Mr. Belvedere dead at 80

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/headline/entertainment/992354


Hewett of 'Mr. Belvedere' fame dies at 80


LOS ANGELES -- Christopher Hewett, the British-born stage actor perhaps best remembered as television's endearing English butler, "Mr. Belvedere," died Friday. He was 80.

Christopher Hewett Hewett, whose career began at age 7 on a stage in Ireland, had been in declining health, said his nephew, Paul Hewett.

Although the stage was his first love, Hewett likely gained his greatest fame playing the endearing title role on television's "Mr. Belvedere" from 1985 to 1990.

As Lynn Belvedere, he was a one-time butler for England's royal family who moved to the United States and wound up working for a dysfunctional family, some of whose members never did learn to pronounce his name properly. He made his way through the job with wisecracks and sarcasm.

Hewett also appeared in several movies, including "Pool of London" and "The Lavender Hill Mob," both in 1951, as well as the Mel Brooks film "The Producers," in 1968.



Mr. Belvedere was one of my favorite shows growing up. I didn't realize that Hewett was as old as he was when he appeared on Mr. Belvedere. He would have been 66 when it first appeared on TV in 1985 and 71 when it went off the air. Am I alone in the thought that he looked very young to be that old?

R.I.P.