Attended but did not complete her degree from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1954.
Mother of actress Carrie Hamilton, Jody Hamilton and singer Erin Hamilton.
A.A. from U.C. Berkeley [1954]
Born at 4:00am-CST
Was forced to drop out of the 1964 Broadway musical "Fade Out, Fade In" after sustaining a neck injury in a taxi accident. The show's producers sued her for breach of contract, but the suit was later dropped.
In 1981, she successfully sued the "National Enquirer" for libel, prompted by its article describing her alleged public drunkenness during an altercation with then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger while in a Washington restaurant. The case remains a landmark in the study of libel cases involving celebrities, even though the unprecedented $1.6 million verdict (including $300,000 in personal damages and $1.3 million in "punitive" damages) was later reduced on appeal and the case was eventually settled out of court. Burnett donated the money to charity. She said she pursued the lawsuit because, as the daughter of two deceased alcoholics, the gossip paper's fabrication wounded her emotionally and that they should be punished for their irresponsibility when writing lies about celebrities.
Daughter Erin Hamilton was Miss Golden Globe 1993.
Considered Jim Nabors to be her good luck charm. He appeared as a guest on the first episode of "The Carol Burnett Show" (1967), and when the show took off, she had him back on the first episode of every season.
When asked, on her show, who her favorite actor was, she replied, "Anthony Hopkins - you know, the little English guy?"
One of 5 recipients of the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors; other recipients were James Brown, Loretta Lynn, Mike Nichols and Itzhak Perlman.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy", by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 74-76. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Lost her daughter, Carrie Hamilton, on January 20, 2002 to lung and brain cancer.
Ex-sister-in-law of Will Hutchins.
Used to work as an usherette in a movie theater in Hollywood. Years later, when she received a star on the Hollywood Blvd. Walk of Fame, she asked for it to placed in front of the theater where she used to work.
1985: Inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
Received Special Tony Award in 1969. She was also twice nominated for the Tony Award: in 1960, as Best Actress (Musical) for "Once Upon a Mattress," a performance she recreated in a television special of the same name, Once Upon a Mattress (1972) (TV); and in 1996, as Best Actress (Play) for "Moon Over Buffalo."
Was a good friend of Lucille Ball, with whom she appeared several times on "The Lucy Show."
At age 10, comedian Jim Carrey sent her his resume.
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush on 9 November 2005. Other recipients were Frank Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Gen. Richard Myers, Paul Rusesabagina, Andy Griffith, Aretha Franklin, Vint Cerf and his Internet codeveloper Robert Kahn, Jack Nicklaus, Alan Greenspan, and former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery.
Lucille Ball gave Carol her first baby shower.
Has appeared in three different television adaptations of "Once Upon A Mattress", the Broadway version of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea." In the 1964 and 1972 versions, she played Princess Winnifred. 33 years later, she played Queen Aggravain in the 2005 Disney adaptation.
Carol Burnett Detailed Biography
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is one of the most successful female comedians on American television, thanks largely to her eponymous variety show that ran on CBS from 1967 through 1978.
Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas to two alcoholic parents, Jodie and Louise Burnett, who left her with her grandmother. Carol moved to Hollywood, California with her grandmother where she graduated from Hollywood High School and then attended University of California, Los Angeles and worked her way up through bit parts on TV. Burnett came to prominence in the mid-1950s singing a novelty love song, "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles". About this time, she also appeared in a one-season NBC sitcom, Stanley, with Buddy Hackett. She achieved success on Broadway in the 1959 musical Once Upon a Mattress. In the same year she appeared on The Garry Moore Show as a regular until 1962, most memorably with her portrayal of a cleaning woman. With her success on this variety show she finally came to headliner status and appeared in the 1962 special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall co-starring her friend Julie Andrews.
Burnett's first husband was Don Saroyan (no known relation of author William Saroyan) to whom she was married from December 15, 1955 until they divorced in 1962. On May 4, 1963, Burnett married Roman Catholic TV producer Joe Hamilton, a divorced father of 8, with whom she had 3 daughters, including late actress and writer, Carrie Hamilton, and singer Erin Hamilton. The marriage ended in divorce in 1984, and Hamilton later died of cancer. Her current husband is the much-younger Brian Miller, to whom she has been wed since November 2001.
Burnett (left) and Vicki Lawrence (right) appearing with host Allen Ludden on an episode of Password.
Before getting her variety show, Burnett also appeared as a panelist on the game show Password — an association she maintained until the early 1980s.
Comedy legend Lucille Ball became a friend and mentor to Burnett from the mid 1960s on and, after having the younger performer guest star on The Lucy Show a number of times, Ball reportedly offered Burnet her own sitcom, to be produced by Desilu. She declined the offer, however, deciding instead to put together a variety show.
The hour-long The Carol Burnett Show debuted in 1967, and was a huge success, garnering 22 Emmy Awards and continuing to have success in syndicated reruns. Its ensemble cast included Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and Vicki Lawrence, who was cast partly because she looked like a younger Burnett. The show ceased production in 1978, and is generally regarded as the last successful major network variety show, to date.
Burnett drew attention in 1981, when she sued the National Enquirer for libel after the tabloid newspaper described her alleged public drunkenness, purportedly with Henry Kissinger. (The fact that both of her parents suffered from alcoholism made this a particularly sensitive issue to Burnett.) The case is a landmark in the study of libel cases involving celebrities, although the unprecedented $1.6 million verdict for Burnett was reduced to about $800,000 on an appeal, and the case was eventually settled out of court. She donated a portion of that award to the University of Hawaii saying she hoped the suit would teach aspiring journalists the dangers of defaming individuals in articles. The money was used to fund Law and Ethics courses at the school. Burnett said at the time that she didn't care if she just won "carfare," and that the lawsuit was a matter of principle.
Her film work includes The Four Seasons, Annie, and Noises Off.
While living in Hawaii she accompanied her daughter to an oral surgeon. While consulting her daughter the surgeon suggested surgery to lengthen her jaw. In an interview on Fresh Air she said she was called back to reshoot some scenes for Annie and director John Huston wanted her to start where she leaves a closet. She told Huston that she would then be going in the closet with one chin and out with another. She said Huston told her to come out of the closet determined.
Burnett returned to TV in the mid-1990s as a supporting character on the sitcom Mad About You when she played Theresa Stemple (originally played by Nancy Dussault), the mother of main character Jamie Buchman, played by Oscar and Emmy winning actress Helen Hunt.
Personal tragedy struck Burnett in 2002 when her daughter, actress and writer Carrie Hamilton, died of lung cancer at the age of 38. Hamilton had a problem with drugs as a teenager but overcame it with her mother's help. She and her mother often spoke out against drug abuse. Carrie Hamilton was a talented actress in her own right, and she and her mother appeared together in the 1988 television film Hostage.
Burnett was a recipient of the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors at the age of 70.
Burnett has been a long time fan of the soap opera All My Children. She realized a dream when Agnes Nixon created the role of Verla Grubbs for her. Burnett suddenly found herself playing the long-lost daughter of Langly Wallingford (Louis Edmonds), and raising hell for her stepmother Phoebe Tyler-Wallingford (the late Ruth Warrick). She hosted a 25th anniversary special about the show in 1995 and made a brief cameo as Verla on the January 5, 2005 episode celebrating the 35th anniversary of the program. Due to scheduling conflicts, the scene was shot on the Los Angeles set of General Hospital instead of the New York City set where All My Children is taped.
The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show (regular in 1955)
Stanley (1956-1957)
The Garry Moore Show (regular from 1959-1962)
The Carol Burnett Show (1960)
Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (1962)
An Evening with Carol Burnett (1963)
Calamity Jane (1963)
Once Upon a Mattress (1964)
The Entertainers (1964-1965)
Carol + 2 (1967)
The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)
The Carol Burnett Show in London (1970)
Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (1971)
Once Upon a Mattress (1972)
6 Rms Riv Vu (1974)
Out to Lunch (1974)
Sills and Burnett at the Met (1976)
All My Children (cast member in 1976 and in 1983, 1995, and 2005)
Dolly and Carol in Nashville (1978)
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (1978)
Friendly Fire (1979)
Carol Burnett & Company (1979) (canceled after 4 episodes)
The Tenth Month (1979)
Eunice (1982) (pilot for Mama's Family)
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice' (1982)
Between Friends (1983)
Mama's Family (cast member from 1983-1985)
Burnett Discovers Domingo (1984)
The Laundromat (1985)
Follies in Concert (1986)
Fresno (1986) (miniseries)
Plaza Suite (1987) (also executive producer)
Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin (1987)
Hostage (1988)
Julie & Carol: Together Again (1989)
Carol & Company (1990) (canceled after a few months)
The Carol Burnett Show (1991) (canceled after 2 months)
The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion (1993)
Carol Burnett: The Special Years (1994)
Seasons of the Heart (1994)
Men, Movies & Carol (1994)
Grace (1998)
The Marriage Fool (1998)
Putting It Together (2000)
Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers (2001) (also executive producer)
The Carol Burnett Show: Let's Bump Up the Lights (2004) (also executive producer)
Once Upon a Mattress (2005) (also executive producer)
