R.I.P. Richard Lewis: ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Comedian Dead At 76

Richard Lewis, the comedian known for his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Robin Hood: Men In Tights, has died. He was 76.

Lewis’ death was first reported by Deadline and was shared on X by Bette Midler. Decider has reached out to Lewis’ reps for further comment.

At the time of his passing, Lewis had been battling Parkinson’s disease. He went public with his diagnosis in April 2023, telling fans he had been first diagnosed two years prior and was managing his condition with “the right meds.”

He assured fans at the time, “Luckily, I got it late in life, and they say you progress very slowly if at all.”

Lewis was born June 29, 1947, in Brooklyn and raised in New Jersey. He went on to attend Ohio State University, after which he tried his hand at stand-up comedy. His work eventually landed him a gig on The Tonight Show, and he became recognized along with contemporaries like Richard Belzer, George Carlin and Lily Tomlin.

His first onscreen credit is listed in IMDb as the TV movie Diary of a Young Comic, which premiered in 1979. In the years following, he went on to appear in TV series like Riptide, Harry and Anything But Love, and in films like The Wrong Guys, That’s Adequate and Once Upon a Crime….

He also made appearances in The Larry Sanders Show, Daddy Dearest and Tales From the Crypt, and had a memorable credit as Prince John in the 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Two years later, Lewis appeared in another major ’90s hit with Leaving Las Vegas, in which he played Peter.

In more recent years, the comedian appeared in Two And A Half Men, 7th Heaven, The Simpsons, Everybody Hates Chris, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and BoJack Horseman, but he’s perhaps best known (and loved) for his work with Larry David on the long-running HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.

After appearing in David’s 1999 Curb Your Enthusiasm special, Lewis appeared in the very first episode of the first season of the show, titled “Pants Tent,” which premiered in 2000. Lewis went on to appear in every single season since, and recently made a cameo in “Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug,” which aired on HBO Feb. 18.

While reflecting on his decades of work on Curb in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Lewis told the publication it was David’s idea to include him in the show as a fictionalized version of himself, right down to his real name.

“He came over to my house and he said he wanted me to play myself. He wanted to have this relationship. It’s spectacularly unique to be able to be in a scene where other actors are not themselves and I’m myself. It’s a strange feeling,” he said.

He also reflected on his career as a whole, telling Vanity Fair he felt lucky for the work he’s done.

“I felt that I was very fortunate to have the tenacity and the fortune to get into the world of the arts and to make a mark in it. In print, that would sound egotistical,” Lewis said. “But remember where I was coming from and knowing how hard the business is generally speaking for comedians – you have to make your own break and if you get a break, you better score or you’re out, man. And I did.”