Harry L. Lewis (April 1, 1920June 9, 2013) was a supporting actor in films and was the founder, along with his wife Marilyn, of the Hamburger Hamlet and Kate Mantilini restaurant chains.
Biography Lewis was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 1, 1920. His first film role was as a flagman in Dive Bomber (1941). He was immediately put under contract to Warner Bros., at which he made several films. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Edward "Toots" Bass, one of Edward G. Robinson's henchmen, in 1948's Key Largo.
Other small film roles included appearances as Claude Rains's butler in The Unsuspected (1947), Sheriff Clyde Boston in Gun Crazy (1949), the head of a gang of criminals in Blonde Dynamite (1950), and as a gangster in "The Monkey Mystery" episode of Adventures of Superman on television (1951). He also had a minor role as a slave in Cecil B. Demille's epic The Ten Commandments.
In 1950, Lewis and his then girlfriend Marilyn Friedman, invested () to open the Hamburger Hamlet restaurant at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hilldale Avenue on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The restaurant was successful and grew into a chain of 24 locations. The couple's two children, David and Adam, joined them in the restaurant business. The Lewises took Hamburger Hamlet public in 1969, and sold the company for $29.2 million in 1987 (equivalent to $ million in ).
Lewis and his wife Marilyn later owned the Beverly Hills restaurant institution Kate Mantilini, which closed in 2014 after operating for 27 years. The restaurant was named after a mistress of Marilyn's uncle.
Lewis died on June 9, 2013, at the age of 93. His widow Marilyn died on May 3, 2017.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1941 Dive Bomber Flag Man Uncredited1941 International Squadron Pilot Uncredited1941 One Foot in Heaven Young Soldier in Hospital Uncredited1941 They Died with Their Boots On Youth Uncredited1941 The Body Disappears Elevator Operator Uncredited1941 You're in the Army Now Recruit Uncredited1942 Captains of the Clouds Mr. Burton - RCAF Applicant Uncredited1942 Always in My Heart Steve 1942 Secret Enemies Radio Operator Uncredited1942 Busses Roar Danny 1942 Desperate Journey Evans Uncredited1943 The Hard Way Serious Young Man Uncredited1943 Air Force Minor Role Uncredited1944 The Last Ride Harry Bronson 1944 Winged Victory Cadet Peter Clark 1946 Her Kind of Man Candy 1947 The Unsuspected Max 1947 Always Together Reporter Uncredited1948 Winter Meeting Juvenile Uncredited1948 Wallflower Arthur Uncredited1948 Key Largo Edward 'Toots' Bass 1948 Adventures of Don Juan Innkeeper's Son Uncredited1948 The Decision of Christopher Blake Juvenile in Play Uncredited1948 Whiplash Press Man Uncredited1949 Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch Chick Bennett 1949 Bomba on Panther Island Robert Maitland 1950 Gun Crazy Deputy Clyde Boston 1950 Blonde Dynamite Champ Fallon 1950 My Friend Irma Goes West Trooper Uncredited1950 Southside 1-1000 FBI Agent Uncredited1951 The Fat Man Happy Stevens 1953 Run for the Hills Mr. Carewe 1953 Vice Squad Arresting Detective Uncredited1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ritchie Season 1 Episode 37: "Decoy" 1956 The Harder They Fall New York Ring Announcer Uncredited1956 The Ten Commandments Slave Uncredited1956 Accused of Murder Bartender Uncredited1956 The Man Is Armed Cole 1959 I Mobster Gangster Uncredited1969 Pendulum Brooks Elliot 1978 Invisible Strangler Stage Manager
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