Geoffrey Lewis (actor)

Life and career

Lewis was born July 31, 1935, in Plainfield, New Jersey but spent much of his youth in Wrightwood, California. He took acting classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and performed off-Broadway and at regional theaters in Massachusetts. He tried breaking into Hollywood in the 1960s.

Lewis appeared in TV series such as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Mork & Mindy, Lou Grant, Magnum, P.I., Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In 1979, he appeared in Salem's Lot. He also played opposite Polly Holliday in the Alice spin-off Flo (1980–81) for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. His film credits include such movies as Down in the Valley, The Butcher, Maverick, and When Every Day Was the Fourth of July.

Lewis worked frequently with actor-director Clint Eastwood in several films including Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Pink Cadillac, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Every Which Way but Loose, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and High Plains Drifter. Eastwood was quoted as saying that "[Lewis] had the most expressive face. He was a wonderful actor with great expressions that made it so much fun to work with him."

In the 1980s, Lewis was also a member of musical storytelling group Celestial Navigations with musician and songwriter Geoff Levin.

Lewis was married four times and had 10 children, including Oscar-nominated actress Juliette Lewis.

Death

On April 7, 2015, Lewis died of a heart attack in his Woodland Hills residence. He was aged 79.