Being a comedian and being successful can be quite difficult, because it has to be reinvented over and over again to keep it relevant, and few people manage to do that. One of them is Louie Anderson, who has been a comedian for over three decades, has won awards, and has been included in the Top 100 of the best stand-up comedians of all time.
His achievements as a comedian span television, stand-up comedy, and film, all of which require different skills and talents, but all of them were brought to their knees by the brilliance of Louie Anderson. Some of his popular works are Life with Louie and Baskets. In this article, we’ll discuss his career, his life, and everything else you need to know about him. Read on.
Louie Anderson Biography
The life of Louie Anderson is the definition of turning a difficult situation into a success story. He was born on March 24, 1953, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the penultimate child of a family of 11 children. He was born of the parents Louis William Anderson and Ora Zella.
In an already large family with its own logistical challenges, Louie Anderson was abused by his father and also suffered the shame of having his body weight abused by friends and family members.
His basic education was completed at Johnson Senior High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and although we can’t say for sure whether he went to college or not, his interest in comedy and creative arts eventually led him to Henny Youngman, a comedian, for whom he began writing one-liners, which triggered the beginning of using his comedic talents as a source of income.
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In 1984 he finally debuted on the big screen as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show and has since pursued a career in the industry. After his debut, he had an appearance in the pilot episode of Perfect Strangers, but he couldn’t keep his place in the show. Towards the end of the 1980s, as his stock in the comedy industry grew, he appeared in other projects such as the iconic film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the classic Coming to America. He also recorded his first comedy special for Showtime.
Since then, the early days of Louie Anderson’s career have taken a firm place in the industry, with numerous specials and classic shows such as Baskets and Life with Louie. In both film and TV shows, he has been involved in over 35 projects and has also hosted a number of shows, including the game show Family Feud.
The brilliance of his work and his successes have earned him several award nominations throughout his career, including the Emmy Awards, for which he has been nominated 4 times and won one.
What is His Net Worth?
Louie Anderson began his career writing one-liners for Henny Youngman but has since built a career that has resulted in several Emmy nominations and a number of successful commercial projects that have earned the Minnesota-born comedian a net worth of $10 million. One of his massive income comes from hosting the game show Family Feud, for which he received $1.5 million.
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Is He Gay?
Throughout his career, Louie Anderson has been the subject of various rumors that claim he is gay. The first was in 1997 when he was blackmailed by a man, Richard John Gordon, who was looking for money for keeping quiet about the fact that Louie had proposed to him in a casino in 1993. Although the matter was investigated by the FBI, it triggered rumors that Louie was gay.
Another rumor was fuelled when Anderson claimed he was sexually assaulted by a comedian, Tom Rhodes, while he was 19 years old. The allegation was made as part of several confessions that came out during the heat of the #MeToo movement.
Combined with a traditional female persona and his ability to play female characters like his own mother in baskets, Louie Anderson’s sexuality remains a topic of debate as the popular comedian has yet to clarify what his sexual orientation is.
Louie Anderson Family – Wife
Despite the many reasons that suggest that Louie Anderson may be a gay man, it is known that he was married to a woman, his high school sweetheart in a marriage that lasted only four weeks in 1985. Since then Louie has never been married and has no recognized family of his own.
However, as for his extended family, where he has ten siblings, Louie Anderson continues to maintain a form of relationship with them, often referring to them in several of his stand-up routines. Both his father and mother died in 1980.
