Joy Behar

As one-fifth of television's enormously popular cast of "The View" (ABC, 1997- ), comedian Joy Behar brought a caustic wit and razor-sharp sarcasm to the all-female morning gabfest. The native New Yorker began her professional career as a teacher before following her heart and taking the first tentative steps toward show business. Through a combination of determination and relatable material, Behar gradually made a name for herself on the NYC comedy circuit, eventually working for the likes of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) producer Lorne Michaels, hosting a radio talk show, and serving as a staff writer on the comedy series "It's Garry Shandling's Show" (Fox, 1986-1990). Shortly thereafter, she began picking up small roles in film projects like Nora Ephron's "This is My Life" (1992) and Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993). As enjoyable as acting was, stand-up comedy was Behar's first love and her greatest asset. Fortune smiled on the brassy comedienne, when after watching one of her stand-up routines, television journalist Barbara Walters tapped Behar to join her all-female roster of hosts for a new daytime talk show, "The View." An immediate ratings success, Behar and her co-hosts - Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Rosie O'Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg were among the often-rotating cast - spoke directly to a diverse cross-section of American women like no other show before it. Her newly elevated profile brought Behar a wealth of opportunities, such as cameos on series like "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002) and "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-2010), but to her true fans, Behar would always be the funny gal from Brooklyn with a lot to say and the nerve to say it.