Louis C.K.: Difference between revisions
Rescuing orphaned refs ("Vogel" from rev 407462527) |
|||
| Line 69: | Line 69: | ||
==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
||
He was married to New York artist and painter |
He was married to New York artist and painter Alex Bailey in 1999; they divorced in 2009. He has two daughters they adopted from the marriage<ref>{{cite news|last = Singer|first = Matthew|title = Louis CK talks America off the ledge—then kicks it in the balls. |
||
|work= [[Willamette Week Online]]|url = http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2008/11/17/live-review-louis-ck-talks-america-off-the-ledge-then-kicks-it-in-the-balls/|date = 2008-11-17|accessdate = 2009-01-01}}</ref> and shares [[joint custody]] of them with Bailey.<ref name="FA01">[http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=128343426 "Finding Laughs Post-Divorce"], transcript, Louis C.K. interview with [[Terry Gross]] on [[Fresh Air]], July 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.</ref> |
|work= [[Willamette Week Online]]|url = http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2008/11/17/live-review-louis-ck-talks-america-off-the-ledge-then-kicks-it-in-the-balls/|date = 2008-11-17|accessdate = 2009-01-01}}</ref> and shares [[joint custody]] of them with Bailey.<ref name="FA01">[http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=128343426 "Finding Laughs Post-Divorce"], transcript, Louis C.K. interview with [[Terry Gross]] on [[Fresh Air]], July 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.</ref> |
||
Revision as of 15:11, 14 January 2011
| Louis C.K. | |
|---|---|
 Louis C.K. performing in Kuwait, December 2008 | |
| Birth name | Louis Szekely |
| Born | September 12, 1967 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, Television, Film |
| Nationality | American, Mexican |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Black comedy, Surreal humor |
| Subject(s) | everyday life, self-deprecation, marriage, parenting, sexuality |
| Spouse | Alix Bailey (1995-2008) 2 children |
| Notable works and roles | The Chris Rock Show Late Night with Conan O' Brien Pootie Tang Lucky Louie Louie |
| Website | www.louisck.net |
| Template:Infobox comedian awards | |
Louis Szekely (born 12 September 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (and sometimes Louie C.K.), is an American stand-up comedian, Emmy-winning television and film writer, actor, producer and director from Boston, Massachusetts. He currently stars in the FX comedy series Louie, which he also writes, directs and edits.
Early life and career
Szekely was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Mary, a software engineer, and Luis Szekely, an economist.[2] His mother is of Irish Catholic descent and his father, a native of Mexico, is of Mexican Catholic and Hungarian Jewish descent. The two met at Harvard University while Luis was trying to finish his degree during a summer school program. Despite being born in Washington, Szekely moved to Mexico City and lived there until the age of 7.[2] His first language is Spanish and he still retains his Mexican citizenship.[5] Upon moving from Mexico to Boston, Massachusetts, Szekely discovered he wanted to become a writer and comedian, citing George Carlin, Bill Cosby, and Richard Pryor as some of his influences.[1] Around the age of 10, his parents divorced. Consequently, Szekely was raised as one of four children by a single mother in Newton, Massachusetts.[6] His primary influence for aspiring to produce movies and television turned out to be his mother: "I remember thinking in fifth grade, 'I have to get inside that box and make this shit better'... because she deserves this."[6]
After high school, he worked as an [ to try stand-up.[2] His first attempt was in 1984 at a comedy club's open mic night, where he was given 5 minutes of time, but only had 2 minutes of material.[7] The experience kept him away from comedy for 2 years.[8] Upon his return, osted comedy clubs until he moved to Manhattan, New York.[2]
Career
Writing
His credits as a writer include Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Dana Carvey Show and the Chris Rock Show. His work for the Chris Rock Show was nominated for an Emmy Award three times, including winning "Best Writing in a Variety or Comedy Series" in 1999. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his work writing Late Night with Conan O'Brien. However, the feature film born from the Chris Rock sketches, Pootie Tang, which C.K. wrote and directed, received largely negative reviews by critics but became an instant cult classic.[citation needed] He was nominated for an Emmy Award for writing on his 2008 special, Chewed Up.
C.K. has co-written two screenplays with Chris Rock, Down to Earth in 2001, and I Think I Love My Wife in 2007.
Filmmaking
C.K. wrote and directed the feature-length movie Pootie Tang (2000). He has written and directed the independent black-and-white film Tomorrow Night (1998) (which premiered at Sundance)[9] and several shorter films, including six short films for the sketch comedy show "Sunny Skies" (1995) on the Showtime cable network.[10]
Stand-up
C.K. has performed his stand-up frequently on shows like Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Lopez Tonight, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. In August 2005, C.K. starred in a half-hour HBO special as part of the stand-up series One Night Stand.
In 2006, C.K. starred in his own hour-long HBO special titled Shameless. On March 1, 2008, Louis recorded a stand up special Chewed Up that premiered on Showtime October 4, 2008 and went on to be nominated for an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Variety Special." On April 18, 2009, Louis recorded a stand up special titled Hilarious that was released in 2010.[11][12] It is the first stand-up comedy film to be accepted into Sundance.[13]
In a 2010 interview, C.K. described returning to stand-up and doing specials after his divorce as a year and a half working "to catch up to" the breakup of his marriage which, although portrayed in the HBO series Lucky Louie as fractious, had nonetheless been central to the show and his life. One element in his preparation for stand-up was training in the boxing gym, including with locally well-known Lowell, Massachusetts fighter Micky Ward, trying to "learn how to ... do the grunt work and the boring, constant training so that you'll be fit enough to take the beating." [14]
Acting
In June 2006, he began starring in Lucky Louie, a sitcom he created. The series premiered on HBO and was videotaped in front of a live studio audience; it was HBO's first series in that format. Lucky Louie is described as a bluntly realistic portrayal of family life. However, HBO canceled the series after its first season. He also plays a small role as a security guard in Role Models. In 2009, he was added to NBC’s Parks and Recreation, where he appeared in a multi-episode story arc as a potential love interest for Amy Poehler’s character.[15]
In August 2009, FX picked up his new series Louie. In it, C.K. is starring, writing, directing, and editing. The show features his stand-up routines blended with skits of things that have happened in his life.[16] The show premiered on June 29, 2010. The show was picked up for thirteen episodes and has been renewed for a second season. It addresses life as a divorced, aging father: "It's hard to start again after a marriage," he started in one of his early routines on the show. "It's hard to really, like, look at somebody and go, hey, maybe something nice will happen. ... Or you'll meet the perfect person, who you love infinitely, and you even argue well, and you grow together, and you have children, and then you get old together, and then she's going to die...that's the best case scenario."[14]
C.K. has also appeared in the films Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Diminished Capacity and The Invention of Lying.
Other work
 |
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (May 2010) |
C.K. gained a degree of fame on the internet after his appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien for his coining of a phrase that has been largely condensed to "Everything is amazing and nobody is happy", which reflects the observation that the amazing things technology has done for our world cause us to be unhappy when they are slow or faulty.
As a voice actor C.K. portrayed Brendon Small's estranged father, Andrew Small in Home Movies, and appeared numerous times on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.
C.K. is a frequent guest on the Opie and Anthony radio show, which also stars his Lucky Louie co-star Jim Norton, and he was a part of Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour with other comedians in 2007. He is also an occasional guest on the Bob and Tom radio show which is a popular showcase for comedians and he frequently works with Robert Smigel on TV Funhouse shorts exclusively for Saturday Night Live, ranging from politics to surrealism.
C.K. started his own YouTube channel, featuring sketches and productions that were part of an HBO presentation that was ultimately rejected. In 2007, he wrote a controversial sketch presenting the Catholic Church as existing "solely for the purpose of boy rape". He also makes frequent appearances on Raw Dog Comedy on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
Personal life
He was married to New York artist and painter Alex Bailey in 1999; they divorced in 2009. He has two daughters they adopted from the marriage[17] and shares joint custody of them with Bailey.[14]
Discography
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 - 1994 | Late Night with Conan O'Brian | Nicknames for Conan Guy / Various | Also Writer |
| 1996 | The Dana Carvey Show | Various | 3 Episodes / Also Writer |
| HBO Comedy Half-Hour | Himself | Stand-Up Special | |
| 1996 - 1997 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Louis | 2 Episodes |
| 1997 | The Chris Rock Show | Various | Also Writer |
| 2001 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Stand-up Special |
| 2005 | One Night Stand | Himself | Stand-up Special |
| 2006 - 2007 | Lucky Louie | Louie | Creator / Writer / Ex. Producer |
| 2007 | Shameless | Himself | Stand-up Special |
| 2008 | Diminished Capacity | Stan | |
| Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins | Marty | ||
| Role Models | Security Guard | ||
| Chewed Up | Himself | Stand-up Special / Director / Editor | |
| 2009 | The Invention of Lying | Greg | |
| Parks and Recreation | Dave Sanderson | 5 Episodes | |
| 2010 - Present | Louie | Himself (Loosely) | Creator / Writer / Director |
| 2010 | Hilarious | Himself | Stand-up Special / Director / Editor |
Non-Performance Credits
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Down to Earth | Screenwriter |
| Pootie Tang | Screenwriter / Director | |
| 2007 | I Think I Love My Wife | Screenwriter |
References
- ^ a b c d Vogel, Laura (2007). "Louis C.K." New York Post. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Knutzen, Eirik. "Louis C.K." Copley News Service. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Louis C.K." One Night Stand. HBO. 2005. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
- ^ "Patton Oswalt: The AST Interview". Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ {{cite web|last=Smiley|first=Tavis|title=Louis C.K.|url=http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200909/20090925_ck.html%7Cpublisher=PBS|accessdate=10 November 2010|year=
- ^ a b Hagan, Joe (2005). "Can HBO Save the Sitcom? Louis C.K. Says Yes". The New York Observer. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "Louis C.K.'s Bio". Louisck.net. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Bromley, Patrick. "Louis C.K. - Biography". About.com. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Tomorrow Night (1998) - Release dates
- ^ Louis CK Bio, http://www.louisck.com/bio.htm
- ^ Pabst Theater Show Gallery, http://pabsttheater.org/_galleries/louisck_pabst_041809/louisck.html
- ^ IMDb Hilarious Page, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1421373/
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (2010-06-29). "Louis C.K. | TV | Interview". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ a b c "Finding Laughs Post-Divorce", transcript, Louis C.K. interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, July 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ "Louis C.K. Gets Another Shot at Television". Slashfilm.com. 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (2009-08-19). "More laffs in FX lineup". Variety.
- ^ Singer, Matthew (2008-11-17). "Louis CK talks America off the ledge—then kicks it in the balls". Willamette Week Online. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
External links
- Articles needing cleanup from April 2010
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from April 2010
- Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from April 2010
- Articles with trivia sections from May 2010
- 1967 births
- Actors from Massachusetts
- Actors from Washington, D.C.
- American comedians
- American comedians of Irish descent
- American film actors
- American film directors
- American screenwriters
- American stand-up comedians
- American television actors
- American television writers
- American people of Hungarian descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Mexican descent
- American people of Jewish descent
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Living people
- People from Framingham, Massachusetts
- People from Mexico City
- People from Newton, Massachusetts