Ira Lewis

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. A film adaptation of Chinese Coffee, also starring Pacino, as well as Jerry Orbach, was released in 2000. Ira Lewis wrote the film's screenplay, while Pacino directed the adaptation.

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.

Lewis died in Edison, New Jersey, of complications following heart surgery on 4 April 2015. He was a resident of Westfield, New Jersey.