25. Ben Stiller
Why He Makes Us Laugh: The seemingly indefatigable Stiller is a comedy multi-tasker of major proportions, writing, directing and/or playing hilariously dim yet arrogant characters in numerous films, including 'Zoolander,' 'Dodgeball' and 'Tropic Thunder,' in addition to portraying less ridiculous, outrageously put-upon guys in more mainstream comedies ('Meet the Parents,' 'Night at the Museum').
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Tropic Thunder' (2008), 'Meet the Fockers' (2004), 'Dodgeball' (2004)
What's Next: After this month's relatively serious dramedy 'Greenberg,' he'll star in the 'Meet the Fockers' sequel, 'Little Fockers,' and soon revisit the fashion world with 'Zoolander 2.'
24. Ken Jeong
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Many of us still can't shake the image of a naked Jeong jumping around in 'The Hangover'; his menacing gay Chinese gangster was one of the movie's many delights. Even in his numerous small roles ('Knocked Up,' 'Pineapple Express'), the guy's a standout. And as mean-spirited Spanish teacher Seńor Chang on NBC's 'Community,' he's a blast.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard' (2009), 'The Hangover' (2009), 'Role Models' (2008)
What's Next: He'll appear in the family comedy 'Furry Vengeance' and sex comedy 'How to Make Love to a Woman.'
23. Amy Poehler
Why She Makes Us Laugh: As dorkily upbeat Indiana bureaucrat Leslie Knope on 'Parks and Recreation,' Poehler is both hilarious and sort of admirable. One of the most consistently funny co-anchors of 'Saturday Night Live's' Weekend Update, she played a trashy surrogate mom in 'Baby Mama' with just the right amount of grossness.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Spring Breakdown' (2009), 'Baby Mama' (2008), 'Hamlet 2' (2008)
What's Next: She stars as a crime-fighting 'Lunch Lady,' based on the graphic novel series.
22. Ricky Gervais
Why He Makes Us Laugh: His painfully clueless boss in the original (British) 'The Office' and his defensive, bitter wannabe actor on HBO's 'Extras' were showcases for his brilliant irreverence, as are his dryly sarcastic declarations on many an awards show. He was toned down but still funny as a cynical dentist who sees dead people in 'Ghost Town,' and recently wrote and starred in the provocative satire 'Invention of Lying.' One of the sharpest knives in the comedy drawer.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Invention of Lying' (2009), 'Ghost Town' (2008), 'For Your Consideration' (2006)
What's Next: He and 'Office'/'Extras' production partner Stephen Merchant co-wrote, directed and star in 'Cemetery Junction,' about insurance company employees in 1970s England.
21. Ed Helms
Why He Makes Us Laugh: A one-time correspondent on 'The Daily Show,' Helms plays the awesomely annoying suck-up Andy Bernard on 'The Office' (joining former 'Daily' castmate Steve Carell). After a variety of smallish roles in comedy films, he co-starred in last summer's comedy jackpot 'The Hangover,' memorably playing a wimpy dentist who obsesses over a missing tooth.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'The Goods, Live Hard, Sell Hard' (2009), 'The Hangover' (2009), 'Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay' (2008)
What's Next: Helms plays a down-and-out insurance salesman in Miguel Arteta's 'Cedar Rapids,' and then will co-star with Jason Segel in 'Jeff Who Lives at Home.'
20. Craig Robinson
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Best known as coolly sarcastic warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin in 'The Office,' where he steals scenes regularly, Robinson has been hilarious in every film he's in, whether playing a touchy drug thug in 'Pineapple Express' or a club doorman who kindly explains the door policy in 'Knocked Up' An outsize talent in every way.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno,' (2008), 'Pineapple Express' (2008), 'Knocked Up' (2007)
What's Next: 'Hot Tub Time Machine,' playing one of four friends who time-travel back to the '80s, and 'The Other Guys,' Adam McKay's cop comedy with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
19. Leslie Mann
Why She Makes Us Laugh: Mann's edgy screwball humor has been put to good use in movies such as 'Big Daddy' and 'The Cable Guy,' but she really knocked us out as Steve Carell's gleefully drunk-driving date in 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and Katherine Heigl's very disapproving sister in "Knocked Up,' both of which happened to be directed by her husband, Judd Apatow.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Funny People' (2009), 'Knocked Up' (2007), 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' (2005)
What's Next: Mann re-teams with her 'Cable Guy' co-star Jim Carrey in 'I Love You Philip Morris.'
18. Russell Brand
Why He Makes Us Laugh: As Aldous Snow, the obnoxious but sensitive rock star boyfriend of the title character in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' Brand was so fabulously funny, co-star Jason Segel helped create a spin-off about his character ('Get Him to the Greek'). The multi-talented Brit (he's an author and radio personality) also distinguished himself as Adam Sandler's seriously kooky sidekick in the family-friendly 'Bedtime Stories.'
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Bedtime Stories' (2008), 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008), 'St. Trinian's' (2007)
What's Next: Aside from starring in 'Greek,' he's playing Trinculo in Julie Taymor's unorthodox (obviously!) reworking of 'The Tempest,' and is attached to remakes of both 'Arthur' and 'Drop Dead Fred.'
17. Michael Cera
Why He Makes Us Laugh: He's been playing variations on his Endearingly Awkward Guy since the TV show (soon to be a major motion picture) 'Arrested Development,' but somehow we never tire of it. The dry wit, hesitant delivery, gangling frame and doe eyes: it's all good. Perhaps the most appealing geek to ever grace the screen.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Youth in Revolt' (2009), 'Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist' (2008), 'Superbad' (2007)
What's Next: The title role in the graphic novel-based 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' in which he must fight his love interest's seven sinister ex-boyfriends.

Watch Dueling Interviewers With Michael Cera
16. Will Ferrell
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Since his days on 'Saturday Night Live,' Ferrell has specialized in insanely confident dopes ('Blades of Glory,' 'Anchorman') and infantile babymen ('Step Brothers'), subverting his everyman looks into something hilarious and more than a little off. Even his more "normal" characters, like his Woody Allen-esque neurotic in 'Melinda and Melinda,' are pretty damn funny.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Semi-Pro' (2008), 'Blades of Glory' (2007), 'Talladega Nights' (2006)
What's Next: He re-teams with frequent collaborator, director Adam McKay, for the cop comedy 'The Other Guys,' co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes.
15. Jonah Hill
Why He Makes Us Laugh: One of several talents from the Apatow stable, the rotund Hill killed as an angsty, sex-crazed teen in 'Superbad,' his first leading role. He was also outstanding as one of Seth Rogen's infantile pals in 'Knocked Up' and as a waiter who worships Russell Brand's rock star character in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' Even his hair is funny.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'The Invention of Lying' (2009), 'Funny People' (2009), 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008)
What's Next: He stars in 'Get Him to the Greek' as a record label intern charged with getting an out-of-control rock star (Brand) to a big gig.
14. Elizabeth Banks
Why She Makes Us Laugh: From her first comedic role as a slutty camp counselor in 'Wet Hot American Summer,' Banks has been willing to undermine her classically pretty looks by taking on (and nailing) extreme roles such as a sexually voracious bookstore clerk in 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and Seth Rogen's willing accomplice in 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno.' Fearlessly funny.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Role Models' (2008), 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' (2008), 'Spider-Man 3' (2007)
What's Next: She'll star with Tobey Maguire in indie black comedy 'The Details' as a bickering couple with a raccoon infestation.
13. Seth Rogen
Why He Makes Us Laugh: A Judd Apatow mainstay from way back ('Freaks and Geeks'), Rogen went from playing laid-back, disheveled sidekicks ('The 40-Year-Old Virgin') to laid-back, disheveled leading men ('Knocked Up'), making us laugh equally hard with the movies he co-wrote ('Superbad,' 'Pineapple Express'). The comic genius next door.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Funny People' (2009), 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno,' (2008), 'Pineapple Express' (2008)
What's Next: He plays the title comic-book hero in 'The Green Hornet' (which he also co-wrote), a very intriguing proposition.
12. Sacha Baron Cohen
Why He Makes Us Laugh: When it comes to confrontational humor, Cohen's the king. He pushes his brilliantly obnoxious characters on unsuspecting victims who are absolutely not in on the joke; we're shocked, horrified, and more often than not, laughing uncontrollably. His recent cut from the Oscars telecast was supposedly based on "creative differences," but the powers that be were probably scared of his wildly irreverent wit.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Brüno' (2009), 'Borat' (2006), 'Talladega Nights' (2006)
What's Next: Alexander Payne's 'Downsizing,' with Reese Witherspoon and Paul Giamatti, in which -- according to various reports -- Cohen plays a little person and/or Spanish twins.
11. Anna Faris
Why She Makes Us Laugh: Faris first came to our attention as a Neve Campbell knockoff in the first 'Scary Movie' (and has starred in all sequels), completely owned the part of a happily self-absorbed starlet in 'Lost in Translation,' delighted us with her pot-addled stoner in 'Smiley Face' and went beyond the call of duty with her trashtastic mess of a mall worker in 'Observe and Report.' A comic tour de force.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Observe and Report' (2009), 'The House Bunny' (2008), 'Smiley Face' (2007)
What's Next: She co-stars with Topher Grace in 'Young Americans' (2010), a coming-of-age dramedy.
10. Aziz Ansari
Why He Makes Us Laugh: As Amy Poehler's undermining colleague on 'Parks and Recreation,' Ansari's Tom Haverford is a deeply sarcastic, compulsively flirtatious government flunky, easily one of the show's highlights. A member of improv troupe Human Giant, Ansari honed his comedy chops performing stand-up, and his 'Funny People' character, the ridiculously foul-mouthed comedian Randy, has become a celebrity in his own right.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Funny People' (2009), 'I Love You Man' (2009), 'Observe and Report' (2009)
What's Next: 'Get Him to the Greek,' co-starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. (He also inked a three-picture deal with Apatow, including a Raaaaaaaandy movie.)

9. James Franco
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Not many serious actor/heartthrobs have made such a successful crossover to all-out comedy, but Franco is has done it big-time. As grungy, blissed-out pot-dealer Saul in 'Pineapple Express,' he spouted such funny bon mots, his character's still being quoted somewhere this very minute. And he can do funny live, as shown by his recent 'SNL' hosting gig, especially his overly affectionate Christmas tree salesman.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Pineapple Express' (2008), 'Camille' (2007)
What's Next: More comedy with Tina Fey and Steve Carell in 'Date Night'; and 'Your Highness,' a fantasy comedy from the director (David Gordon Green) of 'Pineapple Express'
8. Kristen Wiig
Why She Makes Us Laugh: Known for her weird, wonderful 'SNL' characters (the Target Lady, travel agent Judy Grimes) and impersonations (Drew Barrymore, Nancy Pelosi), the marvelously deadpan Wiig also cracked us up as Katherine Heigl's passive-aggressive boss in 'Knocked Up' and Jason Bateman's bored wife in 'Extract.' A comic chameleon.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Extract' (2009), 'Adventureland' (2009), 'Ghost Town (2008)
What's Next: 'Date Night' with Steve Carell and Tina Fey and the action comedy 'MacGruber' with her 'SNL' castmate Will Forte in the title role.
7. Tracy Morgan
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Known for a variety of hilarious characters during his tenure on 'Saturday Night Live,' Morgan's portrayal of an arrogant, dim comedy star on '30 Rock' is scarily spot-on. He recently played the excitable yin to Bruce Willis' laid-back yang (or is it the other way around?) in Kevin Smith's buddy-cop comedy 'Cop Out.'
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Cop Out' (2010), 'G-Force,' (2009) ... OK, we're banking on his funny future roles
What's Next: Two high-profile projects: Neil Labute's dark comedy 'Death at a Funeral' with Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence; and David O. Russell's rom-com 'Nailed' with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel.
6. Jason Segel
Why He Makes Us Laugh: We loooved his charming, devil-may-care Sydney Fife in 'I Love You, Man,' a character who could so easily have been played as a hedonistic boor. Segel also wrote and starred in the hilarious 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' as a broken-hearted schlub who flees to Hawaii to escape memories of his ex, only to find her with a new rock star beau at the resort. Not your average funnyman. (And let's not forget TV's 'How I Met Your Mother.')
Funniest Recent Roles: 'I Love You, Man' (2009), 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008), 'Knocked Up' (2007)
What's Next: He stars in comedic version of 'Gulliver's Travels' with Jack Black in the title role, and opposite Ed Helms in 'Jeff Who Lives at Home.'
5. Tina Fey
Why She Makes Us Laugh: The first woman to rise to the top of the boys club that is 'Saturday Night Live' (her infamous, dead-on Sarah Palin impersonation is right up there with Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton), Fey also wrote and starred in the sharply funny 'Mean Girls,' before launching her hugely successful, SNL-inspired TV show, '30 Rock,' in which she portrays perfectly a bumbling, repressed TV writer.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Invention of Lying' (2009), 'Baby Mama' (2008), 'Mean Girls' (2004)
What's Next: She and Steve Carell co-star as a bored couple who get involved in a dangerous case of mistaken identity in 'Date Night.'
4. Bill Murray
Why He Makes Us Laugh Though his comic persona has mellowed some since his 'SNL' days and early movies, Murray's effortless timing and bone-dry wit remain intact. His world-weary actor in 'Lost in Translation' was both funny and touching; his inimitably cool presence has made him a Wes Anderson favorite, and his appearance in 'Zombieland' may go down as the greatest cameo ever. Murray's matchless.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' (2009),' 'Zombieland' (2009), 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004)
What's Next: He plays a gangster in 'Passion Play,' alongside co-stars Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox.
3. Steve Carell
Why He Makes Us Laugh: His hangdog expression and nonsensical outbursts never get old; Carell consistently amuses us with his inimitable portrayals of clueless and/or wounded souls. Whether playing ridiculously inept manager Michael Scott on 'The Office,' a panicky sexual neophyte ('The 40-Year-Old Virgin'), a depressed gay uncle ('Little Miss Sunshine') or his deadpan self on countless awards shows, Carell gets to us every single time.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Get Smart' (2008), 'Dan in Real Life' (2007), 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2006)
What's Next: The perfectly-cast 'Date Night,' in which he plays half of a clueless couple with Tina Fey.
2. Zach Galifianakis
Why He Makes Us Laugh: The stocky, hirsute Galifianakis was mainly (and justly) celebrated for his droll stand-up routines and low-profile TV stints (VH1's 'Late World with Zach,' Comedy Central's 'Dog Bites Man') before appearing as Ashton Kutcher's socially-stunted pal in 'What Happens in Vegas,' followed by his break-out role as a clueless (but likable) schmo in 'The Hangover.' He famously shaved his beard during a recent 'Saturday Night Live' hosting stint.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'Youth in Revolt' (2009), 'The Hangover' (2009), 'What Happens in Vegas' (2008)
What's Next: The action comedy 'Operation: Endgame' about competing government spy teams and 'Dinner for Schmucks' with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd.
1. Paul Rudd
Why He Makes Us Laugh: Despite his leading-man looks, Rudd has proved to be a versatile and understated comedic actor. Whether playing a guy pathologically yearning for his old girlfriend ('The 40-Year-Old Virgin'), a cynical child mentor ('Role Models') or an awkward good guy sadly lacking in male friends ('I Love You, Man'), he's always completely believable. And very, very funny.
Funniest Recent Roles: 'I Love You, Man' (2009), 'Role Models' (2008), 'Knocked Up' (2007)
What's Next: In 'Dinner for Schmucks,' he plays a rising exec who brings an IRS employee (Steve Carell) to his boss's monthly bring-a buffoon dinner, with disastrous results.