Larry Anderson

Larry was just eleven years old when he delved into show business after seeing a magician perform at a Cub Scout function. By the time he was fourteen he was performing magic professionally, and over the next six years developed a reputation as one of the hottest young entertainers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Along the way, Larry discovered another art form that would have a marked influence on his career - sales. Fascinated by carnival pitchmen, he developed a sales pitch around a trick deck of cards and began working a circuit of fairs hawking his cards for two bucks a deck. At the Minnesota State Fair he was spotted by a career pitchman who recognized his talents and introduced him to the world of Ginsu knives, Roll-A-Matic kitchen mops, the Miracle Slicer and a host of other products he would sell off and on over the next twenty years. Before moving to California, Larry attended two years at the University of Minnesota majoring in theatre arts, and then Brown Institute where he studied television production and worked as a cameraman at the ABC and PBS affiliates in the Twin Cities. But, fame and fortune beckoned so Larry headed west. He quickly landed a job with nationally known magician and president of an emerging entertainment company, Mark Wilson. Among his many assignments was serving as the technical advisor for film and television projects incorporating magic as part of their theme. As consultant and teacher to Bill Bixby on the NBC series The Magician, Larry appeared in many of the episodes, opening his eyes to a whole new career. With his new goal of becoming an actor, Larry immersed himself in acting classes, movies, and plays to learn everything he could about the craft. He studied dramatic acting from such notable teachers as Stella Adler, Robert Lewis and Jose Quintero. But it was in a comedy improvisation workshop where Larry experienced the most growth as a performer. Out of this workshop grew Tap City, an improv troupe he directed and performed in each week at Hollywood's famous Comedy Store. Years later, Larry would form and teach his own comedy workshop at the Chamber Theatre in Los Angeles. As a struggling actor, Larry kept the bills paid working the occasional fair or trade show as a pitchman. His big break came when he landed one of the lead roles in his first TV series -- an NBC sitcom called Brothers and Sisters. The show lasted only one season but opened the door to numerous guest-star appearances on shows like, Charlie's Angels, Happy Days, Knight Rider, Mork and Mindy, The A-Team, Matlock, Night Court, Beverly Hills 90210, Boston Public, The O.C., Raising The Bar, Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Everybody Loves Chris and many more. Not content working in just one aspect of the industry, Larry began expanding his interests into film production - taking courses in cinematography, screenwriting, lighting, editing and directing. Putting his new skills to work, he directed two critically acclaimed plays in Los Angeles and wrote, produced, and directed numerous film and video shorts. He also wrote several screenplays and served as Associate Producer on one of them, Hot Moves, which was released theatrically in 1985. After an acting stint on a TV sitcom for Turner Broadcasting, Larry was given the opportunity to direct an episode, which earned him his membership in the Directors Guild of America. His debut effort was so well received he was hired to direct a second episode some weeks later. Then came another big break. Larry auditioned for and was chosen by Aaron Spelling and Lucille Ball to play her son-in-law on the ABC sitcom Life with Lucy. This too lasted only one season, but afforded Larry a fateful guest appearance on the Tonight Show. Watching at home that night was Ralph Edwards who - based on Larry's "magical" eight minutes with Johnny Carson - hired him as host of the new Truth or Consequences. Since then, Larry hosted a weekly water-sports series for the Travel Channel called Get Wet and other game shows including the California Lottery's Big Spin, and Trivia Track for the Game Show Network. On the big screen, Larry appeared (though hardly recognizable) as an enemy alien in the Paramount film Star Trek: Insurrection. In recent years, Larry has hosted or been the "product expert" on numerous successful infomercial campaigns. Among these are George Foreman's Party Grill and Rotisserie Oven shows, Wagner's Wall-Magic Home Decorating System, Time-Life Music's Rock & Roll Era, AM Gold, and Classic Love Songs of The 60's shows, and the I-DAPZ Active Eyewear System. Larry's favorite Infomercial is one he wrote, produced, and stars in entitled JawDroppers - a set of how-to videotapes teaching anyone to perform jaw-dropping magic tricks with everyday items. With his professional endeavors coming full-circle back to magic, Larry can't wait to see what lies around the next career corner.