Roy Silver · Public domain

Broke into comedy clubs alongside George Carlin and Woody Allen before Johnny Carson made her a regular on The Tonight Show, and in 1986 became the first woman to host a late-night network talk show, with her own Fox program, The Late Show. Her acerbic, self-deprecating style — turned as often on herself as on celebrities — kept her working for five decades, from stand-up through red-carpet interviews to Fashion Police, and made her a template for the women in comedy who followed.