George Lopez was born April 23, 1961, in Mission Hills, California. Lopez started doing comedy at a young age. He was, and still is, proud of his Mexican roots. He entertained his family, friends, and Latino neighbors in the community by spoofing the typical Mexican-American life.
When Lopez grew up and went out on his own, he spent the next several years performing the same type of humor for audiences. The California-born comedian’s exposure grew when he appeared on the (now-defunct) “Arsenio Hall Show”, “Comic Strip Live,” “Evening at The Improv,” and, on every struggling performer’s favorite launching pad, “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.”
Even though George Lopez kept busy with his career schedule, he always made time for his hometown community. Lopez gave of himself and worked extensively with The Starlight Foundation, The Boys Club, The Los Angeles Theatre Center’s Latino Lab, The National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and more.
In 1991, Mayor Tom Bradley honored George Lopez for his valuable contributions to the Mission Hills town by declaring that July 28, 1991 be known as, “George Lopez Day.”
Back in Lopez’s professional life, he was still performing his popular stand-up comedy routines. Then, one day in 2000, a big break came when actress Sandra Bullock contacted him. Bullock saw the lacking number of Latino sitcoms on the television screen. Therefore, she wanted to start a weekly television show that starred Latinos. The ABC network aired “The George Lopez Show” starting in 2002.
Along with the California-born star, the comedy show’s cast included Constance Marie, Belita Moreno, Masiela Lusha, and Luis Armand Garcia. George and the rest of the starring actors made up the television Lopez family. The premise of the show is Lopez and his wife and kids going through their day-to-day lives.
To date, “The George Lopez Show” has won an Emmy Award in 2005. It has also won the 2003 ASCAP Award; was nominated in 2004 for the BET Comedy Award for “Outstanding Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series”. Actress Luis Armand Garcia was nominated in 2003 for the “Young Artist Award”; actress Masiela Lusha won the award for the “Best Performance in a TV Series”. Also, George Lopez and Constance Marie were nominated for the Young Artist’s Award for the “Most Popular Mom & Pop in a Television Series” in 2004.
That same year, Masiela Lusha again won the Young Artist’s Award for the “Best Performance in a TV Series.” In 2005, J.B. Gaynor was nominated for the “Best Performance in a Television Series.” Also, in 2004, 2005, and in 2006, respectively, George Lopez was nominated for the Image Award for “Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.” (There are other awards and award nominations regarding the show and its actors that are too numerous to list here.)
Lopez has also played a role in the movie, “Real Women Have Curves” in 2002, and in “The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl” in 2005. He has other movies to his credits as well.
The Latino comedian/actor has also recorded and released several comedy albums.
In his personal life, George Lopez is married with children. When he’s not busy performing, spending time with his family, or working for his favorite charities, Lopez loves to be out on the golf course. Lopez plays in celebrity tournaments, including “The 2004 Chrysler Bob Hope Classic” and the “2004 AT&T; Pebble Beach Pro-Am.”
For his fundraising efforts, Lopez won the “Manny Mota Foundation Community Spirit Award.” He also received the “2004 Artist of the Year and Humanitarian Award” by Harvard University.
In 2005, Time Magazine named him one of the “25 Most Influential Hispanics In America.” Also read MySpace Comedy: Where the Comedians Are.
