Louis C.K.

Comedian Louis Szekely (better known as Louis C.K.) first rose to prominence as a writer, penning bits for “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “The Dana Carvey Show,” then winning Emmys for his work on “The Chris Rock Show” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.” By 2006, he was a widely known stand-up, starring in the HBO special Shameless. His experimental sitcom for the network that year, “Lucky Louie,” was canceled after just one season, but C.K. returned to sitcoms this year with “Louie,” an FX series much better received by critics, this time playing a recently divorced father (the show draws closely from C.K.’s own divorce, a subject that has also informed much of his recent stand-up). Last April, C.K. also filmed a stand-up special, Hilarious, which became the first stand-up comedy film to be accepted to Sundance.