LOUIS THEROUX
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'Louis Sebastian Theroux' (born 20 May 1970) is a British broadcaster holding both British and US citizenship, best known for his television series ''Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends'' and ''When Louis Met…''
Theroux was born in Singapore,[1] the younger son of the American travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux and his British first wife Anne Castle. His elder brother is the writer and television presenter Marcel Theroux. He is the cousin of American actor Justin Theroux. Brought up in the UK, he holds dual US/British nationality. His last name originates from the region around Sarthe and Yonne in France. Theroux was educated at Westminster School (where he was a friend and contemporary of the comedians Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish). He then went to Magdalen College, Oxford where he gained a first class degree in modern history.
His first journalism job was at Metro Silicon Valley, an alternative weekly in San Jose, California. In 1992 he was hired as a writer for ''Spy'' magazine. He got his break in television working as a correspondent on Michael Moore's ''TV Nation'' series,[2] for which he provided segments on off-beat cultural subjects, including Avon Ladies in the Amazon, the Jerusalem syndrome, and the attempts by the Ku Klux Klan to rebrand itself as a civil rights group for white people. When TV Nation ended he was signed to a development deal by the BBC, out of which came ''Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends''. He also continues to write for ''The Idler''. On 13 May 2001 Theroux won the "Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News)" at the British Academy Television Awards for his series ''Weird Weekends''. He won it again on 21 April 2002, for his series ''When Louis Met…''.
His first book, ''The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures'', was published in Britain in 2005. In this book, Theroux returns to America to find out what has happened in the lives of some of the people he featured in his television programmes since he last saw them. He lives in Harlesden, north-west London. He used to be married to Susanna Kleeman, a marriage he described as a "marriage of convenience" [3]. He now lives with his girlfriend, Nancy, with whom he has a son, Albert.[4]
In ''Weird Weekends'' (1998–2000), Louis followed marginal, mostly American subcultures like survivalists, gangsta rappers, Nazi Skinheads and porn stars, often by living among or close to the people involved. Often, Theroux's documentary method subtly exposes the contradictions or farcical elements of some seriously-held beliefs. Theroux himself describes the aim of the series as
In ''When Louis Met…'' (2000–2002), Theroux accompanied a different British celebrity in each programme as they went about their day-to-day business, interviewing them about their lives and experiences as he did so. His episode about the DJ and charity fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile ''When Louis Met Jimmy'' was voted one of the top fifty documentaries of all time in a survey by Britain's Channel Four. In ''When Louis Met the Hamiltons'', the disgraced Tory MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine were arrested following false allegations of indecent assault during the course of filming. In ''When Louis Met Max Clifford'', Max Clifford tried to set Louis up. However, it backfired when Max Clifford was caught lying, as the crew was still recording his live microphone during a conversation. After this celebrity series concluded, a retrospective was aired, called Life with Louis.
In his most recent programmes (2003 onwards), Theroux returned to American themes, working at feature-length, this time with a more natural tone. One, Louis and the Brothel, takes a sympathetic look at the prostitutes working at a legal brothel in Nevada. Other programmes include Louis and the Nazis, and Louis and Michael, which was notable for Louis offending Joe Jackson with a question that implied that Michael Jackson may be a homosexual. In March 2006, he had signed a new deal with the BBC to make ten films over the course of three years.[5]
The first show in his new series was entitled ''Gambling in Las Vegas'' and followed Louis investigating the high rollers and those who manage casinos in Vegas. Dr. Martha Ogmund was one of the main characters of the show and as the interviews with her took place it became evident that she was clearly addicted to gambling. Near the end of the programme it was revealed that in her entire Gambling career she had lost in excess of $4,000,000. All in all Louis was $1,700 up at the end of the show. In the second show, ''The Most Hated Family in America'', which aired on April 1, 2007, he followed members of the highly controversial Westboro Baptist Church, a small family community infamous for strong anti-homosexual beliefs and the picketing of funerals of US soldiers. The third show is titled ''Louis Theroux: Under The Knife''. It will see Louis receiving liposuction. He will be investigating the Californian plastic surgery business. This will be aired on BBC2 in autumn 2007.
1996 Emmy Awards:
★ Nominated: Outstanding Informational Series for TV Nation
British Academy Television Awards 2001:
★ 'Won': Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News) for Weird Weekends
2002 Royal Television Society:
★ Nominated: Best Presenter for When Louis Met…
British Academy Television Awards 2002:
★ 'Won': Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News) for When Louis Met…
★ Nominated: Flaherty Documentary Award for When Louis Met the Hamiltons
1. http://internettrash.com/users/louis_theroux/overview.html
2. Louis Theroux guide
3. [1]
4. [2]
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4927726.stm
★ Louis Theroux fansite, Wiki and Forum
★ BBC News, Louis Theroux meets "The Most Hated Family in America"
★ Hannity & Colmes interview Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church
★ Biography of Louis Theroux from ''A Louis Theroux Website''
★ ''Theroux promises to raise stakes'' — a BBC News article about his new series April 20, 2006
★ ''Something weird about Louis'' — an interview by Gyles Brandreth and published by the ''Telegraph'' (filed December 11, 2001)
★ When Amazon Met Louis
★ God's squad, Louis Theroux meets the Phelps - the most hated family in America, ''The Guardian'', March 31, 2007
| Contents |
| Biography |
| Documentaries |
| Awards and nominations |
| References |
| External links |
Biography
Theroux was born in Singapore,[1] the younger son of the American travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux and his British first wife Anne Castle. His elder brother is the writer and television presenter Marcel Theroux. He is the cousin of American actor Justin Theroux. Brought up in the UK, he holds dual US/British nationality. His last name originates from the region around Sarthe and Yonne in France. Theroux was educated at Westminster School (where he was a friend and contemporary of the comedians Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish). He then went to Magdalen College, Oxford where he gained a first class degree in modern history.
His first journalism job was at Metro Silicon Valley, an alternative weekly in San Jose, California. In 1992 he was hired as a writer for ''Spy'' magazine. He got his break in television working as a correspondent on Michael Moore's ''TV Nation'' series,[2] for which he provided segments on off-beat cultural subjects, including Avon Ladies in the Amazon, the Jerusalem syndrome, and the attempts by the Ku Klux Klan to rebrand itself as a civil rights group for white people. When TV Nation ended he was signed to a development deal by the BBC, out of which came ''Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends''. He also continues to write for ''The Idler''. On 13 May 2001 Theroux won the "Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News)" at the British Academy Television Awards for his series ''Weird Weekends''. He won it again on 21 April 2002, for his series ''When Louis Met…''.
His first book, ''The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures'', was published in Britain in 2005. In this book, Theroux returns to America to find out what has happened in the lives of some of the people he featured in his television programmes since he last saw them. He lives in Harlesden, north-west London. He used to be married to Susanna Kleeman, a marriage he described as a "marriage of convenience" [3]. He now lives with his girlfriend, Nancy, with whom he has a son, Albert.[4]
Documentaries
In ''Weird Weekends'' (1998–2000), Louis followed marginal, mostly American subcultures like survivalists, gangsta rappers, Nazi Skinheads and porn stars, often by living among or close to the people involved. Often, Theroux's documentary method subtly exposes the contradictions or farcical elements of some seriously-held beliefs. Theroux himself describes the aim of the series as
In ''When Louis Met…'' (2000–2002), Theroux accompanied a different British celebrity in each programme as they went about their day-to-day business, interviewing them about their lives and experiences as he did so. His episode about the DJ and charity fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile ''When Louis Met Jimmy'' was voted one of the top fifty documentaries of all time in a survey by Britain's Channel Four. In ''When Louis Met the Hamiltons'', the disgraced Tory MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine were arrested following false allegations of indecent assault during the course of filming. In ''When Louis Met Max Clifford'', Max Clifford tried to set Louis up. However, it backfired when Max Clifford was caught lying, as the crew was still recording his live microphone during a conversation. After this celebrity series concluded, a retrospective was aired, called Life with Louis.
In his most recent programmes (2003 onwards), Theroux returned to American themes, working at feature-length, this time with a more natural tone. One, Louis and the Brothel, takes a sympathetic look at the prostitutes working at a legal brothel in Nevada. Other programmes include Louis and the Nazis, and Louis and Michael, which was notable for Louis offending Joe Jackson with a question that implied that Michael Jackson may be a homosexual. In March 2006, he had signed a new deal with the BBC to make ten films over the course of three years.[5]
The first show in his new series was entitled ''Gambling in Las Vegas'' and followed Louis investigating the high rollers and those who manage casinos in Vegas. Dr. Martha Ogmund was one of the main characters of the show and as the interviews with her took place it became evident that she was clearly addicted to gambling. Near the end of the programme it was revealed that in her entire Gambling career she had lost in excess of $4,000,000. All in all Louis was $1,700 up at the end of the show. In the second show, ''The Most Hated Family in America'', which aired on April 1, 2007, he followed members of the highly controversial Westboro Baptist Church, a small family community infamous for strong anti-homosexual beliefs and the picketing of funerals of US soldiers. The third show is titled ''Louis Theroux: Under The Knife''. It will see Louis receiving liposuction. He will be investigating the Californian plastic surgery business. This will be aired on BBC2 in autumn 2007.
Awards and nominations
1996 Emmy Awards:
★ Nominated: Outstanding Informational Series for TV Nation
British Academy Television Awards 2001:
★ 'Won': Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News) for Weird Weekends
2002 Royal Television Society:
★ Nominated: Best Presenter for When Louis Met…
British Academy Television Awards 2002:
★ 'Won': Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News) for When Louis Met…
★ Nominated: Flaherty Documentary Award for When Louis Met the Hamiltons
References
1. http://internettrash.com/users/louis_theroux/overview.html
2. Louis Theroux guide
3. [1]
4. [2]
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4927726.stm
External links
★ Louis Theroux fansite, Wiki and Forum
★ BBC News, Louis Theroux meets "The Most Hated Family in America"
★ Hannity & Colmes interview Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church
★ Biography of Louis Theroux from ''A Louis Theroux Website''
★ ''Theroux promises to raise stakes'' — a BBC News article about his new series April 20, 2006
★ ''Something weird about Louis'' — an interview by Gyles Brandreth and published by the ''Telegraph'' (filed December 11, 2001)
★ When Amazon Met Louis
★ God's squad, Louis Theroux meets the Phelps - the most hated family in America, ''The Guardian'', March 31, 2007
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