Phillip David Lewis (born February 14, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and director who is best known for his role as hotel manager

Mr. Moseby The following is a list of recurring and minor characters in the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. These characters were regularly rotated, often disappearing for long periods during the series. Tipton staff Arwi ...

on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

series ''

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American 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 for an Emmy Award three times and was a ...

'' and its spin-off, ''

The Suite Life on Deck ''The Suite Life on Deck'' is an American teen sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/ spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. The series follows twin ...

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

Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American 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 navigates the personal and social issues of her t ...

'', ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'', '' The Wayans Bros.'', '' 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 the main c ...

''.

Early life

Lewis was born on February 14, 1968, in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country 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 south by Tanzania. 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 Delano Eugene Lewis (born November 12, 1938) is an American attorney, businessman, and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to South Africa from 1999 to 2001, and previously held leadership roles at the Peace Corps and National Public R ...

, served as the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

' associate director and country director for Nigeria and Uganda at the time and would later serve as the

United States Ambassador to South Africa Before 1902, the southern part of Africa that is now South Africa was under the hegemony of Great Britain. There also were two self-proclaimed independent states: Transvaal (also known as the South African Republic), and the Orange Free State. T ...

. Lewis has three brothers.

Career

Lewis made his film debut as Dennis in the 1988 dark comedy ''

Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, an ...

''. In 1991, he was cast in the lead role of the short-lived CBS sitcom ''

Teech ''Teech'' is an American sitcom television series that briefly aired on CBS from September 18 to October 16, 1991 as part of its 1991 Fall lineup. The series was co-produced by Nikndaph Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Televisio ...

''. The series was cancelled after thirteen episodes. He has appeared in smaller roles in other films, including '' City Slickers'' (1991), ''

Bowfinger ''Bowfinger'' is a 1999 American satirical buddy comedy film directed by Frank Oz. The film depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the movie. It was ...

'' (1999), ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'' (2002), '' Surviving Christmas'' (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'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''

8 Simple Rules ''8 Simple Rules'' (originally ''8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter'') is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three chi ...

'', ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although the events of the film are not consid ...

'', ''

'' and ''

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

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

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

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

original series ''

'' as

. In 2008, he had reprised the role on a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

,'' 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 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 (Raven-Sy ...

'' and ''

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as ...

'' and also in one of the channel's original films, ''

Dadnapped ''Dadnapped'' is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered February 16, 2009. Starring actors from Disney Channel Original Series, the movie had 4.6 million viewers for its premiere. Although the story centers on a hostage situation, the ki ...

''. On the children's series ''

Special Agent Oso ''Special Agent Oso '' () was an American computer-animated children's television series. The series was created by Ford Riley. It premiered on April 4, 2009 with 2 episodes airing that day as part of Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney block," a ...

'', he has a recurring role as the voice of Agent Wolfie. 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 ''A.N.T. Farm'' is an American teen sitcom which originally aired on Disney Channel from May 6, 2011 to March 21, 2014. It first aired on May 6, 2011, as a special one-episode preview and continued as a regular series starting on June 17, 2011 ...

'', ''

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 Calum ...

'', '' Good Luck Charlie'',

Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a t ...

, ''

Kickin' It ''Kickin' It'' is an American comedy television series created by Jim O'Doherty that aired on Disney XD from June 13, 2011 to March 25, 2015. The series stars Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder, Mateo Arias, Olivia Holt, Alex Christian Jones, an ...

'' and '' Jessie''. He has also directed some episodes of Nickelodeon sitcoms as well including,

Big Time Rush ''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood mi ...

Henry Danger ''Henry Danger'' is an American comedy television series created by Dan Schneider and Dana Olsen that aired on Nickelodeon from July 26, 2014 to March 21, 2020. The series stars Jace Norman, Cooper Barnes, Riele Downs, Sean Ryan Fox, Ella And ...

, Danger Force, and

iCarly ''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and host ...

(both the original show and the revival series on Paramount+). and His other television directing credits include ''

Malibu Country ''Malibu Country'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from November 2, 2012, to March 22, 2013. The series was created by David A. Stewart and marks Reba McEntire's return to series television, following up her previous sitcom '' Reba'' (2001� ...

'', '' Mike & Molly'', ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized ''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 Whitney Cum ...

'', '' The Soul Man'', '' Sullivan & Son'', Mr. Iglesias, '' Melissa & Joey'', '' Young & Hungry'', '' The Odd Couple'', '' One Day at a Time'', and ''

Indebted ''Indebted'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from February 6 to April 16, 2020. The series was created by Dan Levy and co-executive produced with Doug Robinson, Andy Ackerman and David Guarascio for Sony Pictures Television. ...

''. He also directed the live episode of ''

Undateable ''Undateable'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from May 29, 2014, to January 29, 2016, and originally premiered as a mid-season replacement. The series was created by Adam Sztykiel, based on the book ''Undateable: 311 ...

'' in 2015 that secured a third season for the series. From 2017 to 2019, Lewis directed fifteen episodes of

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

sitcom '' One Day at a Time''.

Personal life

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. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...

, 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. 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's work after his arrest with a prison-based theater troupe that performed in jails, schools, and churches, to highlight the consequences of drug abuse. Lewis was also ordered to serve two years' probation after his release and to perform 350 hours of community service. Lewis is married to Megan Benton Lewis and has two daughters.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Phill 1968 births African-American male comedians African-American male actors 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 American male actors American male voice actors Living people 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people African-American Catholics