George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 ? June 22, 2008) was an iconic American stand-up comedian, actor and author who won four Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.

Carlin was noted for his black humor as well as insights on politics, the English language, psychology, religion and various taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5?4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's power to regulate indecent material on the public airwaves.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Ca...