NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Actor/comedian/political activist Al Lewis, best known as TV's "Grandpa Munster," has died in New York at age 82.
The former New York gubernatorial candidate died Friday night, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.
The funnyman born Albert Meister took the long route to fame, working as a a salesman, waiter, poolroom owner, store detective, circus clown and vaudeville performer before becoming a household name via the role of Officer Leo Schnauser in the 1960s sitcom, "Car 54 Where Are You?"
His legend was solidified when he became the patriarch of "The Munsters," which ran only from 1964 to 1966, but remains popular in syndicated reruns worldwide.
The holder of a Ph.D. in child psychology from Columbia University, had a popular New York restaurant he called Grandpas' and ran for governor under the Green Party flag in 1998.
Complications of a 2003 angioplasty led to an emergency bypass and the amputation of his right leg below the knee and all the toes on his left foot, the Daily News said. He was comatose for a month.
Among his survivors are his wife, three sons and four grandchildren.
