Comedian, game show host and three-time Emmy winner Louie Anderson has passed away at the age of 68.
Named by Comedy Central as “One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time," Anderson's career spanned more than 30 years.
He was a best-selling author, star of his own standup specials and sitcoms and he toured the country performing to standing-room-only crowds worldwide.
In 2016 Anderson was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in the hit FX comedy series Baskets. Anderson won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and a Critics’ Choice award for Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for his role as “Christine Baskets” in 2016 and received a second Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for the role in 2017.
Johnny Carson, the comedy icon for generations of rising stars, invited Anderson to make his national television debut on the The Tonight Show in 1984 and the rest is history. Appearances with Jay Leno, David Letterman and on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comic Relief, Showtime and HBO specials followed. He hosted the legendary game show Family Feud making Anderson a household name and opening doors for him as an actor.
Anderson has guest starred in sitcoms like Grace Under Fire and dramas like Touched by an Angel and Chicago Hope. He has had memorable featured roles in film comedies like Coming to America opposite Eddie Murphy, and the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In 2013 he took a dive on the ABC reality series Splash where he conquered his own fears while becoming an inspiration of hope. His standup special Big Baby Boomer premiered on CMT in 2013.
In 1995 Anderson put his creative energies to work on the Saturday morning animated series Life with Louie. The long-running series based on Anderson’s own childhood and his life with his father won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children’s’ animated series, making him the only three-time recipient of this award. The series was nominated for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Anderson won two Emmys for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.
His best-selling books include Dear Dad – Letters From An Adult Child, Goodbye Jumbo…Hello Cruel World, The F Word, How To Survive Your Family and Hey Mom.
In 2020 Louie joined the original cast of the 1988 hit comedy Coming to America by reprising his role as Maurice in Coming 2 America. He also was a recurring character in TBS dark comedy Search Party and recently joined the cast of the hit BET series, Twenties.”
