13. JACKIE GLEASON
Family sitcoms were still new in 1951 when ''The Honeymooners'' (about a Brooklyn bus driver and his long-suffering wife) debuted as a skit on Gleason's Cavalcade of Stars. Yet viewers took instantly to Ralph Kramden, with his panoramic gut and inane get-rich schemes. While CBS' Honeymooners series, TV's original spin-off, lasted only 39 episodes, Gleason's signature bluster and pithy catchphrases (''Bang! Zoom! To the moon!'') rocketed him into TV history.

Get This! The Honeymooners: Classic 39 Episodes