Encore to air Jerry Lewis documentary

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. cable network Encore says it is working on a feature-length documentary celebrating the life and career of comedy icon Jerry Lewis.

The actor, director, producer, writer and humanitarian turns 85 Wednesday. The documentary about him is currently in production.

Slated to appear in the film are Jerry Seinfeld, Alec Baldwin, Chevy Chase, Woody Harrelson, Carol Burnett, Richard Lewis, Carl Reiner, Richard Belzer and John Landis.

Director-producer Gregg Barson has been working with Lewis for three years, filming him in action on concert tours, as well as behind-the-scenes at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, of which he is the national chairman and has helped raise $2.45 billion to date, Encore said.

"Watch and see how a crazy man made his living," Lewis said in a statement Tuesday.

"This will not be a typical biography on him, but more of a candid look at the man himself as he reflects on his career now and over the years," Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president of programming for Starz Entertainment, Encore's parent company, said. "It will remind us of Jerry's true genius as a comedian."