Lenny Bruce

An American icon, Lenny Bruce is essentially known as a comedian, but he was equal parts comic, philosopher, and social critic. At a particularly conservative, uptight moment in American culture, he spoke out freely against the hypocrisies of religion, government, and social mores. His use of expletives and sexual themes, modest by today's standards, got him in endless legal troubles, which savaged both his life and his career. He died of an overdose in 1966, but remains one of the key influences on comedy, particularly on comedians with a sociopolitical bent.