- George Lopez
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For other uses, see George Lopez (disambiguation).
George Lopez 
Lopez at the Kids' Inaugural: We are the Future concert on January 19, 2009Born April 23, 1961
Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]Medium Stand-up, television, film, books, radio Nationality American Years active 1983–present Genres Observational comedy, satire, blue comedy Subject(s) Mexican–American culture, race relations, racism, family, friends, everyday life Influences Richard Pryor,[2] Freddie Prinze, Cheech & Chong, Bill Cosby, Paul Mooney, Chris Rock[3] Spouse Ann Serrano (m. 1993–2011) 1 child Notable works and roles George Lopez on George Lopez
Commentator on Inside the NFL
Host of Lopez TonightWebsite GeorgeLopez.com George Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture. He was the host of the late-night talk show Lopez Tonight on TBS until its cancellation on August 12, 2011.
Contents
Early life
Lopez, a Mexican-American, was born in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. He was deserted by his father when he was two months old and by his mother when he was 10 years old,[4] but was raised by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, a construction worker.[5][6]
Career
Radio
In 1999, Lopez hosted a major morning radio show for Clear Channel Communications in Los Angeles. He was the first Latino to have headlined the keystone morning radio slot on an English-language station in LA — the nation’s top radio market.
Television
See also: George Lopez (TV series) and Lopez Tonight
Lopez in 2008
In 2000, after several years of performing stand-up comedy, Lopez was approached by actress Sandra Bullock for Lopez to produce and star in a comedy. Bullock was concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television and pushed to get a sitcom on television that starred Hispanics without being exclusively about the Hispanic American community. Long criticized by Hispanic American groups for lack of Latinos on their television shows, ABC quickly picked up the television series. In 2002, Lopez became one of the few Latinos to star in a television comedy series, following in the footsteps of Freddie Prinze, Desi Arnaz and John Leguizamo. George Lopez is an American situation comedy that originally aired on ABC from 2002–2007. Lopez is the co-creator, writer, producer, and star of the show.
On March 8, 2007, it was announced that George Lopez would join the Nick at Nite lineup. It first aired on Nick at Nite on September 10, 2007. On May 15, 2007, ABC announced that the series would be canceled after its sixth season. The show last aired on ABC September 7, 2007. The show also entered syndication in the fall of 2007. Never a huge Nielsen hit in primetime, the show became a surprise success in syndication.
Lopez was a cast member and commentator for HBO’s hit sports show Inside the NFL for the 2003–2004 football season.
Lopez guest starred as the mayor of Reno, Nevada in the fifth season of Reno 911! in 2008.
On March 28, 2009, it was announced that Lopez would be getting his own late night talk show on TBS.[7] Lopez hosted a late-night talk show entitled Lopez Tonight on TBS Monday through Thursday at midnight Eastern Time. The show debuted in November 2009. In November 2010, the show moved back to midnight ET to accommodate a new show with former Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien. Lopez supported and even advocated for the move, making it different from the 2010 Tonight Show conflict that saw O'Brien depart NBC after a proposal to push Tonight back 30 minutes for Jay Leno to return to the 11:35 p.m. slot.[8] On August 10, 2011 Lopez received a cancellation notice from TBS. The network decided not to renew Lopez Tonight for a third season.[9][10]
Film
Lopez at his Walk of Fame star dedication ceremony.Lopez earned praise for his performance in the HBO Films drama, Real Women Have Curves, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received the 2002 Audience Award. Previously, Lopez was featured in the drama Bread and Roses. The film, directed by British filmmaker Ken Loach, received critical acclaim after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. He recently starred in the ABC Wonderful World of Disney Christmas film Naughty or Nice. Lopez also starred in the Robert Rodríguez-directed film The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl which opened in June 2005.
In 2010, Lopez appeared in The Spy Next Door, with Jackie Chan, and starred as a villain named Glaze.
In 2011, Lopez reprised his role as Papi for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, and was the voice of a toco toucan in the box-office animated hit Rio, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway (actress), will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.
Books
Lopez wrote an autobiography entitled Why You Crying, which was released on the Touchstone/Fireside division of Simon & Schuster and entered in the New York Times Bestsellers top twenty. The book is co-written by Emmy Award winning writer and sportscaster Armen Keteyian.
Other work
In January 2009, Lopez appeared in the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.
He is a two-time host of the Latin Grammy Awards and a co-host of the Emmy Awards.
He also hosted a Season 9 elimination on the 21 of April, on American Idol, after donating the most money on Idol Gives Back and he "judged the judges".
Politics
On December 21, 2010, Lopez announced on Good Day L.A. that he would run for Mayor of Los Angeles in about 8 years.[11]
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Lopez stated that if Sarah Palin ever becomes the President of the United States, he would immigrate to Canada.[12]
Personal life
In 1993, Lopez married Ann Serrano. The couple have a daughter, Mayan Lopez. On September 27, 2010, Lopez announced that he and his wife had decided to end their marriage.[13] Serrano filed for divorce on November 23, 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences".[14] The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.[15]
In 2009 a DNA test read by Mariah Carey on Lopez Tonight revealed Lopez to be of 55% European, 32% Native American,(also called mestizo which is the largest demographic of Mexico) 9% East Asian, and 4% African descent.[16]
Health problems
Lopez has a genetic condition that caused his kidneys to deteriorate. His doctors had told him in April 2004 that he was going to require an organ transplant but he postponed the operation until after finishing the fourth season of George Lopez so as not to hurt the 170 people who worked on his show. In 2005, his wife, Ann, donated one of her kidneys to Lopez. The transplant was successful; Lopez lost 45 lbs. after the operation due in part to having his health so vastly improved. He brought awareness to the issue on his show; his character's son, Max, was diagnosed with a similar illness.
Charity work and honors
Lopez was a featured celebrity golfer in the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lopez and his pro partner finished third in the Pebble Beach event. George was the top ranking celebrity at completion of the golf tournament. Since 2006, Lopez has served as the host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He is a member at Lakeside Country Club in Burbank, California and has a 13 handicap.[citation needed]
A native of Los Angeles who grew up in San Fernando Valley’s Mission Hills, Lopez devotes much time to the community. He has his own charity: The Ann & George Lopez Foundation (www.thelopezfoundation.org). He has received the Manny Mota Foundation Community Spirit Award and was named Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for his extensive fund-raising efforts benefiting earthquake victims in El Salvador and Guatemala. In February 2004, George was presented the 2004 Artist of the Year and Humanitarian Award by Harvard University, presented by its president and dean for his artistic work and charitable endeavors.[17]
Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. In September 2004, George was honored with the "Spirit of Liberty Award" presented by People for the American Way. In August 2005, Time magazine recognized George as one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics In America".[18] On October 18, 2011, Lopez's elementary school, San Fernando Elementary School, honored him for his beneficent efforts by naming their auditorium after him. Lopez has ensured through his annual toy giveaway that every child at the school receives a gift during the holidays.[19]
Feuds
Jay Leno
Lopez criticized Jay Leno, someone he once considered a "close friend", during an interview on radio station WOMX-FM in Orlando, Florida, on January 24, 2007, stating: "He's the biggest two-faced dude in TV." He also called him a back-stabber, and said he is not a proficient interviewer.[20][21]
Carlos Mencia
Lopez is also known for his conflict with Carlos Mencía. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lopez accused Mencía of appropriating 13 minutes of his material in Mencía's HBO special. He also claimed he had a physical altercation with Mencía over the alleged appropriation.[22][23]
Erik Estrada
Lopez frequently mentions his dislike for Erik Estrada. According to Lopez, he met Estrada when he was a teenager and Estrada was in the zenith of his career. Estrada refused to shake the teenager's hand, and Lopez has disliked him ever since. Lopez mentioned the story while guest-hosting The Jim Rome Show, and saying "Fuck that puto." In his comedy special America's Mexican, Lopez uses this as a warning to everyone that celebrities should always be nice to their fans because they do not know who the fans will grow up to be.
ABC Entertainment
After receiving the news that his show was cancelled in 2007, Lopez criticized Steve McPherson, the president of ABC Entertainment, for using racially motivated reasons for his decision. The actor told the Los Angeles Times that "TV just became really, really white again," and lashed out against ABC by saying "So a Chicano can't be on TV, but a caveman can?" in reference to Cavemen, which was replacing George Lopez in the schedule. Cavemen got a horrible reception from critics and viewers and was cancelled after just 13 episodes.[24] Lopez blamed ABC for causing over a hundred of his show's staff to become jobless.[25][26][27]
Kirstie Alley
On March 24, 2011 George Lopez called Kirstie Alley a "pig" during her stint on Dancing with the Stars.[28] Kirstie posted on Twitter, "Don't worry about George's comments…just remember what happens to the big bad, drunk woolf…falls in a boiling pot of vodka.Piggy laughs" as a response to the comment. George later apologized on Twitter by saying, "I misjudged the joke. No malice was intended and I apologize to Kirstie." After the apology, Kirstie fired back on Twitter, "@georgelopez I don't need or want ur apology…I want your kidney dude..on behalf of ur X and all the women uv insulted…give it back".[29]
Filmography
Film Year Film Role Notes 1990 Ski Patrol Eddie Martinez 1993 Fatal Instinct Murder Investigator 2001 Bread and Roses Perez Nominated—ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture 2002 Real Women Have Curves Mr. Guzman 2002 Outta Time Felix 2005 The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl Mr. Electricidad/ Mr. Electric/Tobor 2006 Balls of Fury Ernie Rodriguez Tortilla Heaven Everardo 2008 Swing Vote John Sweeney Henry Poole Is Here Father Salizar Beverly Hills Chihuahua Papi voice only 2009 Shannon's Rainbow Captain Martin Mr. Troop Mom Eddie Serrano 2010 The Spy Next Door Glaze Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor (shared with Valentine's Day and Marmaduke) Valentine's Day Alfonso Marmaduke Carlos voice 2011 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 Papi voice only
Nominated—Imagen Award for Best Actor in a Feature Film
Nominated—Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorThe Smurfs Grouchy Smurf voice only Rio Rafael voice only April Apocalypse Dr. Lyle filming Television Year(s) Title Role Notes 2002 Fidel Chucho Osorio The Brothers García Mr. Fender Episode "The Student Buddy" Curb your Enthusiasm Himself 2002–2007 George Lopez George Lopez 119 episodes
Imagen Award for Best Actor - Television (won 2004; nominated 2005, 2006, 2007)
Nominated—ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series
Nominated—BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (nominated 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star - Male
Nominated—Young Artist Award for Most Popular Mom & Pop in a Television Series (shared with Constance Marie)2004 Naughty or Nice Henry Ramiro 2006 Freddie George "Freddie Gets Cross Over " 2007–2008 The Naked Brothers Band Himself 3 episodes 2008 Reno 911 Mayor of Reno 3 episodes 2009–2011 Lopez Tonight Himself (Host) Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Talk Show Host 2011 America's Got Talent Grouchy Smurf (voice) July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results) Stand up Year Title Role Notes 2000 Alien Nation Himself 2001 Right Now, Right Now Himself 2002 Team Leader Himself 2006 Why You Crying? Himself El Mas Chingon? Himself 2007 America's Mexican Himself HBO Special 2009 Tall, Dark, & Chicano Himself HBO Special References
- ^ George Lopez Biography
- ^ Lopez, George; Keteyian, Armen (2004). Why You Crying?: My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743259947.
- ^ "George Lopez at MySpace". http://www.myspace.com/georgelopez. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ^ http://www.bestcomedyonline.net/comedian-biographies/george-lopez-personal-life
- ^ George Lopez Biography (1961–)
- ^ Ann and George Lopez Marriage Profile
- ^ Kate Ward, Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Bill Carter (April 12, 2010). "How the Conan O’Brien-TBS Deal Happened". The New York Times. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/how-the-conan-obrien-tbs-deal-happened/?src=busln. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ TBS Canceling Comic George Lopez's Talk Show
- ^ Carter, Bill (August 10, 2011). "TBS Cancels "Lopez Tonight"". New York Times. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/tbs-cancels-lopez-tonight/. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2010/12/21/george-lopez-run-mayor-los-angeles-california-office/
- ^ "CNN.com Video". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/07/26/exp.pmt.george.lopez.palin.cnn?&hpt=hp_c2.
- ^ "George Lopez and Wife End 17-Year Marriage". People. September 27, 2010. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20429537,00.html. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "George Lopez' Wife Ann Lopez Filed For Divorce". TMZ. November 23, 2010. http://www.tmz.com/2010/11/23/george-lopez-ann-lopez-divorce-files-prenup-child-custody-spousal-support/. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "George Lopez -- Divorce Final". TMZ. July 1, 2011. http://www.tmz.com/2011/07/01/george-lopez-divorce-finalized-ann-serrano-court-documents-ann-lopez/. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ Lopez Tonight: December 16, 2009 Recap & Highlights
- ^ Harvard Gazette: Harvard Foundation names Lopez Artist of the Year
- ^ "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America". Time. August 13, 2005. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1093637,00.html. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Bob (October 19, 2011). "Comedian George Lopez gets Valley school's auditorium named after him". Los Angeles Daily News. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_19143110. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ Topic Galleries – OrlandoSentinel.com
- ^ Topic Galleries – OrlandoSentinel.com
- ^ Goldyn, Debra (May 2, 2007). "Is Carlos Mencia a thief?". Advocate. University of Colorado at Denver. http://media.www.ucdadvocate.com/media/storage/paper538/news/2007/05/02/BonusBytes/Is.Carlos.Mencia.A.Thief-2891990.shtml. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
- ^ Kozlowski, Carl (March 29, 2007). "Carlos Mencia Just Said That". Los Angeles CityBeat. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070920201944/http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=5264&IssueNum=199. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ^ Buckman, Adam (October 3, 2007). "IT'S A CAVE-IN! ROCKY OPENING FOR 'CAVEMEN'". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/item_WxobdQBLVw3JHpIQCONnFM;jsessionid=E378B29F16C426ADE2DA200AD755BF99.
- ^ Keller, Joel (May 15, 2007). "George Lopez blasts ABC for cancelling his show". TV Squad. http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/05/15/george-lopez-blasts-abc-for-cancelling-his-show/. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ Fernandez, Marie (May 15, 2007). "George Lopez lashes out at ABC". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/15/entertainment/et-lopez15. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ Fernandez, Marie (May 14, 2007). "TV just got a lot 'whiter,' says a canceled George Lopez". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2007/05/post_1.html. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
- ^ "Not Nice! George Lopez On Kirstie Alley's DWTS Performance". PerezHilton. March 24, 2011. http://perezhilton.com/2011-03-24-george-lopez-gives-dancing-with-the-stars-recap-and-makes-fun-of-kirstie-alley. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley Fires Back At George Lopez…Goes WAY Too Far". PerezHilton. March 25, 2011. http://perezhilton.com/2011-03-25-kirstie-alley-fires-back-at-george-lopez-and-goes-way-too-far. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
External links
- Official website
- George Lopez at the Internet Movie Database
- "Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream". http://www.pbs.org/brownisthenewgreen/.
People v. Jackson Key figures Judge Rodney MelvilleProsecution figures Witnesses for the prosecution Defense figures Witnesses for the defense Other elements Categories:- 1961 births
- Actors from California
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American stand-up comedians
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- Hispanic and Latino American actors
- Living people
- American people of Mexican descent
- American television personalities of Mexican descent
- Organ transplant recipients
- People from the San Fernando Valley
- People from Los Angeles County, California
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