Comprehensive information and links about Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett (born April 26, 1933Carol Burnett 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, 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 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." — 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 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 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 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 .

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 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 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 .

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 . 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