George Carlin

American comedian who began doing TV variety shows in 1966, and nightclubs. His films include "With Six you get Eggroll," 1968, "Outrageous Fortune," 1987, and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." He was inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame in 1994.

As a teenager, Carlin's mother encouraged him to follow in his fathers footsteps as an advertiser, which did not appeal to him. He quit high school after his freshman year and joined the air force, leaving a year early with an honorable discharge. He had a short radio disk jockey career, which led to stand up work, and by the late sixties he was in Las Vegas doing network television talk shows. He teamed with comedian Jack Burns before his solo act in 1962. His film debut was in 1968, although he only gained minimal popularity. He was fired from a big Las Vegas hotel in 1970, for saying a four-letter word for fecal matter. His notorious comedy act, called " The Seven Word's you can never say on Television," became a legal matter in 1972, and was not resolved for six years, hardly hurting his career.

In the early '70s he was the hottest act in the country, a whacked-out hippie whose LPs routinely went gold. By 1973, he was heavily into self-destruct with his use of drugs and alcohol, favoring cocaine. His records sold liked crazy in 1975, and he was a natural when he hosted "Saturday Night Live." After a serious car accident and a heart attack in 1978 he put his life back in order, 1981. He tried two pilots before getting "The George Carlin Show" on television, but it was not until 1987's "Outrageous Fortune," which co-starred Better Midler, that he gained popularity. He was also featured in the teen fantasy flick " Bill and Ted's excellent adventure," which ranked third at the box office.

Carlin was married to his wife Brenda for 36 years, and they have one daughter, born in 1963. He was inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame in 1994. His wife died three years later, in 1997, of cancer.