Comedian, writer and Emmy-winning actor Louie Anderson passed away on Jan. 21, leaving behind a legacy of memorable roles in film and television. Below we’ve rounded up some of Anderson’s most iconic work throughout his career, and the variety of performances speaks to the enormity of Anderson’s talent.
One of Anderson’s first onscreen roles was a small part in 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” in the singing telegram scene.
From 1986 to 1988, Anderson was a staple of the TV game show “The New Hollywood Squares.”
Anderson’s first big film role was in 1988’s “Coming to America,” in which he played an employee of a McDonald’s-like restaurant at which Eddie Murphy’s character is employed. The character was a result of Paramount Pictures demanding the film had a white character in the cast, and Anderson was personally chosen by Murphy and Arsenio Hall.
Anderson reprised the role in the 2021 sequel “Coming 2 America,” which would be his final feature film role.
Anderson co-created, produced and starred in the animated sitcom “Life with Louie,” which ran for three seasons from 1995 to 1998 as part of the Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.
The comedian was the host of the game show “Family Feud” from 1999 to 2002.
Anderson played the role of Christina Baskets opposite Zach Galifianakis in the FX comedy series “Baskets” from 2016 to 2019, for which he won an Emmy award for Best Supporting Actor.
One of Anderson’s final roles was as Bob Lunch in the comedy series “Search Party,” appearing in five episodes in the show’s third season.
