Phill Lewis Biography

Phill Lewis started his acting career in 1986, with the role of ‘Parker’ in the American police drama series ‘Hill Street Blues’. He played the role of ‘Ken’ in ‘227’ and then ‘Schuyler Tate’ in ‘The Bronx Zoo’. In 1988, he made his film debut with the small role of ‘Dennis’ in the American black comedy film ‘Heathers’. After appearing in some television shows and films, mostly in small roles, Lewis landed his first lead role on television in 1991. He was picked for the role of ‘Teech Gibson’ in the CBS sitcom ‘Teech’. The show, however, didn’t continue long and was ended after just one season.

He then appeared in a lead role of ‘Arnold Nixon’ in the American baseball sitcom ‘Hardball’. He was part of the show for the entire 1994 season. This show too was canceled due to poor ratings. He played the recurring role of ‘T.C.’ in ‘The Wayans Bros.’, an American sitcom, between 1995 and 1998.

In 2005, Lewis was signed for the role of ‘Marion Moseby’, an uptight manager with an extensive vocabulary and an urbane vernacular, in the American sitcom ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’. His character also spoke many different languages. He reprised the role in its spin-off, ‘The Suite Life on Deck’. Apart from these two shows, the character was depicted in several other shows as well, with Lewis playing it in each of these. He then appeared as ‘Special Agent Wolfie’ in the interactive American CGI-animated series ‘Special Agent Oso’, between 2009 and 2012. Lewis appeared alongside Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson in the American spy comedy film ‘I Spy’. He played the character of ‘Charlie’ in ‘Elvis Has Left the Building’ and ‘John Ryan’ in the 2005 American sports comedy film ‘Kicking & Screaming’. Recently, Lewis appeared in the American comedy-drama film ‘Wish I Was Here’.

Phill Lewis was born in Uganda, on September 4, 1968, to Gayle Carolyn Jones and the former U.S. Ambassador Delano Lewis. Lewis has three brothers, Delano Jr., Geoffrey, and Brian.

In December 1991, he was arrested after he accidentally killed a lady named Isabel Duarte, a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, in a car crash. Lewis was drunk at that time. Tests revealed that his blood alcohol level measured three times the limit for legal intoxication at the time of the accident. He was sentenced to five years in prison. However, his work with a prison-based theater troupe cut down his sentence to just a year. The troupe performed in jails, schools, and churches, to highlight the consequences of drug abuse. He also did 350 hours of community service after his release from the prison.