Louis C.K. is a renowned American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who has won numerous awards such as Primetime Emmy Award, Grammy Award, and Peabody Award for his distinguished work in the field of stand-up comedy. He started his career writing for comedy shows and already established comedians like , , and . He slowly branched into stand-up comedy and created a special niche for his brand of cynical humor, aided by his irreverent take on controversial subject matters. Over the years, he has performed at numerous comedy shows around the world and has released 9 comedy albums. He created, directed, and starred in Louie, a critically acclaimed semi-autobiographical series that ran from 2010 to 2015. He also has numerous acting credits to his name and has appeared in supporting roles in films like American Hustle (2013).
From 2015, several accusations of grave s*xual misconduct made against Louis started to float in the media. In November 2017, The New York Times published the allegations of 5 women against him. Louis admitted to the charges, resulting in widespread outrage and criticism. He expressed remorse at his acts and went on a self-imposed exile. On August 26, 2018, he made a surprise return and performed a set at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan, without making any mention of the controversy surrounding him. He reportedly received a standing ovation from the audience. His return to the field of comedy received support and criticism, in equal measure, from the entertainment industry.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Residence
West Village, New York City, New York, United States
Nationality
Genre
Observational Comedy, Black Comedy, Blue Comedy, Insult Comedy, Cringe Comedy, Surreal Humor, Satire, Deadpan Humor
Labels
- Image Entertainment
- Comedy Central Records
Girlfriend / Spouse
Louis has dated –
- (1990) – Louis had a brief fling with fellow comedian and actress Sarah Silverman in 1990. Their relationship was short-lived and they parted ways pretty soon. In a 2018 interview, she tried to explain Louis’s s*xual misconduct scandal by stating that he was unable to handle his sudden fame and power and didn’t fully understand the implications of his actions. However, she apologized for her perceived justification of Louis’s misbehavior, after drawing strong criticism from various quarters.
- Alix Bailey (1995-2008) – Louis met artist Alix Bailey when they were both just 18 years old at a party in Boston. He was smitten and immediately proposed to her. Because he was drunk, Alix laughed him away. In a strange coincidence, years later, they met through a mutual friend in New York City. Louis proposed again and this time received a positive response. They got married in 1995 and had 2 daughters together named Kitty Szekely and Mary Louise Szekely. After a marriage that lasted more than a decade, they got divorced in 2008 and received joint custody of their children.
- Blanche Gardin (2018–Present) – In November 2018, while performing stand-up at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre in Paris, Louis confirmed that he was dating French comedian Blanche Gardin. They had been reportedly witnessed together in New York, about a month before this show.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Sports a goatee
- Conspicuous red hair
- Cynical sense of humor
Religion
Agnostic Atheism
Best Known For
- His dark sense of humor and irreverence in his stand-up shows
- His acclaimed TV series, Louie (2010-2015)
First Album
Louis independently produced and released his first comedy album in 2001 titled Live in Houston.
First Film
Louis made his feature film debut with the 1998 comedy film Tomorrow Night.
First TV Show
He made his TV show debut as ‘Himself’ on 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour in 1990.
Louis C.K. Favorite Things
- Male Comedians – George Carlin, , and
- Female Comedians – Maria Bamford, Tig Notaro, , , , , and Paula Poundstone
- Movies – A Clockwork Orange (1971), Manhattan (1979), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991), The Piano Teacher (2002), and The Lunchbox (2013)
- Musical Instrument – Kazoo
- Talk Show Hosts – , , , and
- Books – Crime and Punishment (1866), Heart of Darkness (1902), The Great Gatsby (1925), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Catcher in the Rye (1951), and Fire from Heaven (1969)
Source – , ,
Louis C.K. Facts
- When Louis was just a year old, his family moved to Mexico, where his father was pursuing a university degree. So, his first language was Spanish.
- He only began learning English as a 7-year-old, after his family moved back to the United States and settled in Boston. His parents got divorced when he was 10 years old and he was raised by his mother in Newton, Massachusetts.
- He graduated from high school along with future actor . Before joining the entertainment industry, Louis had worked as an auto mechanic, at a TV cable station, as a cook, and in a video store.
- He used to share a room with comedian and actor , very early in their careers.
- Owing to his Mexican heritage and the fact that his father’s family still resides in Mexico, Louis holds dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico.
- In 1984, he directed a comedic short film called Trash Day. Impressed by his work, the Tisch School of the Arts expressed interest in offering him training as a filmmaker. However, he declined the offer as he wanted to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
- In 1985, he made his first attempt at stand-up comedy at a comedy club in Boston. He had only 2 minutes of material but was given 5 minutes to perform. He bombed badly and was so disheartened that he did not perform for 2 years.
- When he released his debut comedy album, Live in Houston (2001), he innovated by offering tickets to fans directly through his website. This helped him bypass middlemen and significant ticket outlets like Ticketmaster, thus cutting down a lot on cost.
- He was also one of the first performers to offer DRM-free video concert downloads through his website. This aided in preventing video piracy.
- In April 2009, he directed and independently produced a concert film titled Hilarious. This was unlike his previous specials, which were produced for TV networks. Hilarious holds the honor of being the first stand-up comedy film to be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival.
- In 2011, through direct ticket sales of his comedy special Live at the Beacon Theater, Louis earned more than a million dollars within days. He gave away half of it to his staff and charitable organizations such as Fistula Foundation, Green Chimneys, Pablove Foundation, Charity: Water, and Kiva.
- Louis has hosted the iconic TV series Saturday Night Live on numerous occasions such as November 3, 2012; March 29, 2014; May 16, 2015; and April 8, 2017. He received an Emmy Awards nomination for the first 3 episodes, as “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series”.
- In 2015, he became the first-ever comedian to sell out the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York, 3 times in a single tour.
- Rolling Stone magazine had ranked Louis 4th in its 2017 list of “50 Best Stand-up Comics Of All Time”. The magazine had also placed his 2007 stand-up special Shameless at #3 on its list of “Divine Comedy: 25 Best Stand-Up Specials and Movies of All Time”.
- In September 2017, Louis dismissed allegations of s*xual misconduct against him in a New York Times interview. However, on November 9, 2017, the same publication released a detailed article with accusations by many women, including fellow comedians. A day later, Louis publicly acknowledged the allegations. He admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for his behavior. He also apologized for abusing his stature in the industry, which had prevented his victims from sharing their stories for years.
- In the wake of the scandal, platforms like HBO, FX, Disney Channel, TBS, and Netflix severed ties with him and removed his content from their platforms. He was also dropped by all of his representatives and management agencies including APA, 3 Arts Entertainment, Lewis Kay (Publicist, Kovert Creative), and Dave Becky (Manager).
- He had quit Twitter in 2016 as he felt that the speed of the medium did not help constructive dialogue and only encouraged polarized views.
- Visit his official website @ louisck.com.
- Follow him on .
Featured Image by Stephanie Moreno / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Facts of Louis Székely
- Gender Male
- full nameLouis Székely
- nicknamesLCK, Louie
- birthplaceWashington, District of Columbia, United States
- Date of Birth September 12, 1967
- Age 56 years 11 months
- Horoscope Virgo
- Lucky Number 8
- Lucky Stone Sapphire
- Lucky Color Green
- Best Match for Marriage Taurus, Capricorn
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundHungarian and Mexican and Irish
- nationalityAmerican
- religionAgnostic Atheism
- net worth$35 million
- professionStand-up Comedian, Writer, Actor, Filmmaker
- weight86 kg or 189.5 lbs
- height6 ft or 183 cm
- hair colorRed
- eye colorHazel
- body type / buildAverage
- high schoolNewton North High School
- motherMary Louise
- fatherLuis Székely
- favorite moviesA Clockwork Orange (1971), Manhattan (1979), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991), The Piano Teacher (2002), and The Lunchbox (2013)
- favorite booksCrime and Punishment (1866), Heart of Darkness (1902), The Great Gatsby (1925), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Catcher in the Rye (1951), and Fire from Heaven (1969)