Ira Lewis Metsky (27 August 1932 – 4 April 2015) was an American actor, writer, and playwright. Lewis was best known for his one-act play, Chinese Coffee, which opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre in 1992, starring Al Pacino.[1] A film adaptation of Chinese Coffee, also starring Pacino, as well as Jerry Orbach, was released in 2000.[1] Ira Lewis wrote the film's screenplay, while Pacino directed the adaptation.[1]
Lewis was born on August 27, 1932, in Newark, New Jersey. He studied acting and made his Broadway debut in Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy. In 1965, Lewis toured with a production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night.[2]
Lewis died in Edison, New Jersey, of complications following heart surgery on 4 April 2015.[2] He was a resident of Westfield, New Jersey.[1]