Born: March 24, 1953
Death: January 21, 2022
Death: January 21, 2022
BlueMeter: Tame
Who’s Funnier?
63.5%
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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 2012 | Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer | |
| 1997 | Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast | |
| 1995 | Comic Relief VII Benefit show that features multiple comics. |
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| 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" |
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| 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.
