Ricky Gervais
Age: 49
Occupation: Comedian
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 1
As the writer of hit shows such as The Office and Extras and as a performer, Gervais has always specialized in the comedy of discomfort. His Hollywood debut in The Invention of Lying presented a disappointingly sanitized, soft-centered Gervais, but his turn as M.C. at the Golden Globes in 2010 partially redeemed his reputation for risky comedy. His 2011 Globes turn may have ruffled feathers among Hollywood's great and good but it reminded his fans what they saw in him in the first place. And, of course, there's his new endeavor An Idiot Abroad, which is hilarious. In the semidocumentary series, Gervais sends a fellow Brit with little experience and less interest in foreign cultures on exotic trips around the world and we cringe as cultures clash.