Born:
April 23, 1963
George
was born in Mission Hills, California. His father left the family
when George was two so he and his mother moved in with his maternal
grandparents. When George's mother remarried eight years later she
chose to leave him with his grandparents as she built a new life with
her second husband. George did not have a very happy childhood. He
never celebrated his birthday and still cannot find a photograph of
himself when he was a baby. Later in his life, George told a reporter,
"It's a form of abuse to not feel important."
Lopez
was inspired to be a standup comic when he watched the late Latino
comedian Freddie Prinze in the TV show Chico and the Man. His
first performance as a standup comedian took place in 1979 on the
day he graduated from high school. He was so scared by the experience
he chose not to perform for another four years. He worked many odd
jobs before he found the courage to perform again.
He
met his wife, a Cuban American casting director when he got his first
large movie role playing Eddie in the 1990 film Ski Patrol.
George gained the respect of many people as he continued to perform
film roles and standup comedy. One of his fans, actress Sandra Bullock
approached George following one of his performances and asked him
if he would consider developing and performing in a television series.
Sandra and George both felt that there were not many Latino performers
shown on television. The rest is history so to speak...the George
Lopez Show premiered in 2002 and is still a popular television
show.
Learn
more about George at the following websites: