New York City born and bred Louise (Marie) Lasser was the daughter of Jewish author tax specialist Sol J. Lasser. Living a childhood of privilege and having a prestigious education, the eccentric comedy actress lightened things up considerably in her own household despite her mother Paula's mental instability. Tragic circumstances occurred when her mother, whom Louise saved once, committed suicide following the breakup of her marriage. Her father would also take his own life years later.

A political science major at Brandeis University, Louise first won notice singing in Greenwich Village dives, improvisational revues and on Broadway in the early 1960s. In 1962, Louise understudiedBarbra Streisand as Miss Marmelstein in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale. Lasser was also the first woman to win a Clio Award for Best Actress in a 1967 commercial for Florida Orange Juice.

Louise, known for her laconic comedy presence, made her TV debut in a failed comedy pilot entitledThe Laughmakers (1962), one of Woody Allen's forays into the medium. She also made a brief, uncredited appearance as a masseuse in filmWhat's New Pussycat (1965) and had a voiceover inWhat's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966). Marrying Woody on February 2, 1966, Louise went on to co-star with the comic master, earning a comedy name for herself in several of his other inaugural farcical romps -- particularlyDorobô yarô (1969),Bananas (1971) andDaredemo shiri-tagatteru kuse ni chotto kiki-nikui sex no subete ni tsuite oshiemashou (1972). On Broadway, she appeared in "Henry, Sweet Henry" (1967), "The Chinese and Dr. Fish" (1970) and as a replacement in the comedy "Thieves" (1974).

Following the end of her four-year marriage to Woody, Louise struck out on her own. On TV, she appeared to good advantage in guest episodes of "Love, American Style," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Bob Newhart Show," "McCloud" and "Medical Center." On film, she appeared in the dramedyOtoko to omina no aida (1971) and the crime comedy thrillerSlither (1973).

After appearing in the lightweight TV-movieCoffee, Tea or Me? (1973) with fresh-faced starring performances fromKaren Valentine andJohn Davidson, and offering a kookier supporting perf as a police station receptionist oppositeAlan Alda in the dark comedy murder mysteryIsn't It Shocking? (1973), Louise hit major cult status as the enervated, beleaguered, pig-tailed, titular housewife/heroine of the bizarreNorman Lear nighttime soap satireMary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976). It was here that Louise buffed up beautifully her deadpan neurotic comedy persona. The program's pilot was nominated for an Emmy and Louise herself for "Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement."

The syndicated show certainly had it's own soap opera-styled problems on the set. In July of 1976, she was asked to host a first season episode of "Saturday Night Live." It was said that Louise's erratic behavior was highly difficult to work with in sketches. That same year, she was also arrested after police discovered cocaine in her purse at a boutique store. She was ordered to six months of counseling. With the pressures of television mounting, the star decided to leave the show in 1977 (the series had her character suddenly leaving town and husband with no notice), and the series was re-titled "Forever Fernwood."

Following her "Mary Hartman" departure, Louise appeared on stage in productions of Marie and Bruce" (1980) followed by "A Couple of a White Chicks Sitting Around Talking." She also attempted another ensemble comedy series with the all-female showレストランは大騒ぎ (1980) as waitress Maggie but, once again, left the show after only one season. She also had a recurring neurotic role on the popular medical showSt. Elsewhere (1982).

Elsewhere, Louise went on to co-star with the equally neuroticCharles Grodin in the offbeat romantic TV-movie comedyふたりのカリフォルニア (1978). On film, she made a brief cameo in ex-husbandWoody Allen's film dramedyStardust Memories (1980), appeared as a hooker with a heart of gold in star/director/co-writerMarty Feldman's comedyIn God We Tru$t (1980), and was a prime focus in the wacky Coen Brothers crime comedyXYZ (Ekusu-Wai-Zetto) madazu (1985). She headed the cast as the mother of good/evil twins in the slasher flickBlood Rage (1987), was featured in theSally Field/Michael Caine romantic comedySurrender (1987), and was fourth-billed in the teen dramaSing (1989). She finished off the decade inCheech Marin's hippie comedyRude Awakening (1989) as an aging drug customer(!)

The weird and wacky continued with an assortment of off-kiltered characters in independent films. She appeared in the bizarre sci-fi horrorFrankenhooker (1990); playedRobby Benson's mom in the comedyModern Love (1990), also written and directed by Benson; and playedJeremy Piven's mom in another comedyLayin' Low (1996). She was also featured in the filmsSudden Manhattan (1996),Happiness (1998) andMystery Men (1999).

Into the millennium, she enjoyed a romantic subplot in the filmFast Food Fast Women (2000), portrayed a retired gangster lady inQueenie in Love (2001), played a landlady in the horror opusWolves of Wall Street (2002). She andRenée Taylor played "wealthy" sisters married to losers in the poorly-reviewed comedyLady Killers (2003), and appeared with Ms. Taylor again in the romantic comedyDriving Me Crazy: Proof of Concept (2012)

More recently seen on TV episodes of "CSI" and "Girls," Louise was once an acting technique teacher withHerbert Berghof's HB Studio. She eventually set up her own acting establishment, the Louise Lasser Acting Studio, on New York City's Upper East Side. In 2014, she directed the Off-Off-Broadway production of "Chinese Coffee." She never remarried after divorcing the Mr. Allen.