Louie Anderson Dies: Comedian & Emmy Winner Was 68
By Dominic Patten - Deadline
Comedian, game show host and Emmy winner Louie Anderson has died at the age of 68.
The Baskets star passed away in Las Vegas Friday morning, where he had entered hospital earlier this week for treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, a form of cancer, his longtime publicist Glenn Schwartz told Deadline.
A constant presence on stage and screen since the mid-1980s, Anderson won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016 for his role as Christine Baskets, the mother of the Zach Galifianakis portrayed Chip and Dale on the FX series. The actor was actually nominated in the category over three consecutive years starting in 2016 for his Baskets performance. Anderson also won two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program for Fox’s Life with Louie in 1997 and 1998.
Making his late night debut on November 20, 1984 in front of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, the actor had half a dozen solo stand-up specials over the years, most recently 2018’s Louie Anderson: Big Underwear
A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Anderson appeared in 1988’s Eddie Murphy-led Coming to America and its 2021 sequel, among his big screen roles. The ICM Partners repped actor reprised his Maurice performance for two episodes of the Lena Waithe-created Twenties on BET in 2020. Playing a Gopher State psychotherapist, Anderson had short-lived sitcom The Louie Show on CBS during the 1995-1996 TV season.
The host of Family Feud from 1999 to 2002 and appearing on Celebrity Family Feud in 2017, Anderson was a regular panelist n the Jon Kelley fronted Funny You Should Ask since the syndicated game show’s launch five years ago.
Anderson guest *starred in sitcoms such as Grace Under Fire and dramas, Touched by an Angel and Chicago Hope. He had memorable featured roles in film comedies like Coming to America and the sequel Coming 2 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. He also guest starred on Young Sheldon and was a recurring character in TBS dark comedy Search Party and had recently joined the cast of the hit BET series, Twenties.
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