2. George Lopez was born
on April 23, 1961
He was born in Mission
Hills, California
3. He was deserted by his father when he
was two months old and by his mother
when he was 10 years old, but was
raised by his maternal grandmother,
Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and
step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, a
construction worker.
4. In 1999, Lopez hosted a major morning
radio show for Clear Channel
Communications in Los Angeles. He
was the first Latino to have headlined
the keystone morning radio slot on an
English-language station in LA—the
nation’s top radio market.
5. In 2000, after several years of performing stand-up
comedy, Lopez was approached by actress Sandra
Bullock for Lopez to produce and star in a comedy.
He stared in his own show “George Lopez” on ABC
from 2002 to 2007 then continued his show on Nick At
Nite.
His show went for six seasons.
He also had his own talk show called “Lopez Tonight”
on TBS.
6. Lopez earned praise for his performance in the
HBO Films drama, Real Women Have
Curves, which premiered at the Sundance Film
Festival and received the 2002 Audience Award.
In 2010, Lopez appeared in The Spy Next Door
with Jackie Chan, starring as a villain named
Glaze.
In 2011, Lopez reprised his role as Papi for Beverly
Hills Chihuahua 2.
7. On December 21, 2010, Lopez
announced on Good Day L.A. that he
would run for mayor of Los Angeles in
about 8 years.
In an interview with Piers
Morgan, Lopez stated that if Sarah
Palin ever becomes the President of the
United States, he would emigrate to
Canada.
8. In 1993, Lopez married Ann Serrano. The couple have a
daughter, Mayan Lopez. On September 27, 2010, Lopez
announced that he and his wife had decided to end
their marriage. Serrano filed for divorce on November
23, 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences. "The divorce
was finalized on July 1, 2011.
In 2009, the results of a DNA test read by Mariah
Carey on Lopez Tonight revealed Lopez to be of 55%
European, 32% Native American, 9% East Asian, and
4% African descent. However, the test's accuracy is
disputed by several genealogists.
9. Lopez has a genetic condition that caused
his kidneys to deteriorate. He was told on
April 2004 that he was going to require an
organ transplant but he postponed the
operation until finishing the fourth season
of George Lopez so as not to hurt the 170
people who worked on his show. In 2005, his
wife Ann donated one of her kidneys to
Lopez.
10. Lopez was a featured celebrity golfer in the 2004
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the 2004 AT&T
Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lopez and his pro partner
finished third in the Pebble Beach event. George
was the top-ranking celebrity at completion of the
tournament.
Since 2006, Lopez has served as host of the Bob
Hope Chrysler Classic. He is a member at Lakeside
Country Club in Burbank, California, and has a 13
handicap.
11. Lopez criticized Jay Leno, someone he once
considered a "close friend," during an interview on
radio station WOMX-FM in Orlando, Florida on
January 24, 2007, stating, "He's the biggest two-faced
dude in TV." He also called him a back-stabber, and
said he is not a proficient interviewer.
After receiving the news that his show was cancelled in
2007, Lopez criticized president of ABC Entertainment
Steve McPherson for using racially motivated reasons
for his decision.
