Carol Burnett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Burnett
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Burnett in 2005
|
|
| Born |
Carol Creighton Burnett
April 26, 1933 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
|
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Don Saroyan
(m. 1955; div. 1962)Joe Hamilton
(m. 1963; div. 1984)Brian Miller
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 3, including Carrie & Erin |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
|
| Genres |
|
| Notable works and roles | The Carol Burnett Show Miss Agatha Hannigan in Annie Eunice Harper Higgins on Mama's Family See also full list |
Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is a famous American comedian, actress, singer, and writer. She has performed in many funny and serious roles on stage and screen. Carol Burnett has won many important awards, including seven Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and a Tony Award.
She has also received special honors like the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. In 2013, she was given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award honored her in 2015 for her long and successful career. In 2019, the Golden Globes created the Carol Burnett Award for career achievement in television, and she was the very first person to receive it.
Burnett grew up in San Antonio, Texas, before moving to Hollywood. She studied theater at UCLA. She became famous on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress. Soon after, she started appearing on The Garry Moore Show and won her first Emmy Award in 1962.
Later, Carol Burnett became the star of The Carol Burnett Show, a popular comedy show on CBS. It ran for 11 years, from 1967 to 1978. She was the first woman to host her own comedy-variety series. The show was known for its funny sketches, songs, and dances. Carol Burnett created many memorable characters and won many awards for the show.
Her movie roles include Annie (1982) and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). On TV, she won an Emmy for her guest role in Mad About You. She has also appeared in recent shows like Better Call Saul (2022) and Palm Royale (2024). She won a Grammy Award for her audiobook memoir, In Such Good Company (2016). In 2023, NBC celebrated her 90th birthday with a special called Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carol Creighton Burnett was born on April 26, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas. Her mother, Ina Louise, wrote publicity for movie studios. Her father, Joseph Thomas Burnett, managed movie theaters. Carol moved to Hollywood with her grandmother and younger half-sister Chrissie. They lived in a simple apartment in a boarding house.
When Carol was young, she loved movies. Her grandmother often took her and her sister to see films. These movies later inspired many of the funny sketches on The Carol Burnett Show. Carol also taught herself the "Tarzan yell" when she was nine. This yell became a favorite with her fans years later.
Carol Burnett worked as an usher at the Warner Brothers Theater in Hollywood. One time, she tried to stop two people from entering a movie during the last few minutes. She wanted them to see the whole film from the beginning. Her manager saw this and fired her. Years later, when she became famous, she chose to have her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame placed right in front of that old theater.
After finishing Hollywood High School in 1951, Carol went to UCLA. She first thought about studying journalism. But she soon changed to theater arts and English, hoping to become a playwright. She had to take an acting class for her new major. During one performance, she decided to say her lines in a new, funny way. The audience laughed, and she felt a wonderful warmth. This moment made her realize she loved performing.
During her time at UCLA, she performed in many university plays. She became known for her comedic and musical talents. In 1954, a kind stranger offered her and her boyfriend $1,000 each. This was an interest-free loan to help them move to New York and start their acting careers. The only conditions were to pay it back within five years and to help other young talents if she became successful. Carol accepted the offer and moved to New York.
Career Highlights
Early Success in New York
In New York, Carol Burnett worked as a hat-check girl while looking for acting jobs. She and other young actresses at the Rehearsal Club put on a show in 1955. Important agents and stars came to see it, which helped open doors for many of the performers.
Carol got a small role on The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show in 1955. This led to a starring role in the TV show Stanley from 1956 to 1957. After Stanley, she became very popular performing in nightclubs. She was especially known for a funny song called "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles". She performed this song on The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957.
Her big break came in 1959 when she starred on Broadway in the musical Once Upon a Mattress. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. In the same year, she paid back the $1,000 loan to her mysterious helper. Also in 1959, she joined The Garry Moore Show as a regular cast member. She stayed on the show until 1962 and won an Emmy Award for her performance. She played many characters, including a funny cleaning woman who became one of her signature roles.
With her success, Carol Burnett became a headliner. She starred with her friend Julie Andrews in the TV special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall in 1962. This show won an Emmy Award, and Carol also won an Emmy for her performance. She also appeared as a guest on other shows, like The Twilight Zone.
The Carol Burnett Show
In 1967, Carol Burnett started her own hour-long comedy show, The Carol Burnett Show, on CBS. The network was not sure about a woman hosting a variety show, but her contract allowed her to create the show she wanted. It became a huge hit, winning 23 Emmy Awards during its run.
The show featured a talented cast, including Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and a young Vicki Lawrence, whom Carol discovered. The Carol Burnett Show was a true variety show. It combined funny sketches, songs, and dances. They often made fun of movies, TV shows, and commercials. For example, they had a famous parody called Went with the Wind! which made fun of the movie Gone with the Wind.
Carol Burnett often started her shows with a question-and-answer session with the audience. She was great at making up funny answers on the spot. She would also often do her famous Tarzan yell when asked. She ended every show by tugging on her left ear. This was a special message to her grandmother, letting her know that Carol was doing well and loved her. Even after her grandmother passed away, Carol continued this tradition.
The show stopped making new episodes in 1978. However, its funny sketches were edited into half-hour episodes called Carol Burnett and Friends. These episodes were very popular for many years. In 2001, a special about the show, with bloopers and discussions with the cast, attracted 30 million viewers. This showed how much people still loved the show. Carol's Grammy-winning memoir, In Such Good Company, shares stories about how the show was made.
Later Career and Honors
After The Carol Burnett Show ended, Carol took on many different roles, including serious ones. She appeared in movies like A Wedding (1978) and Annie (1982). She also returned to Broadway in 1995 for Moon Over Buffalo, earning another Tony Award nomination.
In the 1980s and 1990s, she continued to appear on TV. She guest-starred on Mama's Family, a show that came from a popular sketch on her own show. She also appeared on Mad About You, winning an Emmy for her guest role. Carol was a frequent guest on the game show Password. She also appeared on the soap opera All My Children as the character Verla Grubbs.
In the 2000s, Carol Burnett started doing voice roles in animated films. She voiced characters in The Trumpet of the Swan (2001) and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). In 2019, she voiced a talking chair named Chairol Burnett in Toy Story 4. She also guest-starred on TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Glee.
Carol Burnett has continued to receive many honors for her amazing career. In 2013, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Many famous friends and comedians, like Julie Andrews and Tina Fey, were there to celebrate her. In 2017, CBS aired The Carol Burnett Show: 50th Anniversary Special to celebrate the show's long history. Carol spoke about how people once thought only men could host variety shows. She proved them wrong!
In 2019, the Golden Globes created the Carol Burnett Award in her honor. This award celebrates a person's lifetime achievements in television. Carol Burnett was the first person to receive this special award. In 2022, she guest-starred in the final season of the drama series Better Call Saul. She played a character named Marion and received great praise for her performance.
On April 26, 2023, Carol Burnett's 90th birthday was celebrated with an NBC special called Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. Many stars, including Julie Andrews, Cher, and Ellen DeGeneres, paid tribute to her. The special won an Emmy Award, and Carol accepted it as an executive producer. In March 2024, she co-starred in the Apple TV+ comedy series Palm Royale. Critics praised her performance, calling it strong and funny. She also appeared in the Max comedy series Hacks in 2025.
Awards and Honors
Carol Burnett has been nominated for 23 Primetime Emmy Awards and has won 6 of them. These wins were for her work on The Garry Moore Show, Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, The Carol Burnett Show, Mad About You, and Palm Royale. In 2024, at 91 years old, she became the oldest nominee for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Palm Royale.
She has also received 18 Golden Globe Award nominations and won 7 Awards for The Carol Burnett Show. She was nominated for 3 Tony Awards and 3 Grammy Awards, winning one of each.
Carol Burnett has received many other special honors. These include 2 Peabody Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2003, she was honored with the Kennedy Center Honor. In 2005, President George W. Bush gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2013, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2019, she became the first person to receive the Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award for Television, which was named in her honor.
On her 90th birthday, she was celebrated with an NBC special, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. Many friends and performers, like Julie Andrews, Vicki Lawrence, Lily Tomlin, and Cher, paid tribute to her amazing career.
Personal Life
Family
Carol Burnett married her college sweetheart Don Saroyan in 1955. They later divorced in 1962.
In 1963, Carol married television producer Joe Hamilton. He produced The Carol Burnett Show. They had three daughters:
- Carrie Hamilton (1963–2002), who was a writer and actress.
- Jody Hamilton (born 1967), a film producer.
- Erin Hamilton (born 1968), a singer.
Carol and Joe Hamilton divorced in 1984. Joe Hamilton passed away in 1991. On November 24, 2001, Carol Burnett married drummer Brian Miller.
Carol Burnett has had close friendships with many famous people. These include Lucille Ball, Jim Nabors, Julie Andrews, and Betty White. She is also a mentor and close friend to Vicki Lawrence, who was a cast member on The Carol Burnett Show.
In 2020, Carol Burnett and her husband became temporary guardians for her teenage grandson, Dylan. They helped make decisions about his schooling and care.
Helping Others
Carol Burnett has always remembered her promise to the anonymous person who helped her go to college. She has given money to scholarship programs at UCLA and the University of Hawaii. This helps other students who need financial help to pursue their dreams.
Images for kids
-
Carol Burnett in 1974
-
Carol Burnett as her charwoman character with guest star Rita Hayworth in 1971.
See also
In Spanish: Carol Burnett para niños
