David Sedaris has an amazing way of presenting subtle, intelligent humor found in every day situations and slipping in stoic, profound statements on human nature in between jokes. He's one of my favorite writers, and one of my greatest inspirations in the writing I do.
Kind of in the same vein as David,
Ira Glass is another of my favorite people. He is one of the greatest storytellers I've heard, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for keeping broadcast journalism alive in his wit and consistent innovation. If you don't know, Ira Glass is the creator of the program This American Life which broadcasts on NPR (and has been turned into a television show which is also great). If you haven't heard it or heard of it, I highly recommend you check it out.
As I mentioned in the Comedy Week thread, I love
Bill Hicks for his abrasiveness, but also for his poetic tendencies and esotericism. He's the best kind of as
shole.
All I can think of atm. Would surely have mentioned Kurt Vonnegut first and foremost but as he's already been claimed as a favorite I'll just have to agree with Exoskeletal.
The rest of my favorite people are fictional. /cynicism.