Today is the birthday of Louis CK, one of my all-time favourite comedians. Louis tends to stick primarily to writing and stand-up comedy, but he’s made the occasional foray into acting – perhaps his biggest film role was as Greg in The Invention of Lying. But it’s really all about his stand-up work, and Louis is the king of grumpy comedy about life’s little problems. He rants about parenting, about society, about how people suck in general, and manages to make it both hilarious and heartfelt. His FX sitcom Louie is one of the greatest shows on television, and I can’t wait for him to do another comedy special, because he cracks me up in a way that few other comedians do – with the exception of George Carlin, of course, whom CK cites as a big influence. Louis turns 44 today.