Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933 in San Antonio, Texas) is an American actress, comedian, singer, voice artist, author, and producer, best known for starring in her eponymous hit variety series from 1967–78, as well as originating the role of Princess Winnifred the Woebegone in the original Broadway production of the 1959 stage musical Once Upon a Mattress.
Her film roles include the villainous Miss Hannigan in the 1982 version of Annie, as well as the voice of the equally villainous Jane Kangaroo in 2008's Horton Hears a Who!.
She has received numerous accolades for her work over the years, including 21 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (winning six), 18 Golden Globe Award nominations (winning six; she's also the namesake and first recipient of the HFPA's honorary Carol Burnett Award), three Grammy Award nominations (winning for the audiobook narration of her 2016 memoir In Such Good Company), two Tony Award nominations (receiving an honorary Tony in 1969), two Peabody Awards, a SAG Life Achievement Award, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Burnett has been married three times, and had three daughters with her second husband, producer Joe Hamilton. (Their oldest, the actress and singer Carrie Hamilton, died from cancer-related pneumonia at the age of 38.)
Partial filmography:
- Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) as Stella Irving
- The Front Page (1974) as Mollie Malloy
- A Wedding (1978) as Tulip Brenner
- The Four Seasons (1981) as Kate Burroughs
- Annie (1982) as Miss Hannigan
- Noises Off (1992) as Dotty Otley / Mrs. Clackett
- The Trumpet of the Swan (2001) as Mrs. Hammerbotham (voice)
- Horton Hears a Who! (2008) as Jane Kangaroo (voice)
- The Secret World of Arrietty (2012) as Hara (voice, U.S. dub)
- Toy Story 4 (2019) as Chairol Burnett (voice)
- The Jack Benny Program (1 episode, 1962) as herself
- The Twilight Zone (episode "Cavender Is Coming", 1962) as Agnes Gerp
- The Lucy Show (1966–67) as Carol Bradford
- Get Smart (1 episode, 1967) as Ozark Annie
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (2 episodes, 1967–69) as Cpl./Sgt. Carol Barnes
- The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78) as herself (host) and various characters
- Sesame Street (5 episodes, 1969–71) as herself
- Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1 episode, 1972) as herself (guest performer)
- The Muppet Show (1 episode, 1980) as herself (special guest star)
- Mama's Family (6 episodes, 1983–84) as Eunice Higgins
- All My Children (6 episodes, 1983–2011) as Verla Grubbs
- Magnum, P.I. (2 episodes, 1984–88) as Susan Johnson
- Fresno (1986) as Charlotte Kensington
- HBO Storybook Musicals (1991) as Narrator, Mrs. Rabbit/Josephine Rabbit, and Mr. McGregor's Cat in Peter Rabbit (voice)
- The Larry Sanders Show (2 episodes, 1992–98) as herself
- Evening Shade (1 episode, 1993) as herself
- Mad About You (11 episodes, 1996–2019) as Theresa Stemple
- Touched by an Angel (1 episode, 1997) as Lillian Bennett
- Desperate Housewives (1 episode, 2006) as Eleanor Mason
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 episode, 2009) as Birdie Sulloway
- Glee (2 episodes, 2010–15) as Doris Sylvester
- Curious George (2013–14) as Great Aunt Sylvia (voice)
- Hot in Cleveland (2 episodes, 2013–15) as Penny
- Hawaii Five-0 (3 episodes, 2013–16) as Deb McGarrett
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered (1 episode, 2014) as Ardis Paine
- Julie's Greenroom (1 episode, 2017) as Mrs. Edna Brightful
- Angie Tribeca (1 episode, 2018) as President Priscilla Filcox
- Forky Asks a Question (1 episode, 2019) as Chairol Burnett (voice)
- Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (1 episode, 2021) as herself (voice)
- Trolls: Holiday in Harmony (2021) as Windbreeze (voice)
- Better Call Saul (4 episodes, 2022) as Marion
Tropes related to her career:
- Cool Old Lady: Now in her nineties and still just as funny as ever before.
- Character Tics:
- She has quite the habit of fiddling with her fingers when idle.
- That good ol' ear tug is her most notable signal, which initially was a "message" to her grandmother that she was doing well. After said grandmother passed away, the gesture became a tribute.
- Older Than They Look: She's ninety years old but could pass for younger.
Just to have a laugh or sing a song
Seems we just get started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'"
