George Lopez (born April 23, 1961, Mission Hills,Los Angeles,California, U.S.) is an American comedian, actor, andtalk show host known for hiseffusive stage persona and comically bleak depictions of the Mexican American experience.

Lopez was raised by his maternal grandmother, a factory worker, and her second husband, a construction worker, in the Mission Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles. His father had left when he was an infant, and his mother remarried and relocated when he was 10 years old. Lopez characterized his upbringing as neglectful and emotionally abusive, topics that he frequently probed in his comedy. Afterhigh school, he worked in the factory that had employed his grandmother. Inspired byLatino comicFreddie Prinze, he ultimately decided to pursue comedy.

Lopez worked thestand-upcircuit during the 1980s and began appearing on such television programs asComedy Club (1987) andThe Arsenio Hall Show (1989). By the beginning of the next decade, he had broken intofilm with a role in the comedySki Patrol (1990). His first comedy album,Alien Nation, was released in 1996. Lopez continued to support himself through stand-up appearances. His second album,Right Now Right Now, was released in 2001. The next year, he appeared in the stand-up specialThe Original Latin Kings of Comedy, and in 2003 he releasedTeam Leader, which was nominated for aGrammy Award for best comedy album. He also accepted occasional film roles, notably in the dramasBread and Roses (2000) andReal Women Have Curves (2002).

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After being spotted by a scout from actressSandra Bullock’s production company, he partnered with her and her team to develop a sitcom featuring a Latino family.Bullock had noticed the paucity of Latino representation on television and sought to fill the void with Lopez’s brand of family-friendly but socially conscious humour. The result wasGeorge Lopez (2002–07), which featured Lopez as a version of himself and drew on his life in its depictions of a Mexican American family. Lopez also served as a producer and writer on the show, which was eventually syndicated. He released the albumEl Mas Chingon (2006; “The Baddest”) and appeared in the stand-up specialsGeorge Lopez: America’s Mexican (2007) andGeorge Lopez: Tall, Dark & Chicano (2009). The specials were also released as recordings and both earned him Grammy nominations for best comedy album.

Lopez hosted the talk showLopez Tonight (2009–11) and the dating showTake Me Out (2012). He appeared in another special,George Lopez: It’s Not Me, It’s You (2012); it was also released as a recording. Lopez played a teacher and voiced several characters in the children’s filmThe Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005) and voiced atoucan in the animated comedyRio (2011) and its 2014 sequel. After starring in the short-lived autobiographical sitcomSaint George (2014), Lopez produced and appeared in the inspirationaldramaSpare Parts (2015), about a team of Latino students who win a robotics competition. In 2016–17 he starred in anothereponymous sitcom,Lopez, which continued in the autobiographical vein of his other television work. The show acknowledged the breakup of his 17-year marriage and his difficulties (because of his wealth) in reconnecting with old friends. Lopez then appeared inEl Chicano, a superhero film featuring an all-Latino cast, and the thrillerRiver Runs Red (both 2018). His credits from 2020 included the family comedyCats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite!, in which he provided the voice of a parrot. In the comedyWalking with Herb (2021), he appeared as a messenger of God. He later cocreated and starred inLopez vs. Lopez (2022– ), a sitcom that highlights the rocky relationship between a father and daughter (played by his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez).

Lopez featured in the 2007PBS documentaryBrown Is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream, which used his career as a lens through which to examine the commercialization of Latinoculture. In 2003 he was among the cohosts of theEmmy Awards ceremony, and in 2003–04 he hosted the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. He released the bookWhy You Crying? My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter (written with Armen Keteyian) in 2004.