Joan Rivers

Although these days she's known for her fashion quips and myriad trips to the plastic surgeon, Rivers was also a pioneering woman in stand-up comedy whose hilarious self-deprecating humor, biting one-liners and "can we talk?" catchphrase got her bookings in Las Vegas and on The Tonight Show, where Johnny Carson declared her a future star in 1965. The kooky comedian did indeed become a celebrity — primarily as a host, although she also appeared in a number of TV shows and movies (usually as herself or some version thereof). Carson provided a big career boost by booking her as guest host of his show, a regular gig that ended when Rivers angered the late-night king by launching her own short-lived show in 1986. She bounced back in the 1990s, hosting a number of daytime talk shows, appearing on Broadway, hawking her own jewelry line on QVC, playing herself in a TV-movie about her dramatic life and finally signing on to E! Entertainment Television in 1995 (along with her only child, Melissa) to cohost fashion and preaward-show programs from the red carpet. The duo jumped to the TV Guide Channel in 2005, but left two years later. Off screen, one of Rivers' hobbies is collecting Fabergé eggs. ~ Rovi