Christopher Hewett starred as Mr. Belvedere in the ABC sitcom of the same name that ran from 1985 to 1990. 

Gwen Davenport created the character for her 1947 novel Belvedere. It was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty and its two sequels, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951).

There were a few attempts to turn the popular movie into a series in the 1950s and 1960s, but they were unsuccessful until the 1985 version became a midseason replacement on ABC.

Who was Christopher Hewett?

Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex. He made his stage debut at just 7 years old in a Dublin production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

After a stint in the Royal Air Force, Hewett appeared in Broadway shows such as My Fair Lady, Peter Pan, and The Affair. In the final season of the ABC series Fantasy Island, he played Mr. Roarke’s assistant Lawrence. 

A year later, he landed the role of Lynn Aloysius Belvedere. 

Mr. Belvedere  centered around an English butler who once worked for Winston Churchill, living and working for an American family in suburban Pittsburgh. The Owens family consisted of the dad (George), mom (Marsha), oldest son (Kevin), middle daughter (Heather), and youngest son (Wesley). 

The butler becomes a mentor to the children and a problem solver in the whole household. At the end of each episode, Belvedere would write about the day’s events and lessons learned in his journal while narrating to the audience.

The series lasted six seasons but was canceled due to a steep decline in ratings.

What was Christopher Hewett’s net worth when he died?

The actor was 80 years old when he died at his home him in Los Angeles on Aug. 3, 2001. He also had arthritis later in life.

Reports of Christopher Hewett’s net worth vary from $1-5 million at the time of his death.

After Mr. Belvedere was canceled, Hewett appeared in a few guest spots on TV shows such as Ned and Stacey; Murder, She Wrote; and California Dreams. 

Interesting facts about Hewett

Hewett was a devout Catholic and served as a deacon at St. Victor’s Church in West Hollywood. He was never married and had no children.

In 2004, the actor was nominated for the TV Land Best Broadcast Butler Award. He lost to Sebastian Cabot from Family Affair.

Tracy Wells, who played Heather Owens, called the TV butler “a big, lovable Teddy Bear.”

In 1991, Saturday Night Live did a popular skit on the TV butler where a convention is held for Mr. Belvedere. 

According to Mental Floss, Ilene Graff (Marsha Owens) said that Hewett would not allow gum chewing on the set. “He announced his first day, ‘No gum chewing,'” she said in 2000. “He’s so big and has such an imposing voice, nobody dreamed of contradicting him.”

Bob Uecker (George Owens) liked to antagonize the Englishman. “I always used to tell him bad things about the queen that would upset him,” he said. “I’d make up stuff … it was fun.”

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