Richard Lewis is a remarkable American comedian, actor, writer, and producer with a net worth of $7 million. He is widely known for his incredible work as a stand-up comedian and has featured on ABC’s “Anything But Love” (1989–1992) and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000–present). Richard’s performance career began as a stand-up comedian in the ’70s while working for an ad agency during the day.

Early Life of Richard Lewis

Richard Philip Lewis was born on June 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, to an actress mother and a caterer father. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and attended Dwight Morrow High School. After finishing high school, he enrolled at Ohio State University, where he joined the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He earned a degree in marketing and communications in 1969. When he was 12 years old, he met Larry David at summer camp.

Career of Richard Lewis

Lewis began his stand-up comedy career in the ’70s, and he appeared on “Late Night with David Letterman” numerous times throughout the ’80s. He made his acting debut in 1979 when he played the lead role in the TV movie “Diary of a Young Comic,” and that year he also appeared in the television film “The 416th.” Richard then guest-starred on “House Calls” (1980), “Riptide” (1986), and “Tattinger’s” (1988) and appeared in the films “The Wrong Guys” (1988) and “That’s Adequate” (1989).

In 1987, he played Richard Breskin on the ABC series “Harry,” and from 1989 to 1992, he co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis on “Anything But Love,” which aired 56 episodes over four seasons. In 1992, Lewis appeared in the film “Once Upon a Crime…” and the TV movie “The Danger of Love: The Carolyn Warmus Story.” The following year, he played Prince John in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” guest-starred on “Tribeca” and “The Larry Sanders Show,” and co-starred with Don Rickles on the Fox series “Daddy Dearest.”

Richard appeared in the films “Wagons East” (1994), “Drunks” (1995), “The Elevator” (1996), “Hugo Pool” (1997), “The Maze” (1997), and “Game Day” (1999), and he co-starred with Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue in the critically-acclaimed 1995 film “Leaving Las Vegas.” In the 90s, he also guest-starred on “Tales from the Crypt” (1994) and “V.I.P.” (1999), portrayed Edgar Allan Poe on “A.J.’s Time Travelers” (1995), and had a recurring role as Harve Schwartz on Showtime’s “Rude Awakening” (1998).

In 2000, Lewis began playing a semi-autobiographical version of himself on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and he has appeared in 39 episodes as of this writing. From 2002 to 2004, he played Rabbi Richard Glass in nine episodes of The WB series “7th Heaven,” and around this time, he guest-starred on “Alias” (2003), “Two and a Half Men” (2004), “The Dead Zone” (2004), “Las Vegas” (2005), “George Lopez” (2005), and “Everybody Hates Chris” (2006).

Accomplishments of Richard Lewis

Richard has starred in several comedy specials such as “The Richard Lewis ‘I’m in Pain’ Concert” (1985), “The I’m Exhausted Concert” (1988), “I’m Doomed” (1990), and “The Magical Misery Tour” (1996). He has 55+ acting credits to his name, including the films “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993) and “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995) and the television series “Daddy Dearest” (1993), “Hiller and Diller” (1997–1998) and “7th Heaven” (2002–2004).

Richard also wrote and executive produced the 2014 documentary “House of a Lifetime: Richard Lewis” and the “Daddy Dearest” episode “The Tortoise and the Scare.” Richard wrote and starred in the 1979 TV movie “Diary of a Young Comic,” and he published the book “The Other Great Depression: How I’m Overcoming, on a Daily Basis, at Least a Million Addictions and Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life” in 2000. In 2004, Lewis came in at #45 on Comedy Central’s “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time” list.

Personal Life of Richard Lewis

Richard married Joyce Lapinsky in January 2005. In 2016, Lewis shattered his hand after falling off his roof, and the accident “started a two-year journey into four or five surgeries.” In September 2019, he underwent surgery to relieve excruciating back pain, and in January 2020, he slipped while getting out of a swimming pool and shattered his shoulder, which resulted in another surgery. Unfortunately, Richard’s health woes caused him to miss out on most of the filming of season 11 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Real Estate

In November 2016, Lewis put his 2,508 square foot Hollywood Hills home on the market for $1.56 million. According to property records, Richard purchased the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home for $720,000 in 1989, and he sold it for $1.354 million in January 2017. The home previously belonged to “Green Acres” star Eddie Albert.

In conclusion, Richard Lewis’s career has made him a millionaire, with his net worth standing at around $7 million. Despite his numerous health issues, Richard has continued to make notable contributions to the entertainment industry, and his work will continue to be appreciated by comedy enthusiasts worldwide.