Louis Theroux

Born

in Singapore

May 20, 1970

Genre

Louis (Sebastian) Theroux was born in Singapore in 1970. His father, the American novelist and travel writer, Paul Theroux, met his mother, who worked for the V.S.O., in Uganda. Louis’ older brother Marcel Theroux was born in Kampala, "so as children we sort of globe trotted." But his father decided to buy a family home in England, and they settled down in a big, rambling, dilapidated house in Wandsworth, South London. Louis went to Westminster School and then gained a First Class Degree in History at Oxford University.

On graduating, Louis decided to spend some time in the States. His summer break got longer and longer. "I didn’t have a job lined up in England and I felt that at least by being in America I was broadening my mind." Marcel Louis (Sebastian) Theroux was born in Singapore in 1970. His father, the American novelist and travel writer, Paul Theroux, met his mother, who worked for the V.S.O., in Uganda. Louis’ older brother Marcel Theroux was born in Kampala, "so as children we sort of globe trotted." But his father decided to buy a family home in England, and they settled down in a big, rambling, dilapidated house in Wandsworth, South London. Louis went to Westminster School and then gained a First Class Degree in History at Oxford University.

On graduating, Louis decided to spend some time in the States. His summer break got longer and longer. "I didn’t have a job lined up in England and I felt that at least by being in America I was broadening my mind." Marcel had just completed a post-graduate degree at Yale, so Louis stayed with him. "I did menial work to make money and spent two months with a glass blower who made unbelievably tasteless gilded cherub goblets.

Although initially resisting the idea of going into journalism. "All my friends were writing, and I wanted to be different." Louis found a job on a local paper in the sprawling city of San Jose, "a town where nothing ever happens." A year later he went to work for the New York-based satirical magazine, Spy, where "When I asked some rappers to freestyle on gun safety, one of them threatened to beat me up."

As a correspondent for Michael Moore’s 1995 series, TV Nation, Louis anchored sixteen segments. Theroux describes his first assignment: "The Klu Klux Klan were trying desperately hard to repackage themselves and make themselves seem cuddly and nice, but inevitably they left out racist stickers or hate filled T-shirts. It was quite an eye opener." Reports on Avon Ladies in the Amazon and on President Clinton’s hometown of Hope, Arkansas followed.

In 1995, Louis developed his own Weird Weekends and produced a critically acclaimed documentary series premiere. As Theroux describes, "Weird Weekends sets out to discover the genuinely odd in the most ordinary setting. To me, it’s almost a privilege to be welcomed into these communities and to shine a light on them and, maybe, through my enthusiasm, to get people to reveal more of themselves than they may have intended. The show is laughing at me, adrift in their world, as much as at them. I don’t have to play up that stuff. I’m not a matinee idol disguised as a nerd."

Louis has recently taken part in the Clerkenwell literary Festival with friends such as Alex James from Blur and Adam and Joe (who have their own eponymously titled TV show on Channel 4). He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his girlfriend and daughter. ...more

34 posts
Louis Theroux's Blog

Louis Theroux isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.

LouisThx: Savile's odd lifestyle just touched on in Weird Weekends series, but may have abused schoolgirls during his years of stardom. truly terrible

View more on Louis Theroux's website »

2 likes · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 01, 2012 11:38

View all 34 posts »

Combine Editions
Louis Theroux’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 6,128 ratings · 470 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures 3.71 avg rating — 4,570 ratings — published 2005 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times on Television 4.09 avg rating — 1,532 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Geen taboe voor Theroux really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Idler 35 : War on Work by Tom Hodgkinson (Goodreads Author) (editor), Damien Hirst (Contributor) , Chris Donald (Contributor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2005 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Idler 46: Free Spirits: Interviews from the Idler Magazine 1993-2013 by Tom Hodgkinson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Louis Theroux 3.86 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Idler: Utopia Issue V. 45 by Tom Hodgkinson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Louis Theroux , Bill Drummond (Contributor) 4.29 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Louis Theroux…

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Louis Theroux

“The world is a stage we walk upon. We are all in a way fictional characters who write ourselves with our beliefs.”
― Louis Theroux, The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures

12 likes

“How odd, I thought, that even though I don't believe it still feels nice to be included.”
― Louis Theroux, The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures

8 likes

“It's an industry of lonely people in a crowd, Bill Margold was saying. 'They're scared to get close to each other. You're far better off having someone to sleep next to then having someone to sleep with because you have to trust someone you sleep next to. ”
― Louis Theroux, The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures

7 likes

See all Louis Theroux's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Reading For P...: * A Bookish Diary for 2017 - the Pepys Project	1835	370	Jan 08, 2018 08:42AM
Book Nook Cafe: The Book Salon ~~ June	76	35	Jul 07, 2018 01:50PM
All About Books: * This Day in Literary History	6836	1343	Dec 04, 2019 02:16PM

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Louis to Goodreads.

Louis Theroux’s Followers (232)

Add New
Videos

Louis Theroux

34 posts
Louis Theroux's Blog

LouisThx: Savile's odd lifestyle just touched on in Weird Weekends series, but may have abused schoolgirls during his years of stardom. truly terrible

Combine Editions
Louis Theroux’s books

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Louis Theroux

Topics Mentioning This Author

Louis Theroux’s Followers (232)

Add NewVideos

Louis Theroux

34 postsLouis Theroux's Blog

LouisThx: Savile's odd lifestyle just touched on in Weird Weekends series, but may have abused schoolgirls during his years of stardom. truly terrible

Combine EditionsLouis Theroux’s books

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Louis Theroux

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

34 posts
Louis Theroux's Blog

Combine Editions
Louis Theroux’s books