Louie Perry Anderson
(born March 24, 1953) is an American stand-up comedian. [1] Louie has also created the cartoon series Life with Louie
, has authored three books and was the initial host of the third revival of the game show Family Feud
from 1999 to 2002.
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LOUIE ANDERSON TICKETS
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Early life
Louie Anderson is the second youngest of eleven children in his family. He was born in
Minneapolis,
Minnesota [2] and was raised in
Saint Paul, Minnesota.
He feels that his first audience was his family and many of his early experiences are the cornerstone of his comedy act. His material involves his relationship with his mother and father; and many life experiences. A 1985 marriage to his high school sweetheart lasted only four weeks.
Television
In 1986, Anderson was cast as Larry Appleton alongside
Bronson Pinchot on the
pilot episode of
Perfect Strangers
for
ABC. The show was ultimately picked up but Anderson was replaced by
Mark Linn-Baker for the role of Appleton, as the producers didn't think the chemistry between Anderson and Pinchot was quite right. The show lasted for eight seasons on ABC.
Anderson created and produced a Saturday morning series for
FOX called
Life with Louie
in 1995.
[3] The series was based on the childhood of Louie Anderson, growing up with 10 siblings, a sweet-hearted mother and a loud, war crazed father. It also detailed how he was picked on when he was younger due to his weight, and how he used comedy as a way to deal with the teasing. The show was a 3-year hit on FOX. It also won two
Emmy Awards.
In 1996, he tried once again to be part of a television sitcom when he created and starred in
The Louie Show
for
CBS. The show had Anderson playing a psychotherapist living in Duluth, Minnesota.
[4] The show only lasted six episodes before it was canceled. Anderson later said he was dissatisfied and disappointed with the series, claiming that CBS changed it so much that by the end it wasn't even his show anymore.
Family Feud
In 1999, Anderson landed the role as host of the new version of
Family Feud
.
He beat out popular country singer
Dolly Parton for the role. Anderson asked former Feud host
Richard Dawson to come on the premiere show to give him his blessing, but Dawson declined. Anderson started off with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but soon looked bored and disinterested with the program, which was once mocked in a
MADtv
sketch.
Anderson was let go from the show in 2002 and replaced by former
Home Improvement
star
Richard Karn. Somewhat bitter over losing the job, Anderson claimed, on the
E! True Hollywood Story
about
Family Feud
, that the show would not last more than one season without him.
[5] s of }} 2009
[], the show remains on the air, although Richard Karn was replaced by
John O'Hurley in 2006 after four seasons.
Anderson put together a special 9/11 tournament between the
New York Fire Department (FDNY) and the
New York Police Department (NYPD), with Anderson putting up $75,000 of his own funds toward both organizations in helping the recovery of the
September 11, 2001 attacks.
Recent activities
Anderson has a regularly scheduled performance in
Las Vegas at the
Excalibur Hotel and Casino.
[6] For the last three years, he has starred in a New Year's Eve comedy show in Minneapolis, with business acquaintance
Scott Hanson.
He has starred in his own comedy specials on
Home Box Office and
Showtime [7] and frequently appears on late night talk shows. He has made appearances on network television in
Scrubs
,
Grace Under Fire
,
Touched by an Angel
and
Chicago Hope
. He recently guest starred on the
Adult Swim cameo-filled show
Tom Goes to the Mayor
. He also made an appearance on a 2001 episode of
The Weakest Link
, winning $31,000.
He has worked with numerous charities. Shortly after 9/11, Louie came up with an idea to do a show in
New York City for the NYPD and FDNY Widows Fund. He is also the co-founder of the H.E.R.O. organization whose mission is to empower people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless to "attain maximum self-sufficiency." H.E.R.O. works with a variety of local agencies to enroll clients in empowerment training, that will allow them to set goals for themselves and create action plans to accomplish these goals.
Anderson played in the
2006 World Series of Poker Main Event in
Las Vegas.
[8] He was eliminated on the first day of play, during which he received a 10-minute penalty that the tournament director could impose on people caught using foul language at the poker tables.
[9]
Anderson is a frequent guest on the
morning show of Minnesota radio station
KQRS-FM and is a close friend of its host,
Tom Barnard.
Blackmail
In 1997, Anderson was
blackmailed by a 31-year-old man named Richard John Gordon. Gordon extorted money from Anderson, threatening to reveal to
tabloids his claim that Anderson approached him in a casino requesting sexual acts in 1993.
[10]
Anderson initially paid Gordon $100,000 in
hush money, fearing the story would threaten his starring roles in two family-oriented series, but when Gordon's demands increased to $250,000 in 2000, he informed law enforcement authorities. Gordon was arrested and sentenced to 21 months in prison, a $4,000 fine, and 3 years probation.
[11]
Bibliography
Anderson has authored the following:
- Dear Dad Letters from an Adult Child
A collection of letters to his late father.
- Goodbye Jumbo... Hello Cruel World
A self help book for those who struggle with self esteem issues.
- The F Word How to Survive Your Family
49 family survival tips.
Notes
- Playing The Heavy - For Laughs Louie Anderson Turns Childhood Abuse & Weight Into the Stuff of Standup
- A Real-Life Family Feud, Talk Show Host Repairs Family Ties
- Bubbenheim, Aaron. "Comedian's visit to focus on funny", ''The Pitt News'', 17 March 2005. (archived link)
- O'Connor, John J. "TELEVISION REVIEW; The More the Merrier, for a Vet and a Therapist", ''The New York Times'', 5 February 1996.
- E! True Hollywood Story. ''Family Feud''. July 28, 2002.
- Ask Stacy: What About The Man Law Commercials?
- TV Review; Louie Anderson, Comedian
- PokerStars.com Players Win More Than $21 Million at the 2006 World Series of Poker
- PokerStars Blog
- reviewjournal.com -- Neon - Laughter and Tears
- E! News - Louie's Sex-Extortion Feud