5 Best Louie Anderson Roles And Where You Can Watch Them

Once again, the world finds itself mourning the loss of a comedic legend, this time in the form of Louie Anderson (whose death was confirmed this morning). Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Anderson made his network debut as a comedian on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1984. He would go on to appear on other late-night talk shows and lead his own standup comedy specials starting in the late '80s. Along the way, he made a cameo in the 1986 John Hughes comedy classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and co-starred opposite Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall (whose own talk show featured Anderson as a guest star multiple times) in the 1988 comedy hit "Coming to America," where he played the "McDowell's" employee Maurice.

Anderson's chaotic upbringing, where he was the second youngest of 11 kids raised by his mother and father, would provide much in the way of inspiration for his deeply personal and self-deprecatory brand of comedy, as well as the various books he penned over the years, like "Dear Dad: Letters from an Adult Child" and "Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too." When he wasn't working the standup circuit (including his longtime stage show "Louie: Larger Than Life," which he performed in Las Vegas from 2003 to 2012), writing memoirs, or developing sitcoms, Anderson hosted "Family Feud" from 1999 to 2002 and kept busy with his roles on TV. As with most things these days, much of his best work is now available to stream online — if you know where to look.

Where You Can Watch It: Available to rent or buy on iTunes

If you're searching for the quintessential Louie Anderson standup comedy special, you would be hard-pressed to find a better choice than 1989's "Mom! Louie's Looking at Me Again." The routine is based primarily around the antics of Anderson and his family when he was growing up, from his abrasive, alcoholic father (who took great pride in his beloved Bonneville and had a general dislike for other people) to his long-suffering mother and many siblings. Anderson also joked about the mischief he would cause as a kid, be it touching his dad's prized toolkit without his permission or staring at his younger brother until he complained to their parents (hence the special's title). As with so much of Anderson's work, "Mom! Louie's Looking at Me Again" blended broad laughs with pathos, allowing the comedian to mine his tumultuous childhood for bits while at the same time making his peace with it.

Where You Can Watch It: Streaming on Hulu

Historically speaking, when a cisgender male actor has played a cisgender woman in a film or TV show, it's meant to be a joke in and of itself. However, that was anything but the case with Anderson's role on "Baskets," the FX dramedy series co-created by and starring Zach Galifianakis as Chip Baskets, a grown man who tries but struggles to make a living as a professional clown. Anderson co-starred on the show as Chip's mother Christine, delivering a performance that was heavily influenced by his own real-life mom and allowed him to further pay his respects to her. His sincerity also imbued the character with a sense of authenticity and resulted in him landing a pair of Emmy nods, as well as a win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016. But more importantly than that, it gave rise to an onscreen mother-son relationship that was as funny as it was touching.