George Lopez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Lopez
Lopez in 2019
Birth name	George Edward Lopez
Born	(1961-04-23) April 23, 1961 (age 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up film television
Years active	1983–present
Genres	Observational comedy black comedy insult comedy physical comedy racial humor satire
Subject(s)	Latin American culture American politics race relations racism family everyday life pop culture current events
Spouse	Ann Serrano ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2011)​
Children	1

George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is most famous for starring in his own TV show, George Lopez. This show was about a Mexican American family.

George Lopez's comedy often talks about race and different cultures, especially Mexican American culture. He has received many awards for his work and for helping the Latino community. For example, Time magazine named him one of "The Top 25 Hispanics in America" in 2005.

Early Life and Family

George Edward Lopez was born on April 23, 1961, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. His parents were Frieda and Anatasio Lopez. George's father left when he was only two months old. His mother left when he was 10 years old.

After that, George was raised by his grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, and his step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez. His grandmother worked in a factory, and his step-grandfather was a construction worker. George went to San Fernando High School and finished in 1979.

George Lopez's Career

Television Shows

George Lopez at his Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2006.

In 2000, after many years of doing stand-up comedy, actress Sandra Bullock asked George Lopez to create and star in a comedy show. Sandra Bullock wanted more TV shows that featured Hispanic actors and stories. The ABC network decided to pick up the show.

In 2002, George Lopez became one of the few Latino actors to star in his own TV comedy series. The show, called George Lopez, aired on ABC from 2002 to 2007. George was the co-creator, writer, producer, and star of the show.

Even though the show wasn't a huge hit when it first aired, it became very popular later when it was shown again in syndication on channels like Nick at Nite.

After his show was canceled in 2007, George Lopez spoke out about the decision. He felt that there weren't enough Latino actors on TV. He also appeared on HBO's sports show Inside the NFL for the 2003–04 football season.

From 2009 to 2011, George Lopez hosted his own late-night talk show called Lopez Tonight on TBS. He also starred in other TV shows like Saint George on FX and Lopez on TV Land.

In 2016, George Lopez was a guest judge on America's Got Talent. He used his "golden buzzer" to send the dance group Malevo straight to the live shows. In May 2022, NBC started a new series called Lopez vs Lopez, where George stars with his daughter, Mayan.

Movies and Voice Acting

George Lopez has been in many movies. His HBO film Real Women Have Curves won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002. He also appeared in the Christmas movie Naughty or Nice and the adventure film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005).

He is also well-known for his voice acting. He voiced Papi the Chihuahua in Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies (2008, 2011, 2012). He was also the voice of Rafael the toucan in the animated movies Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014). He voiced Grouchy Smurf in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013).

More recently, George Lopez played Captain Gomez in the independent film El Chicano (2019). In 2023, he starred as Rudy Reyes, the uncle of Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, in the superhero movie Blue Beetle.

Books and Other Work

George Lopez wrote an autobiography called Why You Crying. This book became a bestseller on The New York Times list.

He has also hosted the Latin Grammy Awards twice and co-hosted the Emmy Awards. In 2011, he worked with Carnival Cruises to help them find comedians for their comedy clubs on ships.

Personal Life and Health

In 1993, George Lopez married Ann Serrano. They have a daughter named Mayan, who was born in 1996. They divorced in 2011.

George Lopez has a genetic condition that caused his kidneys to get worse. In 2005, his wife Ann donated one of her kidneys to him. The transplant was successful, and George's health improved a lot. He even talked about this issue on his TV show to help others learn about it.

George Lopez is a supporter of the Democratic Party. He supported Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Charity Work and Awards

George Lopez speaking in 2019 at the California Hall of Fame where he was honored.

George Lopez cares a lot about his community. He has his own charity called The Ann & George Lopez Foundation. He has helped raise money for people affected by earthquakes in El Salvador and Guatemala.

In February 2004, he received the "Artist of the Year and Humanitarian Award" from the Harvard Foundation at Harvard University. This award recognized his artistic work and his charity efforts.

George Lopez has received many honors for his work and for helping the Latino community. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America." In 2011, his old elementary school, San Fernando Elementary School, named its auditorium after him. George also makes sure that every child at the school gets a gift during the holidays through his annual toy giveaway.

Awards and Honors

See also

In Spanish: George Lopez para niños