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 and Kate Mantilini restaurant chains.
Harry Lewis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 1, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 2013 (aged 93) |
| Other names | Cpl. Harry Lewis |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, restaurateur |
| Years active | 1941–1985 |
| Spouse |
Marilyn Friedman Lewis
(m. 1952) |
Biography
editLewis 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, 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). 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,[3] invested US$3,500 (equivalent to $44,300 in 2023) 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 (equivalent to $78.3 million in 2023).
Lewis and his wife Marilyn later owned the Beverly Hills restaurant institution Kate Mantilini, which closed in 2014 after operating for 27 years. The restaurant was named after a mistress of Marilyn's uncle.
Lewis died on June 9, 2013, at the age of 93.[4] His widow Marilyn died on May 3, 2017.[5]
Filmography
edit| 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 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Ritchie | Season 1 Episode 37: "Decoy" |
| 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
edit- ^ "California Births, 1905 - 1995 | Lewis, Harry L". Family Tree Legends. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (July 17, 1948). "THE SCREEN; 'Key Largo,' Remake of Drama by Anderson With Bogart and Robinson, at Strand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-04-30. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ^ Lynch, Rene (June 10, 2013). "Harry Lewis dies at 93; launched Hamburger Hamlet chain". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
- ^ Lynch, Rene (June 10, 2013). "Actor and Hamburger Hamlet founder Harry Lewis dies at 93". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2014-05-14. 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.[permanent dead link]
External links
edit- Harry Lewis at IMDb
