Stage Veteran Garrett Lewis Passes Away at 77
Tuesday, February 5, 2013; 02:02 PM - by BWW News Desk
Garrett Lewis, four time Academy Award nominated set
decorator, dancer and actor, died Tuesday, January 29 at the age of 77. He was born
in St. Louis, Missouri in 1935 and died at his home in Woodland Hills,
California of natural causes.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Garrett Lewis had a long
and storied career as a dancer, actor and set decorator. His career began while
still in college when he was offered the dance lead for a season at the Kansas
City Starlight Theatre. After that one season of summer stock, he went to New
York and immediately landed his first Broadway show My Fair Lady. This was
followed by numerous roles in Broadway productions including Hello Dolly,
Vintage '60 and First Impressions.
Lewis played the role of Cornelius in Hello Dolly
starring opposite five different leading ladies. First, he went on national
tour with Carol Channing. Hello Dolly was the first stage show at the newly
opened Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in 1965. He reprised the role
with Mary Martin in London. Hello Dolly made its premiere in the West End at
the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on December 2, 1965, with the Queen Mother in attendancE.
Lewis also performed this role opposite Carole Cook, Dora Bryan and Patrice
Munsel in various productions of the show.
Lewis was a featured performer on The Red Skelton Show
and The Julie Andrews Hour. Aside from his television work, which included many
major network shows at the time on both coasts, he appeared extensively in
clubs across the country, supporting such leading ladies as Anna Maria
Alberghetti, Arlene Dahl, Dorothy Provine and others. He was a soloist in The
Lido Show in Paris, and appeared as the male lead in Little Mary Sunshine in
Paris. Garrett transitioned into film and appeared in both Star! with Julie
Andrews and Funny Lady.
By the time Lewis finished Funny Lady in 1975, musicals
were becoming rare. Lewis' friends, agent Sue Mengers and her husband
Jean-Claude Tramont, purchased a home in Bel Air in 1975. They admired the way
Lewis had decorated his own home, and asked him to redesign their new one. This
lead Lewis to designing private homes for celebrities including Barbra
Streisand, Herbert Ross, Barry Diller and many others. He effortlessly segued
into a second career.
In the late seventies when Herbert Ross was directing The
Turning Point he asked Lewis to decorate several sets. Later while filming
California Suite, Ross called him in again to assist with the art direction.
While his title was "Pictorial Consultant", his third career as a set
decorator for films was launched.
Lewis worked on 39 films as a set decorator. He was
nominated for four Academy Awards for Art Direction - Beaches, Glory, Hook and
Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work
on Gepetto. He created everything from civil war tents for Glory to lavish
Bugatti inspired furniture for Bram Stoker's Dracula, a particularly special
film for him. His film credits include Mrs. Doubtfire, Pretty Woman, Steel
Magnolias, Backdraft, Hidalgo, Against All Odds, as well as countless others.
His work as a set decorator took him to Morocco, Canada and all parts of the
United States. He loved his work. A longtime member of the Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts and Sciences, he proudly served on the Executive Committee for
the Art Director's branch.
A memorial is currently being planned. Please contact
gl_me...@earthlink.net for further information.
LEWIS, Garrett
Born: 1935, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Died: 1/29/2013, Woodland Hills, California, U.S.A.
Garrett Lewis’ westerns – actor, set decorator:
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys – 1969 (Hawkins)
Hidalgo – 1964 [set decorator]
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