Large image of stand-Up comic Louie Anderson

Louie Anderson

Born: March 24, 1953
Death: January 21, 2022
BlueMeter: Tame
5 

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Works

Records

2018 Big Underwear
2013 Live
2012 Big Baby Boomer
2011 Louie Anderson Presents
1996 20th Birthday of the Comedy Store
1990 The Best Of Comic Relief '90

This album is a compilation, featuring multiple comics.

1990 The Louie Anderson Comedy Special
1989 Mom! Louie's Looking At Me Again!
1989 Best of Comic Relief, Vol. 3

This album is a compilation, featuring multiple comics.

1987 Best of Comic Relief, Vol. 2

This album is a compilation, featuring multiple comics.

Specials (and other video)

2016 This Is Not Happening: The Law

Storytelling show. Features multiple comedians.

2012 Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer
1997 Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast
1995 Comic Relief VII

Benefit show that features multiple comics.

1993 Louie Anderson: Louie in St. Louie
1990 Louie Anderson: Comedy on Canvas
1988 The Louie Anderson Show
1987 Louie Anderson: Mom! Louie's Looking at Me Again!

Also known as "Louie Anderson at the Guthrie"

1984 The 9th Annual Young Comedians Special

Books (by and about)

2018 Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too
2002 The F Word: How to Survive Your Family
1993 Goodbye Jumbo, Hello Cruel World
1989 Dear Dad: Letters from an Adult Child

Biography

Louie Anderson grew up one of eleven children in St. Paul, Minnesota. Such a large family didn't necessarily lead to a happy family life. Louie's father was an alcoholic and had difficulty holding down a job and was prone to random violence. Anderson found comfort of food, which made him a further target of his father's abuse.

As an adult, Louie Anderson was working as a social worker in his native city when, after much encouragement from his friends, he first took the stand-up stage. Anderson soon branched out to more of the midwest including Chicago and Kansas City. By 1981, he had a won a midwestern comedy competition, hosted by <strong><a href="/comedians/comic/henny-youngman/">Henny Youngman</a></strong>. Youngman took on Anderson as a joke writer and encouraged him to pursue his own performance career.

Though a big man, Anderson never wanted to be looked at funny simply because of his weight. Though self-depreciating jokes were part of his act, Anderson's comedy often revolved around his own family life, allowing his to work out some of his own experience on stage.

In 1984, Anderson made his first appearance on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." At the time, an appearance on Carson's show was the mark of arrival in a stand-ups career. His first appearance went well enough for <strong><a href="/comedians/comic/johnny-carson/">Johnny Carson</a></strong> to push Anderson to come out to accept a second round of applause.

Besides touring regularly with his friend <strong><a href="/comedians/comic/roseanne-barr/">Roseanne</a></strong>, Anderson was soon part of the burgeoning explosion of stand-up on cable, making appearance on HBO's 9th Young Comedian Special and then having his own half-hour for Showtime.

Anderson later made his home life that fed much of his stand-up into an animated cartoon "Life with Louie."

In 1999, Anderson became a game show host taking over as host of the "Family Feud." Anderson would host the show for three years.

Never a big fan of the lonely road life of a stand-up, Anderson had a regular Vegas gig at the Excalibur Hotel on the Strip.