Phill Lewis

Phill Lewis
Born	September 4, 1968 (1968-09-04) (age 41)[1] Uganda, East Africa[1]
Other name(s)	Phil Lewis
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–present

Phill Lewis (born September 4, 1968) is an American film and television actor, often seen in comedic roles. He has also played small parts in more than a dozen films. He is best known for his role as Marion Moseby on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck.

Early life

Lewis is the son of former Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone executive and former U.S. Ambassador Delano Lewis.^[2] He was born in Uganda, East Africa^[3] during his father's stint as the Peace Corps' associate director and country director for Nigeria and Uganda.^[4]

Career

After appearing in guest roles on episodic television, Lewis' first big break in show business was starring in the title role of the short-lived 1991 situation comedy Teech. However, the show was canceled after only four episodes due to low ratings. He has since appeared in mostly guest spots on various series including Pacific Blue, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sister, Sister, Brothers & Sisters, 8 Simple Rules and How I Met Your Mother. Lewis has also had recurring roles on A Different World, The Wayans Bros., Lizzie McGuire, Yes, Dear, Friends, and Scrubs.

Lewis co-starred in the Disney Channel original series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, as Mr. Moseby. Since 2008, he has reprised the role on a spin-off The Suite Life on Deck, where he plays the manager of The S.S. Tipton. He has also appeared as a guest star on Disney Channel's That's So Raven and in one of the channel's original movies, Dadnapped.

In addition to his television work, Lewis has appeared in several films. He made his film debut as Dennis in the 1989 dark comedy Heathers. He has appeared in smaller roles in more than a dozen films, including City Slickers (1991), Bowfinger (1999), I Spy (2002), Surviving Christmas (2004), and Kicking & Screaming (2005).

Personal life

In late December 1991, Lewis was arrested after a car he was driving collided head on with another car driven by 21 year-old Isabel Duarte in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Potomac, Maryland. Duarte, a resident of nearby Bethesda, Maryland, would eventually die from her injuries. Lewis was charged with drunk driving. He apologized, saying "I am extremely and sincerely sorry for my disorderly actions."

According to the February 8, 1993 issue of Jet Magazine:

Lewis was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter with a motor vehicle and driving while intoxicated, but a Maryland judge suspended all but one year of the sentence. Montgomery County, Md., Circuit Court Judge William Miller said he suspended most of the sentence because of Lewis' excellent behavior since the car accident, which killed Isabel Duarte, 21, of Bethesda, Md. Lewis [subsequently] ... worked with a prison-based theater group ... aimed at making audiences aware of the tragedy of drug abuse at schools, churches and jails. Lewis ... was also given two years supervised probation and ordered to perform 350 hours of community service.^[5][6]

Selected filmography

References

External links

• Phill Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
• Phill Lewis at TV.com