Tom Green

A lot of people’s knowledge of Tom Green ends at Freddy Got Fingered, his disastrous 2001 film, or maybe that time he had an operation for testicular cancer and broadcast it on his long-gone Tom Green Show. That’s a shame, because the lanky Canadian was something of a pioneer, paving the way for folks like Sacha Baron Cohen and Johnny Knoxville to talk dirty and pull stupid stunts in the interest of cheap laughs. He even maintains he invented planking back in 1994. Green has played it safe of late, writing an autobiography and performing for troops through the USO, but he’s also been getting back to his roots as a stand-up comedian, with a Showtime special coming later in 2012.

Updated 02/15/2012