Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971) is an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the 1980s television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

''.

Personal life

Lewis was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and graduated from

Midwood High School Midwood High School is a high school located at 2839 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, administered by the New York City Department of Education. It has an enrollment of 3,938 students. Its H-shaped building, with six Ionic order, Ionic co ...

in 1989. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Found ...

in 1997. He would only attend the fall semester so he could continue his career in the winter, spring and summer. Lewis is a practitioner of

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

. His height has only changed by since his childhood appearances in ''Webster'', making him relatively short. He has no known condition that would explain his height. He is also a Freemason. Lewis is a three-time winner of the

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

and twice won a Clio Award.

Career

For his role on the television series ''

'', Lewis was nominated for four

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

s. In 1984, he was nominated for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series for ''Webster'' and lost to

Rick Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

of ''

Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the fi ...

''. In 1985, he was nominated for the same award, but it went to

Billy Jayne William Jayne Jacoby (born April 10, 1969), known professionally as Billy Jayne and previously Billy Jacoby is an American actor. His siblings, Robert Jayne, Susan Jayne, Laura Jacoby, as well as his half-brother Scott Jacoby are also actors. ...

of ''It's Not Easy''. In 1986, he was nominated for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series, but was bested by

Marc Price Marc Price is an American actor and comedian, known for his role as Irwin "Skippy" Handelman on the television series ''Family Ties''. Life and career Price is the son of Borscht Belt comedian Al Bernie, and singer Joy Mann. In addition to pla ...

who won for his performance in ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...

''. In 1987, he was nominated for Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy or Drama Series, which

Kirk Cameron Kirk Thomas Cameron (born October 12, 1970) is an American actor and evangelist. He first gained fame as a teen actor playing Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom ''Growing Pains'' (1985–1992), a role for which he was nominated for two Golden Glob ...

of ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Se ...

'' won. Lewis was the child spokesperson for the

Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...

Whopper The Whopper is the signature hamburger and an associated product line sold by international fast food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's. Introduced in 1957, the hamburger has undergone several reformulatio ...

. Lewis appeared as himself on a TV child stars episode of ''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...

'' in 2001. He was voted-off in the third round. He had

cameo appearances A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the 2007 film ''

Kickin' It Old Skool ''Kickin' It Old Skool'' is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Harvey Glazer, written by Trace Slobotkin, and starring Jamie Kennedy (who also serves as a producer), Bobby Lee, Maria Menounos, Michael Rosenbaum and Vivica A. Fox, with a cameo ...

'' and a 2013 episode of ''

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis ''Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis'' is an American talk show hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis which features celebrity guests. Episodes last several minutes, in which the interviewer (Galifianakis) and guests trade barbs and insults. ...

''. In Japan, he is known as a singer and has released two singles; his debut single, "City Connection," reached Number 2 on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

chart. On November 9, 2014, Lewis appeared on Ken Reid's "TV Guidance Counselor" podcast. The episode was recorded live at the Davis Square Theater in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, as part of the 2014 Boston Comedy Festival. He was in

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...

's "I Don't Give A F" video, at the 30-second mark.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1983–1989)

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

* ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

'' (1984) episode "Only the Good Die Young" * ''A Christmas Dream'' (1984)

TV special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

* ''Lost in London'' (1985) (TV) * ''Emmanuel Lewis: My Very Own Show'' (1987) (TV) * ''The New Adventures of Mother Goose'' (1995) (TV) * '' In the House'' (1996) episode "Close Encounters of the Worst Kind” * ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...

'' (1997) episodes "Odd Man In" and "Beauty and the Beast" * ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...

'' (1998) (TV) * ''

Malcolm & Eddie ''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The program was ...

'' (1999) (TV) * ''

'' (TV Child Stars Edition) (2001) (TV) * ''

The Surreal Life ''The Surreal Life'' is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of ''The Real W ...

'' (2003) (TV) * '' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' (2003) * ''

My Super Sweet Sixteen ''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age ce ...

'' (2005) (TV) * '' One on One'' (2005) (TV) * ''

'' (2007) (Film) * '' The Surreal Life: Fame Games'' (2007) (TV) * ''The Lil Flex Show'' (2008) (TV)

Discography

"City Connection", a song performed by Lewis, was very popular in Japan in 1981, reaching number 2 on the

chart. *"City Connection" (シティコネクション, ''Shity Konekushon'') (1981 July 5) **B side: City Connection (English Version) **Lyrics: Mickey Sugar, Composer: Danny Long (pseudonym of Daiko Nagato), Arranger: Michel SHIMIN, Yuka Sato *"Love is DANDAN" (恋はダンダン, ”Koi wa Dan Dan") (1981 October 5) **Lyrics: Junko Shiratori, composer: Daiko Nagato, Arranger: Masao Nakajima

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Emmanuel 1971 births American male television actors African-American male actors American male child actors African-American male child actors American Freemasons Clark Atlanta University alumni People from Brooklyn Living people American male taekwondo practitioners Midwood High School alumni Actors with dwarfism 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people