Shari Lewis was taught ventriloquism at a young age, and by the early 1950s, she was named a winner on the TV show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts for her puppetry. In the early 1990s, Lewis became the host of Lamb Chop's Play-Along, which aired on PBS from 1992 to 1997, and received several Emmy Awards. Lewis died in California in 1998.

Famous Puppeteer

Born in New York City on January 17, 1933, Shari Lewis was taught ventriloquism at a young age, and by the early 1950s, she was named a winner on the TV show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts for her puppetry.

After developing the sock puppet character "Lamb Chop," Lewis became famous. Lamb Chop, a curious sheep, debuted in the late 1950s—along with several other puppet characters created that Lewis had created, including the slow-speaking "Charlie Horse" and "Hush Puppy"—on the program Hi Mom, which aired on WRCA-TV.

In 1960, Lewis was offered her own show by NBC, The Shari Lewis Show. The show eventually tranformed into Lamb Chop's Play-Along, which aired on PBS from 1992 to 1997, and received several Emmy Awards.

Death

Lewis died in Los Angeles, California, on August 2, 1998.