Christopher George Hewett (1922 - 2001)

Ancestors

Biography

Actor, Director - best known for his role as theatre director "Roger DeBris" in Mel Brooks's comedy The Producers (1967), the title role of "Lynn Aloysius Belvedere" on the ABC (USA) sitcom Mr. Belvedere, and the character "Lawrence" in the final season of the television series Fantasy Island.

Life Events

Christopher George Hewett was born on the 5th April 1922, in Worthing, West Sussex, England, the son of Christopher Fitzsimon Hewett and Eleanor Joyce Watts (an actress known under the stage-name "Rhoda Cleighton").^[1]

Christopher took to the stage early in his life, aged seven years, first appearing in a stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed in Dublin, Ireland.

He was to spend a couple of years in the Royal Air Force, leaving in 1940.

Before long he had accrued a number of acting credits in addition to those from his childhood. He was a member of the Oxford Repertory Company, and in 1943 he made his West End theatre debut. His first motion picture was the crime drama Pool of London (1951).

After heading for the United States (1954),^[2] his acting, and directorial, credits started piling up. He accepted the role of the the grandiose theatre director "Roger DeBris" in the 1967 version of Mel Brooks's comedy The Producers.
He appeared in numerous on Broadway musicals, such as My Fair Lady, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and First Impressions. In 1979 he played "Captain Hook" to Sandy Duncan's Broadway Peter Pan. He also directed the Broadway revue From A to Z (1960), and the Off Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hart musical By Jupiter (1967), and several other stage productions including a version of Camelot.

In what may have been his second (or more) visit to Australia (his eldest brother had moved to Western Australia with his wife, and his mother had visited Anthony in the late 1950s), in 1966 Christopher was "Down Under" to direct the musical "The Boys from Syracuse" under the auspices of J C Williamson Ltd. Christopher had already been involved with the same production in both England (London's Drury Lane), and America (New York).

Firm's new musical

J. C. Williamson’s Theatres Limited have brought Christopher Hewett from America to direct its musical, "The Boys from Syracuse," which opens at the Comedy Theatre on June 8.

Hewett directed the New York production of the musical as well as the London production at Drury Lane.

The cast is headed by Hazel Phillips, Ted Hamilton, Brian Hannan, Alton Harvey, James Kenney, David Williams, Lynne Cantlon, Darlene Johnson, Nancye Hayes.^[3]

Christopher Hewett as Mr Belvedere (1989).

During the six seasons of the television series "Mr Belvedere" (in which he played the title role), Christopher worked with many "big names", not only from the showbiz world, but those such as Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Ernie "Mr Cubs" Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, and Robert Goulet (who made his third appearance on the show*), as seen in episode one of the sixth and final season — Mr Belvedere: The Field

* Goulet made a 4th appearance in the final episode "Mr. Belvedere's Wedding: Part 2".

Christopher's last screen appearance was in 1997.

He never married, and remained a devout Roman Catholic until his death, serving often as a Deacon at St. Victor's Church in West Hollywood.

Christopher George Hewett passed away in his 80th year, on the 3rd August 2001, in Los Angeles, California, from complication of diabetes, and was interred in the Brookwood Cemetery, Brookwood, Sussex, England, where his father had already been laid to rest.^[4]

More than one obituary, and more than one online biography, incorrectly state his date of birth as being 1921, and that his mother was descended from Irish Patriot Daniel O'Connell, known as "The Liberator", or "The Emancipator". (It is through his paternal grandmother that the descent lies.) Many of these same online biographies give him the middle name "Michael", but no documents have been found to substantiate that statement.

In 2004 he was nominated for a TV Land Award for his role as Belvedere.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration — England & Wales births, deaths and marriages registrations, General Register Office United Kingdom, Southport, England, HM Passport Office online search Births: Name: HEWETT, CHRISTOPHER GEORGE; Mother's Maiden Surname: WATTS; GRO Reference: 1922 S Quarter in EAST PRESTON Volume 02B Page 548
2. ↑ Emigration : "United Kingdom, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890-1960", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68P2-YRMT : 28 October 2021), Christopher Hewett, 1954.
3. ↑ Stage Production "Down Under" — "Firm's new musical" The Australian Jewish News (Melbourne, Vic. : 1935 - 1999) 20 May 1966: 4. Web. 28 Mar 2022 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article262991299>.
4. ↑ Burial — Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/5860419/christopher-hewett : accessed 15 March 2022), memorial page for Christopher Hewett (5 Apr 1921–3 Aug 2001), Find A Grave: Memorial #5860419, citing Brookwood Cemetery, Brookwood, Woking Borough, Surrey, England ; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• Immigration : "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H4Q-SDV : 2 March 2021), Christopher Hewett, 1954; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Obituary : "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVYF-JRZJ : accessed 25 March 2022), Christopher Hewett, Virginia, United States, 06 Aug 2001; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Richmond Times-Dispatch, born-digital text.

• Obituary : "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKG5-NJGT : accessed 25 March 2022), Mr Christopher Hewett, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 05 Aug 2001; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Sun, The, born-digital text.

See also:

• Wikipedia : Christopher Hewett
• Wikidata: Item Q331503, en:Wikipedia

• The Guardian - Obituaries

• The independent - Obituaries (per the Wayback Machine)

• Playbill - Obituary

• Film Reference - Biography