Arthur Lewis was born on August 19, 1846 in the Hampstead section of London, England, the son of James Frederic and Françoise (Upward) Lewis, the latter of French birth and ancestry. He was the nephew of Sir George Lewis, an eminent solicitor, by whom he would have been trained for the legal profession but for the opposition of his father, who chose the physician's career for him.
He studied in Edinburgh and London.
On December 27, 1868, Lewis acted his first rôle, a minor character in the Christmas pantomime of Bluebeard at the Drury Lane Theatre. He was so pleased at the opportunity to engage in congenial work that he exclaimed impetuously to a friend: "They are actually paying me for something I like to do. " Except for two brief intermissions, the rest of his life was passed on the stage, or in connection with the theatre in various capacities, although the testimony of his friends and associates bears witness to the fact that throughout his long life he was a man of more diverse interests than the average actor.
During the Franco-Prussian War he left the stage temporarily to become a war correspondent, and in 1880 he interrupted his work in the theatre to visit the United States, unsuccessfully seeking rubies on the island of Santa Catalina. Returning to London, he became a member of Mary Anderson's company. He acted with her at intervals between 1882 and 1889 and accompanied her on her farewell tour of the United States, playing at the Lyceum Theatre in London and during her American engagements.
For a time he was a manager, and had the direction of engagements and tours of Coquelin, Sarah Bernhardt, Mme. Rejane, and M. Antoine. Among the many parts he played in later years were the Marquis de Mirepoix in Monsieur Beaucaire (1902), Count Ivan Pavlovic in Hawthorne of the U. S. A. (1905), Mr. Viveash in The Hypocrites (1907), Huzar in The Lily (1911), Father Roubier in The Garden of Allah (1911), Mr. Justice Grimdyke, with Maude Adams, in The Legend of Leonora (1914), Dr. Stetson and Mr. Stapleton in The Great Lover (1915 - 1916) and Dr. Dickinson in The Camel's Back (1923). His last rôle was that of Manuel in A Hundred Years Old, with Otis Skinner.
In the autumn of 1929 illness compelled him to leave the stage, and he died the following year at the Home for Incurables in Bronx Borough, New York City.
Quotations: "I have had the variety I was seeking in life. I never liked doctoring. That is a life that is too hard and confining for me, but I've always thought it ridiculous that I became an actor. I should never have done that, although I have enjoyed it thoroughly. What I should really have liked to be is a lawyer and a judge. Often, very often, I've played the part of a judge. I've worn the white curled wig and black gown of the English magistrates and felt very important and impressive. That's what we all like to feel, like someone who counts, isn't it?"
Lewis was married to Essex Dane, actress and playwright.
