Louis C.K. - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

C.K.'s stage name is derived from an approximate English pronunciation of his Hungarian surname, Székely . C.K. was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Mary Louise (née Davis), a software engineer, and Luis Szekely, an economist. C.K.'s paternal grandfather, a Jewish Hungarian, had emigrated to Mexico, where he met C.K.'s paternal grandmother, who was a Catholic Mexican of Spanish and Mexican Indian ancestry. C.K.'s father was born in Mexico, while C.K.'s mother is an American of Irish Catholic ancestry, originally from a farm in Michigan. The two met at Harvard University while his father was trying to finish his degree during a summer-school program. Although C.K. was born in D.C., he lived in Mexico City until the age of seven. His first language is Spanish, and he still retains Mexican citizenship.

Upon moving from Mexico to suburban Boston, Massachusetts, C.K. discovered he wanted to become a writer and comedian, citing Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, and George Carlin as some of his influences. When he was ten years old, his parents divorced. He and his three siblings were raised by their single mother in Newton, Massachusetts. His primary reason for aspiring to produce movies and television was his mother: "I remember thinking in fifth grade, 'I have to get inside that box and make this shit better'... because she deserves this."

After graduating from Newton North High School, C.K. worked as an auto mechanic in Boston while summoning the courage to try stand-up. His first attempt was in 1984 at a comedy club's open-mic night; he was given five minutes of time, but had only two minutes of material. The experience kept him away from comedy for two years. C.K. gradually moved up to paid gigs, opening for Jerry Seinfeld and hosting comedy clubs until he moved to Manhattan in 1989.