Dana Carvey

One of the most popular performers on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) during its revival in the late 1980s, Emmy winner Dana Carvey was responsible for such note-perfect impressions of figures like George H.W. Bush, Ross Perot, Johnny Carson and Jimmy Stewart, as well as his own creations, the zealous Church Lady and Wayne's sidekick, Garth. Where most impressionists stuck to rote imitations of their subjects, Carvey took his subjects to surreal extremes, with Stewart becoming a vigilante in an alternate-world "It's a Wonderful Life" (1941) and Bush transforming from stiff martinet to self-amused, quote-spouting buffoon. After a debilitating series of heart surgeries, he retreated from the spotlight in the late 1990s to focus on his family and work in stand-up, but his status as one of the brightest talents "SNL" ever fostered was never lost on his dedicated fans.