Joan Rivers

Although these days she's known for fashion quips and myriad trips to the plastic surgeon, Rivers was a pioneering woman in stand-up comedy whose hilarious self-deprecating humor, biting one-liners and "Can we talk?" catchphrase got her bookings in Las Vegas and on The Tonight Show, where Johnny Carson declared her a future star in 1965. The kooky comedian did indeed become a celebrity — primarily as a host, although she also appeared in a number of TV shows and movies (usually as herself or some version thereof). Carson provided a big career boost by booking her as guest host of his show, a regular gig that ended when Rivers angered the late-night king by launching her own short-lived show in 1986. She suffered a personal blow off screen as well when her longtime husband and producer, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide the next year. She bounced back in the '90s, hosting a number of daytime talk shows, appearing on Broadway, hawking her own jewelry line on QVC, playing herself in a TV-movie about her dramatic life, and finally signing on to E! Entertainment Television in 1995 (along with her only child, Melissa) to cohost fashion and pre-award-show programs from the red carpet. The duo jumped to the TV Guide Channel in 2005 but left two years later.