Sylvia Lewis is an American actress, dancer and choreographer.

Career

Sylvia Lewis first performed as a young child in the last days of vaudeville in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. She received her first classical training as a scholarship student at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, studying dance, voice and piano. She went to Hollywood at the age of twelve. Lewis began her film career in ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...

'' and '' Red Garters'' as a dancer, then in '' Drums of Tahiti'' as an actress. Later, she added choreography on her list of credits, which began while she was a regular featured character on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Where's Raymond? ''Where's Raymond?'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC, starring Ray Bolger. The series aired from October 1953 to April 22, 1955. The series' title was spurred by Bolger's Broadway stage hit ''Where's Charley?'' In the 1954–1955 sea ...

'', in which she played a dancer named Sylvia who partnered series star

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (; January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer (particularly musical theater) who started his movie career in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major B ...

. Lewis appeared in the 1961 film

The Ladies Man ''The Ladies Man'' is a 1961 American comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on June 28, 1961, by Paramount Pictures. Plot Herbert H. Heebert is a young man who loses his girlfriend, swears off romance, and then tak ...

where she danced with star

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

. Lewis was one of several actresses considered for the role of Princess Aouda in ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'' (1956) after

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

rejected it twice. Lewis tested for the role twice, before MacLaine eventually accepted it. Lewis has choreographed many television shows since the 1950s, including ''

Who's the Boss? ''Who's the Boss?'' is an American sitcom television series created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, that aired on ABC from September 20, 1984, to April 25, 1992, with a total of 196 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. It was produce ...

'' and '' Married... with Children''.

Guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

s on shows like ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calv ...

'', ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'' and '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'', along with a stage career on both coasts, earned her a reputation as a triple-threat performer. In 1995 she appeared in the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies as July at age 63.

Filmography

*'' The Las Vegas Story'' (1952) *''

Harem Girl ''Harem Girl'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and written by Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman. The film stars Joan Davis, Peggie Castle, Arthur Blake, Paul Marion, Donald Randolph and Henry Brandon. The film was rel ...

'' (1952) *''

She's Working Her Way Through College ''She's Working Her Way Through College'' is a 1952 American comedy film produced by Warner Bros. A musical comedy in Technicolor, it is directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, and stars Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan. The screenplay is based on the 1 ...

'' (1952) *'' Just for You'' (1952) *''

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

'' (1952) *'' Androcles and the Lion'' (1952) *'' Siren of Bagdad'' (1953) *'' Cruisin' Down the River'' (1953) *'' Those Redheads from Seattle'' (1953) *''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (1953) *'' Drums of Tahiti'' (1954) *'' Red Garters'' (1954) *'' Bedlam in Paradise'' (1955) *''

The Lieutenant Wore Skirts ''The Lieutenant Wore Skirts'' is a 1956 American comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tom Ewell, Sheree North, and Rita Moreno. It is a comedy about a man whose marriage begins to fail when his wife enlists. Plot TV writer Greg ...

'' (1956) *'' The Conqueror'' (1956) *'' Cha-Cha-Cha Boom!'' (1956) *''

'' (1961) * '' Hook, Line, and Sinker'' (1969)

Television work

*''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the serie ...

'' (1951–1952) (Supporting player / dancer) *''

'' (1953–1955) (Series regular) *''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

'' (1956) (Guest appearance) *''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...

'' (1956–1958) (Series regular / 2 Guest appearances) *''

Steve Canyon ''Steve Canyon'' is an American Action-adventure comics, action-adventure comic strip by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'', ''S ...

'' (1958) (Guest appearance) *''

The Dennis O'Keefe Show ''The Dennis O'Keefe Show'' is an American sitcom produced by Cypress Production/United Artists Television which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run and was canceled af ...

'' (1959) (Guest appearance) *''

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

'' (1959) (Guest appearance) *''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'' (1959) (Guest appearance) *''

Johnny Staccato ''Johnny Staccato'' is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled ''Staccato''. Synopsis Titular character Johnny ...

'' (1959) (Guest appearance) *''The New Steve Allen Show'' (1959) (Sketch performer) *''

'' (1963) (Guest appearance) *''

The Danny Kaye Show ''The Danny Kaye Show'' is an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premie ...

'' (1963) (Guest appearance) *'' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' (1965) (Guest appearance) *''

'' (1965) (Guest appearance) *''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'' (1965) (Guest appearance) *'' The Jerry Lewis Show'' (1967) (Sketch performer)

References

External links

* *
Official Sylvia Lewis Website

Sylvia Lewis Collection at Emerson College Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Sylvia American female dancers American dancers American television actresses American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American choreographers Living people 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)