Who is actor, comedian, singer Carol Burnett?
Carol Burnett is an American actor, comedian, singer, writer, and television host, best known for creating and starring in The Carol Burnett Show. Born Carol Creighton Burnett on April 26, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas, she became one of the most influential performers in American television variety comedy. Her work has earned major honors including Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Background/biography
Burnett was born to Ina Louise Burnett, a publicity writer, and Joseph Thomas Burnett, a movie theater manager. Her parents struggled with alcoholism, and after their separation she moved to Hollywood, California, with her younger half-sister, Chrissie. The sisters were largely raised by their grandmother, Mabel White, in a modest apartment near Hollywood Boulevard.
She attended Hollywood High School, where she participated in school productions and developed an interest in performing. Burnett later studied theater arts and English at the University of California, Los Angeles. Although she initially considered becoming a playwright, she shifted her focus to acting and musical comedy after discovering her aptitude for performance.
After graduating from UCLA, Burnett moved to New York City to pursue a stage career. Early appearances in clubs, television, and off-Broadway productions led to wider attention, particularly after her comic performance in the television variety series The Garry Moore Show.
Television, film and stage career
- The Garry Moore Show (1959–1962) — regular performer whose comedy work brought her national recognition.
- Once Upon a Mattress (1959) — starred on Broadway as Princess Winnifred; the role established her as a major musical-comedy performer.
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978) — creator and star of the landmark CBS sketch-comedy and variety series.
- Carol & Company (1990–1991) — sketch-comedy television series starring Burnett.
- Follies — appeared in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical.
- Annie (1982) — played the villainous Miss Hannigan in the film adaptation of the musical.
- Noises Off (1992) — appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s film adaptation of the stage farce.
- Mad About You (1996–1997) — played Theresa Stemple, earning an Emmy Award for her guest role.
- Better Call Saul (2022) — appeared as Marion, a role that introduced her to a new generation of viewers.
The Carol Burnett Show became particularly known for its ensemble sketches, musical numbers, parodies, and interaction with the studio audience. Burnett worked with prominent cast members including Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. Among the program’s best-known recurring pieces was the soap-opera parody “The Family,” which featured Burnett as Eunice Higgins.
Burnett’s signature opening ritual on the show involved tugging her left ear, a gesture she explained was a greeting to her grandmother, who had encouraged her early ambitions. Her stage and screen work has combined broad physical comedy, character acting, singing, and dramatic performance.
A television-comedy landmark
Burnett was among the first women to host a successful long-running prime-time network variety program under her own name. At a time when CBS was uncertain about the commercial prospects of a female-led variety show, she relied on a contractual provision connected to her earlier television work to secure the opportunity to make the program.
In 2019, the Golden Globe Awards introduced the Carol Burnett Award, a lifetime-achievement honor recognizing outstanding contributions to television. Burnett was its first recipient.
Net worth
Publications that estimate celebrity wealth have commonly placed Carol Burnett’s net worth at around $45 million, although such figures are not independently verified. Her reported income has come primarily from television, film and stage work, writing, production, residuals, and related entertainment projects.
Did you know?
- Carol Burnett’s left-ear tug at the beginning of The Carol Burnett Show was a private greeting to her grandmother.
- She won a Tony Award for her performance in the 1959 Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress.
- Her memoir One More Time recounts her childhood in Hollywood and her path into entertainment.
- Burnett received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
- She was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2003 for her contributions to American performing arts.
- The recurring “Went with the Wind!” sketch, a parody of Gone with the Wind, is among the most widely remembered sketches from her television show.
