Harry Anderson

Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and magician. He was best known for the role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–92 television series Night Court. In addition to eight appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1981 and 1985, Anderson had a recurring guest role as con man Harry "The Hat" Gittes on Cheers, toured extensively as a magician, and did several magic/comedy shows for broadcast, including Harry Anderson's Sideshow (1987).

Early life
Harry Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island. His first exposure to magic began when the Anderson family moved to Chicago. Anderson's father, who was a salesman, would occasionally take him to The Pump Room, the famous restaurant downstairs in the Ambassador East Hotel. There, Anderson discovered wise guys playing card games, hustling and occasionally performing magic tricks. Young Anderson became highly intrigued by the art of conjuring and wanted to learn more about the subject. He eventually had the opportunity to see legendary magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. perform at a show.

Anderson was fascinated by the performance and continued to digest all he could about magic. He moved to Los Angeles and attended high school there. Every day after school, he would practice, fine tune and polish his conjuring skills. Anderson attended Buena Park High School before transferring to North Hollywood High School. He joined the Dante magic club where he rubbed elbows with close-up magic wizards Paul Harris and Paul Green. He also frequented the Magic Castle, where he befriended a lot of magicians, including magic legend Dai Vernon. At age 17, Anderson decided to move to San Francisco and worked the streets performing magic.

Career
His many appearances on Saturday Night Live led to his role as Harry "The Hat" Gittes on the several seasons of Cheers and eventually as Judge Harry Stone on the hit TV show Night Court. Anderson went on to appear in numerous other TV specials and shows, including 12 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As a magician, Anderson has since toured extensively and performed many comedy/magic shows for clubs and broadcast, including Harry Anderson's Sideshow in 1987.[citation needed]

In 1990, he starred in the successful television adaptation of Stephen King's It as the adult Richie Tozier. The miniseries was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. From 1993 to 1997, Anderson starred in the sitcom Dave's World, based loosely on the life and columns of humor columnist Dave Barry. Together with longtime friendTurk Pipkin, Anderson wrote a book called Games You Can't Lose: A Guide for Suckers, a collection of gags, cons, tricks and scams. First published in 1989 (ISBN 978-1-58080-086-0, 2001 reprint), this title also contains a survey of "Games You Can't Win" told from an insider's perspective. He appeared with Criss Angel in a TV special called The Science of Magic, later released on DVD.[2] In November 2008, Anderson played himself on an episode of 30 Rock along with fellow Night Court cast members Markie Post and Charles Robinson.

Personal life
A longtime Mel Tormé fan, Anderson gave the eulogy at the singer's funeral. Judge Stone in Night Court was also a Tormé fan; the show's creator Reinhold Weegesays the fact that Anderson was also a Tormé fan was completely coincidental.[3] Anderson kept a nominally low profile after Dave's World was canceled. Tired of L.A.'s glaring spotlight, Anderson moved to New Orleans in 2002.[4] In the 1990s, he and his second wife Elizabeth opened a small shop in the French Quarternamed "Sideshow"[5] selling various "magic, curiosities, and apocrypha". In 2005, he opened a nightclub in the French Quarter called "Oswald's Speakeasy", located at 1331 Decatur Street at the corner of Esplanade Avenue.[6] He performed a one-man show there called Wise Guy.[7]

In August 2006, Anderson and his wife, Elizabeth, announced their decision to leave New Orleans and move to Asheville, North Carolina.[8] Anderson appears inHexing a Hurricane, a documentary about the first six months in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.[9] The Andersons sold Oswald's Speakeasy in October 2006. Anderson had continued presenting his evening show Wise Guy, which was originally developed for his theater in New Orleans.[citation needed]

Anderson was found dead at his home on April 16, 2018 at the age of 65.