Louis Theroux facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis Theroux
Theroux in 2018
Born	Louis Sebastian Theroux (1970-05-20) 20 May 1970 (age 55) Singapore
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States
Education	Westminster School
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford
Occupation	Documentarian journalist broadcaster author
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Susanna Kleeman ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2001)​ Nancy Strang ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Paul Theroux (father)
Relatives	Marcel Theroux (brother) Justin Theroux (cousin) Alexander Theroux (uncle) Peter Theroux (uncle)

Louis Sebastian Theroux (born 20 May 1970) is a famous British-American filmmaker, journalist, and writer. He is well-known for his unique documentaries where he explores different groups of people and unusual ways of life. He has won several important awards for his work, including three British Academy Television Awards.

Louis started his career as a journalist in the United States. He then moved into television, creating many popular documentaries for the BBC. His films often look at interesting subcultures, the justice system, and even celebrities. Most of his documentaries are set in America, but he has also filmed in places like South Africa, Israel, and the UK. People often describe his work as being very human, funny, and insightful.

Early Life and Education

Louis Theroux was born in Singapore on 20 May 1970. His mother, Anne, was English, and his father, Paul Theroux, was a well-known American writer. Louis has both British and American citizenship. He comes from a family of writers and artists. His older brother, Marcel Theroux, is a writer and TV presenter. His cousin, Justin Theroux, is an actor and screenwriter.

When Louis was one year old, his family moved to England. He grew up in London. He attended Tower House School and then Westminster School. At Westminster, he became friends with future comedians Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish, and also with Nick Clegg, who later became a major political leader. Louis studied History at Magdalen College, Oxford, and graduated with top honors.

Louis Theroux's Career

Louis Theroux has had a long and interesting career in journalism and filmmaking.

Starting Out in Journalism

Louis's first job as a journalist was in the United States. He worked for a newspaper called Metro Silicon Valley in California. In 1992, he became a writer for Spy magazine. He also worked as a reporter for Michael Moore's TV show, TV Nation. On this show, Louis created short films about unusual cultural topics. For example, he reported on people selling products in the Amazon rainforest and groups trying to change their public image.

After TV Nation ended, the BBC signed Louis to create his own shows. This led to his famous series, Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends.

Famous Documentaries

Louis Theroux is best known for his many documentaries.

Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends

This series (1998–2000) was Louis's first big hit. In Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, he spent time with various unusual groups and subcultures. He would often join in their activities to understand their beliefs and way of life. His style was to subtly show the interesting or sometimes strange parts of what his subjects believed.

When Louis Met...

In the series When Louis Met... (2000–2002), Louis spent time with different British celebrities. He would follow them in their daily lives and interview them. One famous episode was about the British entertainer Jimmy Savile. This episode was later voted one of the best documentaries ever.

Years later, in 2015, Louis decided to make another documentary about Savile. He wanted to understand how certain things about Savile's life were not fully known for so long. This follow-up film, called Savile, aired in 2016.

In another episode, When Louis Met Max Clifford, a public relations agent named Max Clifford tried to trick Louis. However, Louis's crew recorded their conversations, which showed Clifford was not being truthful.

After this series, a special show called Life with Louis was released. Louis also made a documentary called Louis, Martin & Michael about his attempt to interview Michael Jackson.

BBC Two Specials

Starting in 2003, Louis began making longer, feature-length documentaries for BBC Two. These films often returned to American themes. He signed a deal with the BBC to make many more films.

His special documentaries have covered a wide range of topics. He has explored groups with strong beliefs in Israel and looked at the prison systems in California and Florida. A 2007 special, The Most Hated Family in America, received a lot of praise from critics around the world.

My Scientology Movie

In October 2016, Louis released a full-length documentary film called My Scientology Movie. This film was about his efforts to learn more about the Church of Scientology, a very private organization. The movie premiered at the London Film Festival in 2015.

Forbidden America

In this series, Louis explores the latest online movements in America. He meets people from the American far right, a political movement that started on the internet. Louis interviewed figures like Nick Fuentes and Baked Alaska for this series.

Louis Theroux Interviews

In 2022, the BBC announced a new series called Louis Theroux Interviews. In this show, Louis sits down with famous people from music, film, and sports. He talks to them about their successful careers and their personal lives. The first series featured interviews with rapper Stormzy, actress Dame Judi Dench, and musician YUNGBLUD. A second series started in 2023, including interviews with boxer Anthony Joshua and singer Raye.

Books and Podcasts

Louis Theroux has also written several books. His first book, The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures (2005), describes his return to the United States to catch up with some of the people from his TV shows.

He released a memoir, Gotta Get Theroux This, in 2019. His third book, Theroux the Keyhole, came out in 2021. It was a diary he kept during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK.

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Louis started a podcast called Grounded with Louis Theroux for BBC Radio 4. From his home, he interviewed many interesting well-known people. In 2023, he started another podcast, The Louis Theroux Podcast, as part of a deal with Spotify.

Other Fun Appearances

Louis has made several appearances on The Adam and Joe Show DVD and radio shows. He also appeared as a live salesman for a paper shredder on the Home Shopping Network during one of his Weird Weekends episodes.

In 2015, Louis captained the team from Magdalen College, Oxford on BBC Four's Christmas University Challenge. His team won the tournament!

In 2022, a short rap Louis performed on the YouTube show Chicken Shop Date went viral. He had originally written and performed the rap 22 years earlier for his Weird Weekends series. A TikTok user autotuned it, and it became a popular sound for videos. This led to more of Louis's rapping being discovered, and the BBC even published an article about his love for hip hop. In May, Louis released a full version of the rap called "Jiggle Jiggle" with DJ duo Duke & Jones.

Louis Theroux's Personal Life

Louis Theroux's first marriage was to Susanna Kleeman. They divorced in 2002. He later explained that it was a "marriage of convenience" to help her find work in New York. They never considered themselves fully married in the traditional sense.

Louis married his long-time girlfriend, Nancy Strang, on 13 July 2012. They have three sons together. He has spoken about the challenges of balancing his family life with his work. They lived in London for a while, then moved to Los Angeles temporarily in 2013, and later relocated there in 2017. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Louis and his family stayed at their home in North-West London.

Louis is an atheist, meaning he does not believe in a god. He has also shared that he has a fear of flying. In 2023, he announced that he has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss, which has affected his facial hair.

In 2018, Louis's Twitter account was hacked by a cybersecurity firm. This was done to show a security problem in Twitter's system.

Louis is a fan of the West London football club Queens Park Rangers.

Awards and Recognition

Louis Theroux has won several awards for his documentaries and presenting skills.

Emmy Awards

Royal Television Society Television Awards

See also

• List of TV Nation episodes
• List of Louis Theroux documentaries