Everything is amazing and nobody is happy.
Louis Szekely, known professionally as Louis CK (in a fruitless attempt to get people to pronounce his name right) is a raunchy stand-up comedian from the USA. His routines are mostly vulgar, working class rants about everyday life, his family, and religion; sort of like George Carlin without as much politics. Though mostly famous for his stand-up, CK also does work as an actor, screenwriter, and director, frequently collaborating with Chris Rock in various film projects.
Louis CK was born in Washington, DC on September 12, 1967. He and his parents then moved to Mexico City; Spanish was actually CK's first language, and he retains his Mexican citizenship to this day. His parents divorced around 1978, after which Louis was raised by his single mother in Newton, MA. From a young age Louis always knew he wanted to be a writer and comedian. As a child living with his single mother, Louis later decided he wanted to be a producer as well so that he could work in the television and film industries.
I remember thinking in fifth grade, 'I have to get inside that box and make this shit better,' because [my mother] deserves this. It made me mad that the shows were so bad. People have a right to relax and watch theater about themselves that makes them reflect and feel and have a good time doing it.
—Louis CK
CK married Alix Bailey in 1995, a situation which would turn anecdotes about married life and raising a family into a common topic for his jokes. He has two daughters, roughly two years apart, who crop up in his routines all the time. He's said before that he loves his children, but sometimes he just wants to punch them; he doesn't judge parents anymore. In 2008 he and Bailey divorced, as Louis would later relate in his HBO Special Hilarious.
Like many great comedians, Louis CK expresses a desire to educate while making people laugh. To him, the power of comedy is the way it can be used to defuse the emotions of a situation that people wouldn't otherwise be willing to talk about. CK has pointed to the screenplay he worked on with Chris Rock for I Think I Love My Wife as an example, stating that he wanted to portray a "realism about marriage" through the medium of a comedy film.
Louis lists other comedians such as Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, and of course George Carlin as his primary influences.
Productions involving Louis CK
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (writer)
- Late Show with David Letterman (writer)
- Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (voice actor)
- Cedric the Entertainer Presents (writer)
- The Dana Carvey Show (writer and producer)
- The Chris Rock Show (writer and co-producer)
- Down to Earth (writer)
- Pootie Tang (writer, director, co-producer)
- Saturday Night Live (writer)
- Home Movies (voice actor)
- Lucky Louie (writer, lead actor, executive producer)
- HBO Comedy Special: Shameless (writer, actor)
- I Think I Love My Wife (writer)
- Diminished Capacity (actor)
- Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (actor)
- Largo (actor)
- HBO Comedy Special: Chewed Up (writer, actor, director, editor)
- The Invention of Lying (actor)
- HBO Comedy Special: Hilarious (writer, actor)
- I Am Comic (actor)
- Louie (writer, lead actor, director, editor)
Sources
- Hagan, Joe. "Can HBO Save the Sitcom? Louis C.K. Says Yes." The New York Observer. N.p., 18 Apr. 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2012. Link.
- Parham, Marti. "Comedian Chris Rock Tackles The Issues Of Love & Lust In new Movie 'I Think I Love My Wife'." Jet 19 March 2007: 56.
- "Louis C.K. - Biography." The Internet Movie Database. N.p., n.d. Retrieved 23 March 2012. Link.
- "Louis C.K. Full Biography: Personal life, family, education, career." Best Comedy Online. N.p., n.d. Retrieved 23 March 2012. Link.