George Lopez

This beloved, Mexican-American comic played the stand-up circuit for well over a decade before landing his eponymous sitcom in 2002. (It helped that he had movie star Sandra Bullock as his champion and executive producer.) As the show's cocreator, writer, producer and star, Lopez was able to showcase his skewed point of view, impeccable timing and Latino pride. Not only was the series a hit, it helped push open the door for other Hispanic-flavored projects. A workaholic, Lopez somehow still found the time to continue touring, record a Grammy-winning comedy album, pen an autobiography and play golf. In 2005 the tireless comedian was finally forced to take a break to undergo a kidney transplant operation. His wife was the organ donor.