Phillip David Lewis (born February 14, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, and director. He is best known for playing hotel manager Mr. Moseby on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

series ''

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for ...

'' and its spin-off, ''

The Suite Life on Deck ''The Suite Life on Deck'' is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan, and developed by Kallis and Pamela Eells O'Connell. The series aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008, to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/ spi ...

''. Lewis has also appeared in series such as ''

Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American television comedy, comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character who learns to navigate the person ...

'', ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

'', '' Yes, Dear'', '' Scrubs'', and ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

''.

Early life

Lewis was born on February 14, 1968, in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

to American parents.Phill Lewis Biography (1968–)
Accessed December 12, 2012.Photos, Bio and News for Phill Lewis
TVGuide.com. Accessed December 12, 2012. His father, Delano Lewis, served as the U.S.

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

' associate director and country director for Nigeria and Uganda at the time and would later serve as the United States Ambassador to South Africa. Lewis has three brothers.

Career

Lewis made his film debut as Dennis in the 1988 dark comedy '' Heathers''. In 1991, he was cast in the lead role of the short-lived CBS sitcom '' Teech''. The series was cancelled after thirteen episodes. He has appeared in smaller roles in other films, including '' City Slickers'' (1991), '' Bowfinger'' (1999), '' I Spy'' (2002), ''

Surviving Christmas ''Surviving Christmas'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell, written by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Joshua Sternin, based on a story by Elfont and Kaplan. It stars Ben Affleck, James ...

'' (2004), '' Kicking & Screaming'' (2005), and '' Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2'' (2011). He also appeared in guest parts on various television series including ''Sister Sister'', '' Pacific Blue'', '' JAG'', ''

Ally McBeal ''Ally McBeal'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley that originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002. It revolves around Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working ...

'', ''

Joan of Arcadia ''Joan of Arcadia'' is an American fantasy family drama television series telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi ( Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays on CBS f ...

'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' 8 Simple Rules'', ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'', ''

'' and ''

''. Lewis has also had recurring roles on ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'', ''The Wayans Bros.'', ''

'', '' Yes, Dear'', '' Scrubs'', and '' Raising Hope''. Lewis co-starred in the

original series ''

'' as Mr. Moseby. In 2008, he had reprised the role on a spin-off ''

'', where he plays the manager of The S.S. Tipton. He has appeared as a guest star on Disney Channel's ''

That's So Raven ''That's So Raven'' is an American television fantasy teen sitcom that was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, and aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between January 2003 and November 2007. The series centers on Raven Baxter ( ...

'', ''

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...

'', and '' Jessie'', and also in one of the channel's original films, '' Dadnapped''. On the children's series '' Special Agent Oso'', he has a recurring role as the voice of Agent Wolfie. Lewis guest appeared in “227” as “Ken” in season 2, episode 7. As a

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

, he directed eight episodes of ''The Suite Life on Deck'', first making his directorial debut with ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' episode "I Want My Mummy" (2007). He has since gone on to direct episodes of the Disney Channel sitcoms '' A.N.T. Farm'', ''

Austin & Ally ''Austin & Ally'' is an American comedy television series created by Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert that aired on Disney Channel from December 2, 2011 to January 10, 2016. The series stars Ross Lynch, Laura Marano, Raini Rodriguez, and Cal ...

'', '' Good Luck Charlie'', '' Kickin' It'' and '' Jessie''. His other television directing credits include '' Malibu Country'', '' Mike & Molly'', ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...

'', '' The Soul Man'', '' Sullivan & Son'', '' Melissa & Joey'', '' Young & Hungry'', '' The Odd Couple'', '' One Day at a Time'', and '' Indebted''. He also directed the live episode of '' Undateable'' in 2015 that secured a third season for the series. From 2017 to 2019, Lewis directed fifteen episodes of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

sitcom '' One Day at a Time''.

Personal life

Legal issues

In late December 1991, Lewis was arrested after he fatally struck Isabel Duarte, a resident of

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, in a car crash. He was charged with

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

and

driving while intoxicated Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...

. His blood alcohol level at the time measured three times the limit for legal intoxication. The court sentenced Lewis to five years in prison, but suspended four, citing Lewis' work after his arrest with a prison-based theater troupe that performed in jails, schools, and churches, to highlight the consequences of drug use. Lewis was also ordered to serve two years' probation after his release and to perform 350 hours of community service.

Marriage and family

Lewis is married to Megan Benton Lewis and has two daughters. He is

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Phill 1968 births African-American male comedians African-American comedians African-American television directors American television directors American male comedians American male film actors American people convicted of manslaughter American male television actors 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors American male voice actors Living people 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people