April 5, 1921-August 3, 2001
Actor, best known for his starring role in the
1980s American
sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
He was born in Worthing, England. His stage career began when he was 7, with a role in a Dublin production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He debuted on Broadway in 1956 with the original cast of My Fair Lady, and worked in movies (including Mel Brooks' The Producers) and television as well.
He served in Britain's Royal Air Force at 16, and when he returned he joined the Oxford Repertory Company; this was no cushy job though, as the company continued its performances during German bombing raids over London. "I was back in theater just in time for the Blitz," Hewett said of the war. "Shows were often interrupted by the bombing, but I don't remember that we ever stopped, even during a heavy blitz. We would pause for a minute during the air raid alarm so that anyone who wanted to leave could do so."
Hewett was the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch about the maniacal members of the "The guy who played Mr. Belvedere" fan club, who decide to give Hewett the nickname "Brocktoon" ("Brocktune"? "Broctoon"?) . The sketch features Tom Hanks, Phil Hartman and other SNL cast members. Hartman, playing a complete nut, reminds himself that he shouldn't want to take Mr. Belvedere's skin -- "to tear the flesh, to wear the flesh, to be born unto new worlds where his flesh becomes my key". Tim Meadows accidentally wanders into the meeting, asks too many questions, and ends up in a giant glass jar in Chris Farley's basement. It's in Episode 91s, originally aired 5/9/92; host Tom Hanks, musical guest Bruce Stringsteen.
Sources: Various obituaries published 8/7/01. For SNL sketch: repeated viewings of the sketch; episode identification from www.io.com/~serpas/snl.html