George Lopez

Lopez married Ann Serrano in 1993, and the couple had a daughter, Mayan Lopez, in 1996. In September 2010, Lopez announced that they had decided to separate, and Serrano filed for divorce later that year citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in July 2011.

Lopez has a genetic condition that caused his kidneys to deteriorate over time. In April 2004, doctors informed him that he required an organ transplant, though he delayed the surgery until after completing production on the fourth season of his sitcom. In 2005, Serrano donated one of her kidneys to him for a successful transplant operation. Following the surgery, Lopez lost 45 pounds and used his platform to raise awareness about kidney disease by writing a similar medical storyline for his television character's father.

Lopez was born in Los Angeles to Frieda Lopez and Anatasio Lopez, a migrant worker. His father deserted the family when Lopez was two months old, and his mother left when he was 10 years old. He was subsequently raised by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, in an impoverished household in Mission Hills. After graduating from San Fernando High School in 1979, Lopez worked at the same factory as his grandmother before deciding to pursue comedy, drawing inspiration from comedian Freddie Prinze.

Lopez began working the stand-up comedy circuit in the 1980s, making appearances on television shows such as Comedy Club and The Arsenio Hall Show. He released his debut comedy album, Alien Nation, in 1996, followed by Right Now Right Now in 2001. His 2003 album Team Leader received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album. Lopez later headlined several major stand-up specials, including America's Mexican in 2007, Tall, Dark & Chicano in 2009, and It's Not Me, It's You in 2012, with his routines frequently exploring Mexican American identity, race relations, and his difficult childhood.

In 2000, actress Sandra Bullock noticed the scarcity of Hispanic-oriented comedy on television and approached Lopez to develop a sitcom. The resulting series, George Lopez, premiered on ABC in 2002 with Lopez serving as co-creator, writer, producer, and star. The sitcom ran for six seasons and 120 episodes before ending in 2007, after which it found significant popularity in syndication.

Lopez entered late-night television in November 2009 as the host of Lopez Tonight on TBS, which ran for two seasons. He later created and starred in the FX sitcom Saint George in 2014 and the semi-autobiographical series Lopez on TV Land from 2016 to 2017. In 2022, Lopez teamed up with his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez to co-create and star in the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez, which centers on the comedic dynamic between an estranged father and daughter.

Outside of television, Lopez has appeared in a wide variety of film projects. His dramatic screen roles include Bread and Roses in 2000, Real Women Have Curves in 2002, and Spare Parts in 2015, which he also produced. In 2023, he joined the DC Extended Universe as Rudy Reyes in Blue Beetle. As a voice actor, Lopez portrayed Papi the Chihuahua in Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua franchise, Rafael the toucan in Rio and Rio 2, and Grouchy Smurf in The Smurfs.

Lopez co-wrote his autobiography, Why You Crying?, with Armen Keteyian, which became a New York Times bestseller following its publication in 2004. Alongside his creative work, he established The Ann & George Lopez Foundation to fund charitable initiatives, hosted the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament, and was named an Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for his fundraising efforts supporting earthquake victims in El Salvador and Guatemala.