Harry Lewis (actor)
Harry L. Lewis (April 1, 1920 – June 9, 2013) was a supporting actor in films and was the founder, along with his wife Marilyn, of the "Hamburger Hamlet" restaurant chain.
Harry Lewis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 1, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 2013 (aged 93) |
| Other names | Cpl. Harry Lewis |
| Occupation | Actor, restaurateur |
| Years active | 1941–1985 |
| Spouse(s) | Marilyn Friedman Lewis (1952–2013; his death) |
Biography
Lewis was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 1, 1920.[1] His first film role was as a flagman in Dive Bomber (1941). He was immediately put under contract to Warner Bros., at which he made several films. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Edward "Toots" Bass, one of Edward G. Robinson's henchmen, with his film career interrupted when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and appeared in the cast of Winged Victory (1944). After the war he returned to Warners and appeared in 1948's Key Largo.[2]
Other small film roles included appearances as Claude Rains's butler in The Unsuspected (1947), Sheriff Clyde Boston in Gun Crazy (1949), the head of a gang of criminals in Blonde Dynamite (1950), and as a gangster in "The Monkey Mystery" episode of Adventures of Superman on television (1951).[3] He also had a minor role as a slave in Cecil B. Demille's epic The Ten Commandments.
In 1950, Lewis and his then girlfriend Marilyn Friedman,[4] invested $3,500 to open the Hamburger Hamlet restaurant at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hilldale Avenue on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The restaurant was successful and grew into a chain of 24 locations. The couple's two children, David and Adam, joined them in the restaurant business. The Lewises took Hamburger Hamlet public in 1969, and sold the company for $29.2 million in 1987. After the sale, the couple opened new independent restaurants in the Los Angeles area. The reason they gave for the name "Hamburger Hamlet" was because they meant for the eatery to be a restaurant where actors could hang out, and that it was every actor's dream to play Hamlet.
In the late 1960s, Marilyn Lewis launched a ready-to-wear line of clothing under the brand name Cardinali, which was sold at prestigious stores including Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman and Bullock's Wilshire. The clothing line lasted just nine years, but was influential in its time (featured in Vogue magazine), and was a favorite of Nancy Reagan, Dyan Cannon and Marlo Thomas. The Cardinali line was credited for influencing designers such as Marc Jacobs and various gowns worn to the Oscars.[5]
Lewis died on June 9, 2013 at the age of 93.[6] His widow Marilyn died on May 3, 2017.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Dive Bomber | Flag Man | Uncredited |
| 1941 | International Squadron | Pilot | Uncredited |
| 1941 | One Foot in Heaven | Young Soldier in Hospital | Uncredited |
| 1941 | They Died with Their Boots On | Youth | Uncredited |
| 1941 | The Body Disappears | Elevator Operator | Uncredited |
| 1941 | You're in the Army Now | Recruit | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Captains of the Clouds | Mr. Burton - RCAF Applicant | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Always in My Heart | Steve | |
| 1942 | Secret Enemies | Radio Operator | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Busses Roar | Danny | |
| 1942 | Desperate Journey | Evans | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The Hard Way | Serious Young Man | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Air Force | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1944 | The Last Ride | Harry Bronson | |
| 1944 | Winged Victory | Cadet Peter Clark | |
| 1946 | Her Kind of Man | Candy | |
| 1947 | The Unsuspected | Max | |
| 1947 | Always Together | Reporter | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Winter Meeting | Juvenile | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Wallflower | Arthur | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Key Largo | Edward 'Toots' Bass | |
| 1948 | Adventures of Don Juan | Innkeeper's Son | Uncredited |
| 1948 | The Decision of Christopher Blake | Juvenile in Play | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Whiplash | Press Man | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch | Chick Bennett | |
| 1949 | Bomba on Panther Island | Robert Maitland | |
| 1950 | Gun Crazy | Deputy Clyde Boston | |
| 1950 | Blonde Dynamite | Champ Fallon | |
| 1950 | My Friend Irma Goes West | Trooper | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Southside 1-1000 | FBI Agent | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Fat Man | Happy Stevens | |
| 1953 | Run for the Hills | Mr. Carewe | |
| 1953 | Vice Squad | Arresting Detective | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Harder They Fall | New York Ring Announcer | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments | Slave | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Accused of Murder | Bartender | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Man Is Armed | Cole | |
| 1959 | I Mobster | Gangster | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Pendulum | Brooks Elliot | |
| 1978 | Invisible Strangler | Stage Manager |
References
- "California births at Family Tree Legends". Family Tree Legends. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- Crowther, Bosley (July 17, 1948). "Key Largo: Movie Review". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- Harry Lewis at IMDb
- Lynch, Rene (June 10, 2013). "Harry Lewis dies at 93; launched Hamburger Hamlet chain". Los Angeles Times.
- Apodaca, Rose (March 18, 2007). "The Cardinali Touch". The Los Angeles Times.
- Lynch, Rene (June 10, 2013). "Actor and Hamburger Hamlet founder Harry Lewis dies at 93". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- Seitz, John L. (May 5, 2017). "Marilyn Lewis Of Hamburger Hamlet, Cardinali Fame Died Wednesday" (PDF). The Beverly Hills Courier. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
