Frederic Lewis Tuffley (23 October 1855 â€" 1 April 1935), better
known by his stage name, Eric Lewis, was an English comedian, actor
and singer. In a career spanning five decades, he starred in numerous
comedies and in a few musical comedy hits, but he is probably best
remembered today as the understudy to George Grossmith in the Gilbert
& Sullivan comic operas of the 1880s who left the D'Oyly Carte Opera
Company just in time to give Henry Lytton his big break.Lewis began
performing in comic musical sketches in Brighton in the 1870s. He made
his London performing debut in 1880 and joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera
Company in 1882, where he understudied Grossmith until 1887. Lewis
then performed in a number of very successful musical comedies and
other comedies for the next decade but devoted himself to the
non-musical comedy stage, performing mostly in contemporary comedies
by Arthur Wing Pinero, George Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie and R. C.
Carton until 1925.Lewis was born in Northampton and raised in
Brighton.
known by his stage name, Eric Lewis, was an English comedian, actor
and singer. In a career spanning five decades, he starred in numerous
comedies and in a few musical comedy hits, but he is probably best
remembered today as the understudy to George Grossmith in the Gilbert
& Sullivan comic operas of the 1880s who left the D'Oyly Carte Opera
Company just in time to give Henry Lytton his big break.Lewis began
performing in comic musical sketches in Brighton in the 1870s. He made
his London performing debut in 1880 and joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera
Company in 1882, where he understudied Grossmith until 1887. Lewis
then performed in a number of very successful musical comedies and
other comedies for the next decade but devoted himself to the
non-musical comedy stage, performing mostly in contemporary comedies
by Arthur Wing Pinero, George Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie and R. C.
Carton until 1925.Lewis was born in Northampton and raised in
Brighton.
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