Al Lewis
An American character actor best known for his role as Count Dracula lookalike "Grandpa", opposite Fred Gwynne's and Yvonne De Carlo's characters on the CBS television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. Later in life, he was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster. His acting career begins the well-documented portion of his life. He worked in burlesque and vaudeville theaters, then on Broadway in the dramas The Night Circus (1958) and One More River (1960) and as the character Moe Shtarker in the musical comedy Do Re Mi (1962).
His earliest television work includes appearances on the Beverly Garland crime drama Decoy and The Phil Silvers Show. From 1959–63, he appeared in four episodes of Naked City. Lewis' first well-known television role was as Officer Leo Schnauser on the NBC sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? from 1961–63, also starring Fred Gwynne (Lewis reprised the role in the 1994 movie of the same name). In the series, Lewis first played Al Spencer the Auto Body Man in two early first-season episodes before landing the more familiar role of Officer Schnauser. But he is best remembered as "Grandpa" on The Munsters, which ran on CBS from 1964–66.
In 1967, Lewis played the part of Zalto the wizard in the Lost in Space episode, Rocket to Earth. His first role in a movie was as Machine Gun Manny in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). He had small roles in The World of Henry Orient (1964), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), They Might Be Giants (1971). He appeared as Hanging Judge Harrison in Used Cars (1980) and had a minor role in Married to the Mob (1988). His last film role was in Night Terror (2002).
Lewis was a recurring guest on The Howard Stern Show. In 1987, during a "Howard Stern Freedom Rally" against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that was broadcast live, Lewis repeatedly shouted "F*** the FCC!" until Stern was able to take the microphone away from him. Stern and the station were not punished for Lewis' comments.
Unlike some actors, Lewis did not mind being typecast. He enjoyed acting out his "Grandpa" character—in the original costume—and got a surprising amount of mileage from such a short-lived role. "Why not?" he said. "It pays the bills."
In 1991, he appeared as Grandpa Munster in an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home on ABC. In 1991, he appeared in a low-budget New Zealand family movie called Grampire (My Grandpa Is a Vampire in the U.S. version), wearing much the same costume as he did in The Munsters. From 1987–89, Lewis hosted Super Scary Saturday on TBS in his Grandpa Munster outfit. This would later be parodied in Gremlins 2: The New Batch with the character of "Grandpa Fred" (Robert Prosky).
[Biography from Wikipedia]
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 1.4644 |
| Birthday | 1923-04-30 |
| Place of Birth | New York City, New York, USA |
| Also Known As | Albert Lewis, |
1978
Ring of Passion
7/2
Fact-based drama about the two Joe Louis-Max Schmeling heavyweight fights and the way both boxers unwillingly became symbols of political ideologies j...
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Ring of Passion
1981
The Munsters' Revenge
6/34
The lovable Munster family finds their placid world turned into turmoil by the diabolical Dr. Diablo, the mastermind of an art heist using monster rob...
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The Munsters' Revenge
1973
The Night Strangler
6.7/85
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on...
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The Night Strangler
2007
Goodbye, America
5.8/6
Documentary about Al Lewis. He sits in the make-up chair and remembers part of his 92 years life.
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Goodbye, America
1973
The Mini-Munsters
8/1
Animated telefilm based on characters from The Munsters. Originally aired as part of the ABC Saturday Superstar Movie series.
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The Mini-Munsters
1969
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
7.587/385
In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a...
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They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1966
Munster, Go Home!
6.447/75
Herman discovers he's the new lord of Munster Hall in England. The family sails to Britain, where they receive a tepid welcome from Lady Effigy and Fr...
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Munster, Go Home!
2001
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy
5.941/34
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy offers audiences a penetrating look inside the world of Ron Jeremy, America's most unlikely sex star and hero to m...
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Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy
1992
My Grandpa Is a Vampire
5.545/11
A boy from California goes to visit his grandfather in New Zealand, where he learns that the frail old man is a fanged flier by night.
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My Grandpa Is a Vampire
1987
Comic Cabby
7/1
This action comedy is based on The New York City Cab Driver's Joke Book by Jim Pietsch and centers on a painfully shy cab driver who discovers that te...
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Comic Cabby
1988
Married to the Mob
6.006/343
Angela de Marco is fed up with her gangster husband's line of work and wants no part of the crime world. When her husband is killed for having an affa...
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Married to the Mob
1971
They Might Be Giants
6.892/60
After the death of his wife, retired judge Justin Playfair creates a fantasy world for himself in which he is the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes,...
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They Might Be Giants
1964
The World of Henry Orient
5.9/52
A mischievous, adventuresome fourteen-year-old girl and her best friend begin following an eccentric concert pianist around New York City after she de...
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The World of Henry Orient
1994
Car 54, Where Are You?
3.433/30
Brash NYC policeman Officer Gunther Toody is partnered with stiff, by-the-book Officer Francis Muldoon to protect an important mafia witness prior to...
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Car 54, Where Are You?
1995
Here Come the Munsters
5.185/27
The Munsters come to America to search for Herman's brother-in-law Norman Hyde, only to find out that he has turned himself into Brent Jekyll, who is...
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Here Come the Munsters
2006
Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition
0/0
Featuring Robert Crumb, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiny Tim, Russ Meyer and more this volume of the “Midnight Blue” collection focuses on celebrities.
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Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition
1996
Fast Money
5.3/6
When a car thief can't resist stealing one more car, she finds herself in possession of $2.7 million mob money, and the mob's counterfeit printing pla...
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Fast Money
1974
Death Wish
6.928/990
After his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be...
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Death Wish
2015
Auto-Tune the Munsters: A Rock Opera
0/0
A television special made up of footage of the Munsters episode "A Man for Marilyn", which has been extensively re-edited into an Auto-Tune musical.
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Auto-Tune the Munsters: A Rock Opera
1988
Save the Dog!
5/1
Becky wants to become an actress. After an audition for a dog food ad she has best chances to get the part - but the day after her dog Petey becomes v...
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Save the Dog!
1989
Fright House
3.4/5
Everyone in town knows the old Vincent place is haunted, but when the local Frat inherits it, we find out if the rumors are true. Two stories about wi...
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Fright House
1980
Used Cars
6.428/307
When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the...
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Used Cars
1991
Coney Island
8/2
Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous....
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Coney Island
1975
White House Madness
7/1
The Nixon Administration falls apart in a farcical manner in the time of the Watergate Scandal.
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White House Madness
1989
Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores
0/0
Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores was an event that occurred at the Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York in front of a sold-out attendance of 16,000. Tak...
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Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores
1974
Black Starlet
4.1/4
Girl leaves Gary, Indiana, to become a star in Hollywood.
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Black Starlet
1988
Grampa’s Monster Movies
0/0
Grampa Munster introduces some of the best and worst horror trailers from Universal's classic horror films.
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Grampa’s Monster Movies
1988
Grampa's Silly Scaries
0/0
Grampa Munster hosts a collection of 8 cartoon shorts in this halloween "Spook-tac-ular". 1."A Haunting We Will Go" (1949) 2."The Cobweb Hotel" (193...
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Grampa's Silly Scaries
1989
Grampa's More Silly Scaries
0/0
Grampa Munster hosts a collection of 8 cartoon shorts in another halloween "Spook-tac-ular". 1. "I Don't Scare" (1956) 2. "The Friendly Ghost" (1935...
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Grampa's More Silly Scaries
1989
Grampa's Sci-Fi Hits
8/1
Grampa Munster introduces some of the best and worst Sci-Fi trailers from classic films.
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Grampa's Sci-Fi Hits
2004
Ramones: Raw
6.389/9
Punk icons the Ramones star in this compilation of rare concert and behind-the-scenes footage that spans the band's 30-year history. The 20 vintage li...
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Ramones: Raw
1996
South Beach Academy
3.364/11
Brothers come to the aid of their uncle, who bet his Miami beach-sports school on a fixed volleyball game.
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South Beach Academy
1960
Pretty Boy Floyd
7/4
Trying to shake his troubled past and start a new honest life, Floyd loses his job because of that past. With nowhere to go but back home in Oklahoma...
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Pretty Boy Floyd
2006
Midnight Blue: Vol. 5: Porn King
0/0
Featuring commentary by Larry Flynt, Ron Jeremy and Al Lewis (of "The Munsters"), this volume of the "Midnight Blue" collection chronicles the salacio...
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Midnight Blue: Vol. 5: Porn King
1988
Bum Rap
4.25/4
Paul Colson is a New York cabdriver and struggling actor. When he learns that he has about three days left to live due to a rare blood disorder, he go...
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Bum Rap
1970
The Boatniks
5.3/30
Young and awkward, The Coast-Guard's ensign Thomas Garland suffers from the comparison with his late father, a war hero. Which does not prevent him fr...
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The Boatniks
1957
Lust of the Vampire
6.315/84
A mad scientist captures young women and drains their blood, in order to keep alive an ancient, evil duchess.
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Lust of the Vampire
2005
Porn King: The Trials Of Al Goldstein
5/8
Al Goldstein, the controversial adult magazine publisher, is up against the odds as he takes on the D.A., the press and an even larger nightmare: irre...
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Porn King: The Trials Of Al Goldstein
1965
Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland
0/0
The Munsters take in the sights at Marineland.
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Marineland Carnival: The Munsters Visit Marineland
1993
Al Lewis in the Flesh
7/1
Al Lewis' role as Grampa on television's "The Munsters" has ensured him permanence in the American collective consciousness. Although he has performed...
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Al Lewis in the Flesh
1975
Coonskin
6.128/152
A multi-layered satire of race relations in America. Live-action sequences of a prison break bracket the animated tale of Brother Rabbit, Brother Bear...
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Coonskin
2002
Night Terror
4.333/3
College kids investigating a derelict fun house, unwittingly resurrect Donnie, a psychopath who died in the haunt twenty-years earlier. Mayhem ensues.
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Night Terror
1988
Grampa Presents Carnival Of Souls
0/0
This was an installment in the "Grampa Presents" series of VHS tapes put out by Amvest video throughout the 1980's and 1990's, in which Al Lewis, play...
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Grampa Presents Carnival Of Souls
2004
The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright
7.667/3
Little-known facts about the 1960s television series "The Munsters" abound in this documentary that details the show's conception, development and suc...
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The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright
2008
The Munsters: Family Portrait
8/2
It’s the frighteningly funny Munsters like you’ve never seen them before! For the firs time ever, the unforgettable “Family Portrait” comes to DVD in...
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The Munsters: Family Portrait
2000
Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa
8/1
Al Lewis becomes well-known for his iconic role as Grandpa on "The Munsters".
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