Mallory Hurwitz Lewis (née Tarcher; born July 8, 1962) is an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

ventriloquist Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...

, and

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...

. She currently puppeteers Lamb Chop (a

sock puppet A sock puppet, sockpuppet, sock-puppet, or sock poppet is a puppet made from a sock or a similar garment. The puppeteer wears the sock on a hand and lower arm as if it were a glove, with the puppet's mouth being formed by the region between th ...

created by her mother,

Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody awards, Peabody-winning American Ventriloquism, ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, a ...

Early life

Mallory Lewis was born as Mallory Tarcher in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

into a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. She is the daughter of Jeremy Tarcher (1932–2015) and

(1933–1998), creator of Lamb Chop. Growing up, Lewis used to sleep with Lamb Chop. She is of Jewish faith.

Career

Lewis worked closely with her mother as producer of '' Lamb Chop's Play-Along'' and '' The Charlie Horse Music Pizza.'' Jeremy Tarcher had also been part of Shari Lewis's shows on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. After her mother's death in 1998, on the advice of family and family friend the late

Dom DeLuise Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, director, musician, chef, and author. Known primarily for comedy roles, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows. He is widely ...

, Tarcher decided that Lamb Chop should live on for her many fans. In 2009, she started performing with Lamb Chop. During this time, she changed her surname to Lewis, as an homage to her mother. Although Lamb Chop may be described as "sassy", "please" and "thank you" are part of the

repertoire Repertory or repertoire () is the list or set of works a person or company is accustomed to performing. Whether the English or French spelling is used has no bearing, but it was the French word, with an accent on the first e, , that first took ho ...

. Lewis has the same hand size as her mother. Lewis said of her decision to take up the puppet: "My mom was one of the world's greatest entertainers. I don't want to challenge that. I don't think it's wise to go there. But I do want to do everything that I can do for Lamb Chop. I'll help keep her going". Lewis had never attempted to imitate Lamb Chop's voice but upon receiving a

posthumous award A posthumous award is an award that is granted after the recipient has died. Many prizes, medals, and awards can be granted posthumously. Military decorations Military decorations, such as the Victoria Cross or the Medal of Honor, are often ...

for Shari, Lewis performed with the puppet, discovering that she had her mother's ability to effect the voice without lip movement. Lewis is also a writer of children's books, some of which star Zoey, a baby orangutan character she also puppeteers. Lewis performs extensively for military support organizations such as the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and the

Fisher House Foundation Fisher House Foundation, Inc. is an international nonprofit that works alongside the Veterans Health Administration to provide complimentary quality of life services for active military members, veterans, and their families. The foundation prima ...

, performing arts centers, and at state fairs around the country. In 2002, Lewis helped raise $275,000 for

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

Neuro-Oncology Neuro-oncology is the study of brain and spinal cord neoplasms, many of which are (at least eventually) very dangerous and life-threatening (astrocytoma, glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoma, pontine glioma, and brain stem tumors are a ...

Program, as well as being a founder of Jump For The Cause, a women's world record skydiving organization that has raised nearly $2 million for Breast Cancer Research. Lewis is also on the board of the Blue Ribbon. Prior to her death, Shari Lewis sold most of the rights pertaining to Lamb Chop to

Golden Books Family Entertainment ''Family Entertainment'' is the second album by the British progressive rock band Family, released in March 1969. The cover of the album was a takeoff from the sleeve of the Doors' second album, '' Strange Days'', as Family admitted. Backgrou ...

; a series of transactions resulted in these rights being held by Classic Media (now

DreamWorks Classics DreamWorks Classics is an American entertainment company owned by DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded as Classic Media in 2000 by Eric Ellenboge ...

, part of NBCUniversal), though Mallory still owns the live performing rights to Lamb Chop. Lewis wishes one day to put Lamb Chop back on television. Just as Lamb Chop was passed down from mother to daughter, its legacy now continues with Lewis' son, James Abraham Tarcher Hood. James often accompanies his mother as her road manager, handling behind-the-scenes tasks such as setting up sound equipment and managing merchandise sales. He is also the only person, aside from Shari and Mallory, to have ever brought Lamb Chop to life. "She is so real in his life, as she was in mine," Lewis said.

Awards

Mallory Lewis has won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for ''Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series'' and has been nominated several times. She and her mother shared an Emmy Award.

Notes

References

Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop
Retrieved 2010-05-22.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Mallory 1962 births Living people American television producers Daytime Emmy Award winners American children's writers Jewish American children's writers American puppeteers Ventriloquists American women children's writers Writers from New York City 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Female puppeteers Jews from New York (state)