‘Spanish Fryar,’ Carlos in the ‘Revenge,’ and Campley in the ‘Funeral,’ besides a number of original parts in new plays (see list below). Lewis remained at Covent Garden to the close of his career, only quitting it on excursions to Liverpool in the summers of 1776 and 1777, to Birmingham in 1779, and to Dublin in 1806. During this period he played more characters, original and established, than almost any other English comedian on record. He had at first a predilection for serious and poetical parts, and Romeo, Edgar, Hotspur, Philaster, Cassio, Young Norval, Orestes, and Hamlet diversify a list including also Trinket, Sir George Airy, Sir Brilliant Fashion, Mirabell, Mercutio, Touchstone, Sir Courtly Nice, and Sir Harry Flutter. When, however, in 1782 he became deputy-manager of Covent Garden, he practically abandoned his experiments in serious characters.
Lewis created many characters of high and some of primary importance. He was the first Faulkland in the ‘Rivals,’ Wyndham in the ‘Man of Reason,’ Sir Charles Racket in ‘Three Weeks after Marriage,’ Counsellor Witmore in Kenrick's ‘Duellist’ (20 Nov. 1773), Beverley in Colman's ‘Man of Business’ (1774), Arviragus in Mason's ‘Caractacus,’ Millamour in Murphy's ‘Know your own Mind,’ Doricourt in the ‘Belle's Stratagem,’ Egerton in the ‘Man of the World,’ Sir Harry Portland in Holcroft's ‘Duplicity,’ Beauchamp in Mrs. Cowley's ‘Which is the Man?’ On 17 Jan. 1783 he was the first Younger Loveless in the ‘Capricious Lady,’ an adaptation of the ‘Scornful Lady;’ 25 Feb. 1783 Don Julio in Mrs. Cowley's ‘Bold Stroke for a Husband;’ 14 Dec. 1784 Almaviva in ‘Follies of a Day’ (‘La folle journée’); 10 Feb. 1787 Twineall in Mrs. Inchbald's ‘Such things are;’ 28 Nov. 1788 Count Valentia in Mrs. Inchbald's ‘Child of Nature;’ 16 April 1791 Rover in ‘Wild Oats;’ 18 Feb. 1792 Goldfinch in the ‘Road to Ruin;’ 11 Feb. 1801 Frederick in the ‘Poor Gentleman;’ 5 March 1803 Tom Shuffleton in ‘John Bull;’ and 5 Nov. 1803 Jeremy Diddler in ‘Raising the Wind.’ His last original character was Modern in Reynolds's ‘Begone Dull Care,’ 9 Feb. 1808. His farewell to the public took place on 29 May 1809, at the Haymarket, whither, after the destruction of Covent Garden by fire, the company had retired. On that occasion he played Roger in the ‘Ghost’ and the Copper Captain in ‘Rule a Wife and have a Wife,’ and delivered an address, in which he said that he had been thirty-six years in the service of the public, and could not recall having once fallen under its displeasure. He died on Sunday, 13 Jan. 1811, at his house in Westbourne Place, London. On 6 June 1803, in partnership with Thomas Knight (d. 1820) [q. v.], he began a lesseeship of the Liverpool Theatre, which after his death devolved on his son. Before his death he had in conjunction with Knight taken the Manchester Theatre. By his wife, Miss Leeson, a pupil of Macklin and a great favourite in Dublin, he had three sons and two daughters.
The stage has seen few comedians more refined or competent than Lewis. The qualification ‘Gentleman’ which he associated with his name was subsequently with far less justice assigned to Richard Jones (1779–1851) [q. v.] and other actors. Respectable mediocrity may be assigned him in serious parts. In comedy—before he ‘descended to be the gentle buffoon of modern farce’—he was described by Cooke as ‘the unrivalled favourite of the comic muse in all that was frolic, gay, humorous, whimsical, and at the same time elegant.’ Genest complains of a man who could supply such impersonations as Ranger, Mercutio, and the Copper Captain playing in the end all the extravagant parts which Morton and Reynolds thought proper to write for him. Lewis stood aloof from all theatrical squabbles, and theatrical ana scarcely mention his name. The position he held for sixteen years of director of Covent Garden under Harris exposed him necessarily to attacks which he lived down. He was always original, and bestowed upon every part as much care as if his reputation depended upon it. While questioning the right of Lewis to the exclusive title of gentleman, Leigh Hunt considers that ‘vulgarity seems totally impossible to an actor of his manners.’ In characters such as Rover, full of frankness and vivacity, Lewis is conceded ‘an original excellence.’ He is said to be ‘the most complete fop on the stage,’ but is censured for extravagance of dress and for excessive indulgence in shaking of the head and respiration. Hazlitt seems inspired by Lamb in writing of ‘gay, fluttering, hare-brained Lewis, … all life and fashion and volubility and whim, the greatest comic mannerist perhaps that ever lived.’ He was spare in body, and enjoyed fine health.
A portrait of Lewis by Sir Martin Archer Shee, another as Pharnaces in ‘Cleonice’ by Harlowe, and a third as Mercutio by De Wilde are in the Mathews Collection at the Garrick Club. As Tanjore in ‘Speculation,’ Lewis figures with Munden (as Project) and Quick (as Alderman Arable) in a picture by Zoffany, painted at the desire of George III, and now also at the Garrick Club.
