Louie Anderson
Louis Perry Anderson (March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and game show host. Anderson created the cartoon series "Life with Louie" and the television sitcom "The Louie Show", and wrote four books, including "Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too", which was published in 2018. He was the fourth host of the game show "Family Feud", from 1999 to 2002, in its third run and second revival. For his performance on the FX comedy television series "Baskets", Anderson received three consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for  Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations and won once in 2016. Anderson performed a stand-up show called "Louie: Larger Than Life" in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 2003 through 2012. The show originated at the Union Plaza hotel downtown, before moving to Excalibur, South Point, and Palace Station hotels. Early life. Anderson was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Ora Zella ("née" Prouty; 1912–1990), a "Mayflower" descendant, and Louis William Anderson (1901–1980). His father was a trumpeter for singer Hoagy Carmichael. Anderson was the second youngest of 11 children in his family. In a  2016 interview on "WTF with Marc Maron", Anderson revealed that his mother actually gave birth to 16 children, but five of them—the first baby and then two sets of twins—died at birth. Anderson described his father as "abusive" and an alcoholic. Anderson attended Johnson Senior High in Saint Paul. Career. Anderson made his television debut on January 13, 1984, on Rodney Dangerfield's "Young Comedians Special" on HBO. 1980s. On November 20, 1984, Anderson made his network debut as a comedian on "The Tonight Show". In late 1985, Anderson was cast as Lou Appleton alongside Bronson Pinchot on  the pilot episode of "Perfect Strangers" for ABC (which was known in this early stage as "The Greenhorn"). When the show was picked up, Anderson was replaced by Mark Linn-Baker in the role of Appleton (whose first name was then changed from Lou to Larry) as the producers didn't think the chemistry between Anderson and Pinchot was quite right. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC. Anderson had a small role in the singing-telegram scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", as well as appearing in a comedy special on Showtime. Anderson also played a role  in John Landis' film "Coming to America", which starred Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, a role which he reprised in the 2021 sequel. Murphy requested Anderson be hired for "Coming To America" after producers wanted a white actor in the otherwise African-American cast; Murphy described his friend Anderson as "the funniest white guy around". Anderson also starred in the 1988 camp comedy "The Wrong Guys", based on a story by John Hughes. In 1989, Anderson guest-starred on the first episode of The Muppets television segment of "The Jim Henson Hour". 1990s. In 1995, Anderson created and produced a  Saturday-morning animated series for Fox called "Life with Louie". The series was based on Anderson's childhood with 10 siblings, a sweet-hearted mother and a loud, war-crazed father. It also detailed how he was picked on for his weight, and how he used comedy to deal with the teasing. The show was a 3-year hit on Fox, and won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program. Anderson created and starred in "The Louie Show" for CBS. The show had Anderson playing a psychotherapist in Duluth, Minnesota. The show ran six episodes and  was cancelled. Anderson landed the role of host of the new version of "Family Feud" in 1999. Anderson asked former "Feud" host Richard Dawson to appear on the premiere show to give him his blessing, but Dawson declined. Anderson organized a 9/11-themed tournament week of "Family Feud" between the FDNY and the NYPD, putting up $75,000 toward both organizations for recovery from the September 11, 2001, attacks. Anderson was let go from the show in 2002 and was replaced by Richard Karn. 2000s. In 2000, Anderson appeared as a panelist on an episode of "To Tell the Truth  hosted by John O'Hurley, and in 2001, Anderson appeared on an episode of Weakest Link", winning $31,000. He made appearances on network television in "Scrubs", "Grace Under Fire", "Touched by an Angel" (Then Sings My Soul, November 28, 1999), and "Chicago Hope". He guest starred on the Adult Swim cameo-filled show "Tom Goes to the Mayor". Anderson played in the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2010s. Anderson filmed a standup special entitled "Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer". In it, Anderson poked fun at his bad habits, pesky family members, and aging body . In 2013, Anderson appeared in the ABC reality television series "Splash". After practicing several dives into a swimming pool then nearly drowning, he needed help getting out from co-star football player Ndamukong Suh. Anderson signed on as the promotional spokesperson for his home state's Land O'Lakes Sweet Cream butter brand. Anderson appeared in radio jingles, web ads, and television commercials promoting the product. From 2016 to 2019, Anderson played the part of Christine Baskets on the FX comedy series "Baskets". Anderson won the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance . On July 23, 2017, Anderson competed on an episode of "Celebrity Family Feud" (hosted today by Steve Harvey); his opponent was singer/actress Christina Milian. This made him one of only a small number of individuals to have both hosted and been a contestant on the same game show, and also marked his first appearance on any form of "Family Feud" since his departure as host in 2002. Anderson was a regular panelist on the TV game show "Funny You Should Ask" from September 2017 until the show went on hiatus in 2020. Stand-up style. Dennis Miller called him  one of the lightest on his feet comedians I know ... There's very few guys I'm going to leave my dressing room early (to watch). ... (Louie has) a Fred Astaire, with a broken leg, approach. Very quick thinking, and he wouldn't hammer points home, but he would do a 'weave-back' that was almost Pulp Fiction"-like." Personal life. In 1984, Anderson married Diane Jean Vono; however, they divorced after four months. In 1985, Anderson married his high school sweetheart, Norma J. Walker. The marriage lasted only four weeks. Blackmailing incident. In 1997, Anderson was blackmailed by Richard John  Gordon, who threatened to tell tabloids that Anderson sexually propositioned him in a casino in 1993. Between 1997 and 1998, Anderson paid Gordon $100,000 in hush money, fearing that the story would threaten his starring roles in two family-oriented series, but when Gordon's demands increased to $250,000 in 2000, Anderson's lawyer informed federal authorities. Gordon, who was 31 at the time, was arrested after leading FBI agents on a high-speed chase along Santa Monica Boulevard. Gordon was fined and sentenced to 21 months in prison. Health and death. In 2003, Anderson underwent two successful  heart procedures. On January 18, 2022, it was announced that Anderson had been hospitalized in Las Vegas for large B-cell lymphoma; he had first been diagnosed with cancer a decade earlier, but kept the information private. He died of complications from the cancer three days later, on January 21, at the age of 68. Bibliography. Anderson authored the following: