Carol Burnett was born in Texas and raised by her grandmother in Hollywood. She started in theater, then moved to New York and appeared on variety shows. She got her big break on the Garry Moore Show and later had her own variety show, which won 22 Emmy Awards. Afterward, she focused on small TV roles and had three marriages and three daughters.
Carol Creighton Burnett was born on April 26, 1933 in San Antonio, Texas. The only child of alcoholic parents, Carol soon moved in with her grandmother. Growing up in a boarding house in Hollywood, California, Carol Burnett compensated for her lack of friends by creating an imaginary sister modeled after Shirley Temple. In later years, she confessed to cross-dressing and running for retirement, trying to trick the neighbors into believing her sister was real.
After graduating from the University of California, Carol Burnett landed a few supporting roles, mostly in theater, before moving to New York City to tackle the comedy club circuit. She eventually moved on to small television roles and often appeared on variety shows. It was at such performances that Burnett became known for her singing parody, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles.” While this led to a part in the short-lived sitcom Stanley and other television commercials, it wasn’t until 1959 that Carol Burnett got her big break.
Carol Burnett was cast in the musical Once Upon a Mattress and the Garry Moore Show almost simultaneously. While both roles were highly acclaimed, it was the plethora of characters she portrayed on the Moore Show that ultimately earned Burnett an Emmy in 1962. She was offered her own sitcom by her close friend Lucille Ball, but she refused, fearing to be trapped in a single character. Instead, Carol Burnett continued with wacky comedic roles until CBS signed her to her own variety show, The Carol Burnett Show. The show became an instant hit and received 22 Emmy Awards.
The Carol Burnett Show ran until 1978. After production ceased, Burnett focused on small television roles, both comedy and drama. In the mid-1990s, she landed a recurring role as Theresa Stemple, the mother of Helen Hunt’s character on the hit sitcom Mad About You. She also made brief appearances on All My Children, Fresno, Mama’s Family, and most recently, Desperate Housewives.
Carol Burnett was married three times and had three daughters. Her eldest daughter, Carrie Hamilton, died of lung cancer in January 2002. Carol lives in Hawaii with her third husband, musician Brian Miller.
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