Americans Remember Comedians, Activists Lewis and Gregory
Jerry Lewis, one of the busiest comedians and actors the U.S. has ever seen, died at the age of 91. The day before, Dick Gregory, a comedian and political activist, died at 84.
Gregory was one of the first African-American comedians to find success with white audiences in the 1960s. He was known for making jokes and commenting on the differences between black Americans and white Americans early in the civil rights movement.
Lewis rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s while working with comedy partner Dean Martin. He stayed busy working in movies, television and comedy for another 60 years.
While Lewis was known for his comedy in the United States, he was loved as an actor in France. The French government gave Lewis a pair of important awards in the 1980s.
Gregory left his comedy career to fight for social causes, including Middle East peace, animal rights and equal rights for women.
Gregory even received over 200,000 votes for president in 1968 as the candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party.
Off stage, Lewis worked to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that causes people to lose their muscle mass.
The kind of comedy practiced by Lewis, relying on physical movement for humor, is called “slapstick.”
