Bill Maher

Boasting an acute wit, a mane of gray hair and an incredulous smirk that punctuates his political punch lines, Maher has made a career out of ridiculing those in power. He spent the late '70s and early '80s honing his comedic skills on the stand-up circuit and his tenacity paid off with supporting film and TV roles, although the projects were often pretty low-rent (D.C. Cab, House II: The Second Story). In 1993 he launched the humorous roundtable series Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central, which migrated to ABC in 1997. As the show's irreverent moderator, Maher was simultaneously charming and exasperating (but never dull) and often played devil's advocate to stir up his guests, which including big-name actors, journalists and politicians. His career hit a roadblock in 2002 when his series was canceled after he made some controversial comments about September 11. But the next year Maher returned to the small screen on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher and the host seemed more agitated — and more liberal — than ever.