, in Greenwich Village, and the business has led to plans for opening a few more Italian eateries around the Big Apple.
Goodbye, Grandpa
Munster
You will be forever remembered
Provided By: Richard's Creations